A 6-YEAR FOLLOW-UP OF ALCOHOLICS AFTER LONG-TERM OUTPATIENT TREATMENT

The predictors of the long-term outcome in alcoholics (n = 50) who had been treated in a 2-year outpatient treatment program were investigat ed. Previously, the sample had been followed up personally 2 years aft er the termination of treatment. This study is a repeated, independent follow-up of the same sample over a 4 year period, 3-6 years after te rmination of treatment. Outcome could be categorized in 38 subjects. P atients with a favorable outcome during at least 2 years of the 4-year follow-up period (n = 21), who were categorized as a positive outcome group, were compared with the other patients (n = 17). There was no s ignificant correlation between initial patient characteristics and out come 3-6 years after treatment. Drinking outcome during the Ist half-y ear of treatment had no correlation to positive drinking outcome in ye ars 3-6, whereas there was a positive correlation for later phases of treatment and outcome reaching a significant level during the 2nd and 4th half-year of treatment. A favorable drinking outcome during years 1-2 after treatment had a positive significant correlation to outcome in years 3-6 after treatment [i.e., 80% of the patients with a favorab le outcome during the Ist follow-up period also had a positive outcome during the 2nd follow-up period, and 72% of those who had an unfavora ble outcome during the Ist follow-up period had an unfavorable outcome also during the 2nd follow-up period (x(2) test = 10.4, p < 0.001). P sychosocial adjustment at the 6-year follow-up did not differ signific antly between subjects in the positive outcome group and subjects in t he negative outcome group.