ASSISTING PROBLEM DRINKERS TO CHANGE ON THEIR OWN - EFFECT OF SPECIFIC AND NONSPECIFIC ADVICE

Problem drinkers (99 males, 41 females) wishing to quit or cut down wi thout professional help received a 60-minute session during which they were assessed and given at random one of these materials: Guidelines, a two-page pamphlet outlining specific methods for achieving abstinen ce or moderate drinking; Manual, a 30-page booklet describing the meth ods in the Guidelines; or General Information, a package about alcohol effects. At 12 months follow-up, subjects in the Guidelines and Manua l conditions showed significantly greater reductions of heavy days (of 5+ drinks) than subjects in General Information (70% vs. 24%); in add ition, significantly fewer subjects in the Guidelines and the Manual c onditions expressed need for professional assistance with their drinki ng (25% vs. 46% in General Information). No main effect of condition o r gender was observed on rates of moderate drinkers. At 12 months foll ow-up, 31% of the men and 43% of the women were rated as moderate drin kers. It was concluded that drinkers intending to cut down on their ow n derive greater benefit (in terms of their alcohol use) from material s containing specific instructions to develop moderate drinking than f rom those providing general information on alcohol effects. Clinical a nd research implications of the findings are discussed