A one-year follow-up of men alcoholics given disulfiram.

A total of 348 consecutive primary alcoholics entering an alcoholism treatment program comprised Group 1 (172 men who were offered disulfiram and agreed to take it) and Group 2 (176 who were eligible to take the drug but refused). Information was gathered at the time of intake into the program through personal interviews with patients and two resource persons. The clinical course in the 12 months after discharge was determined by follow-up interviews with patients and one resource person. The two groups were demographically similar at intake and there were no significant differences in outcome. However, at intake those men who agreed to take disulfiram and subsequently did well were more affluent, more likely to be married and less likely to have spent time in jail prior to treatment, and drank less often than those men who refused. Thus, although agreeing to take disulfiram was not associated with an improved outcome overall, men with more social stability and less pervasive problems may be the ones most likely to benefit from the drug.