Planning for the Development of Comprehensive Community Alcoholism Services: II. Assessing Community Awareness and Attitudes
ALLAN BEIGEL M.D.1,
THOMAS R. MCCABE PH.D.2,
JOHN S. TAMERIN M.D.3,
MARY J. LOWERY M.A.,
EDWIN H. CHAPIN M.S., , and
E. JAMES HUNTER M.S.
1 Director, Southern Arizona Mental Health Center, 1930 East Sxth St., Tucson, Ariz. 85719
2 Director, West Center, Tucson General Hospital, Tucson, Ariz.
3 Research Director, Silver Hill Foundation, New Canaan, Conn.
The authors believe that in the development of an effective community education and treatment program for alcoholism the following dimensions need to be assessed: 1) attitudes toward alcohol use and abuse; 2) drinking habits; 3) awareness of available services and facilities for the alcoholic; 4) extent of personal drinking problems; and 5) comparative perceptions of alcohol abuse in different ethnic groups. After describing the procedure they devised to make these assessments, they present examples of how the data gathered can be used in the planning of comprehensive community alcoholism services.
