Am J Psychiatry 1975; 132:1032-1037
Copyright © 1975 by American Psychiatric Association
Mood changes in an alcoholism treatment program based on drinking decisions
AI Alterman, E Gottheil and HD Crawford
The authors compared the amount of discomfort experienced by 18 alcoholic
men who chose to drink and 43 alcoholic men who abstained from drinking
during a 6-week treatment and research program. They found that the
discomfort of the drinkers increased but that the discomfort of the
abstainers decreased. The increase in the drinkers' discomfort appeared to
be more related to their having to make a decision about drinking than to
the amount of alcohol actually consumed. This finding emphasizes the
importance of the role played by environment in affecting the mood state of
drinking alcoholics.
