Treatment experiences of alcoholic patients: an analysis of five residential alcoholism programs.

Five different residential alcoholism programs were studied to determine the influence of patient attributes on the treatment process. The relationship between patient characteristics and treatment experiences was analyzed separately for each of the five programs. There was no systematic relationship between patient characteristics and the kind or extent of treatment patients received or length of patient stay in treatment. The authors recommend more attention be paid to the type and intensity of treatment in relation to patient characteristics and a routine evaluation of program effectiveness.