Effects of short-term rehabilitation on alcohol consumption and drinking-related behaviors: an eight-month follow-up study of drunken drivers.

This study assesses the effects of short-term alcohol treatment intervention on subsequent drinking behavior and drinking-related problems. Subjects were 436 persons arrested for driving while intoxicated in Phoenix, Arizona. Subjects were screened to determine social or problem drinker classification and then randomly assigned to either treatment or comparison group conditions. Improvement was inferred from response changes to a questionnaire and personal interview administered immediately before and again at 18 months following entry into treatment. Results indicated that short-term treatment intervention had no more effect than minimal exposure in improving the quality of social or problem drinkers' life situations. The findings suggest a need for more innovative research strategies, and a commitment to the development of longer and more therapeutically oriented treatment programs.