12-MONTH ABSTINENCE FROM ALCOHOL AND LONG-TERM DRINKING AND MARITAL OUTCOMES IN MEN WITH SEVERE ALCOHOL-PROBLEMS

Objective: Clinical and research data suggest that drinking behavior d uring the first year following treatment for alcohol problems may pred ict longer term drinking and functioning in other areas. The purpose o f this study was to investigate the relationship between abstinence fr om alcohol during the first year following group behavioral marital th erapy (BMT) for alcohol problems and drinking and marital functioning through 30 months post-group BMT. Method: The subjects were 73 white m ale veterans with severe alcohol problems who participated in a clinic al trial of group BMT and individual BMT aftercare. All subjects who e ntered the clinical trial were classified as either abstinent from alc ohol for the full first 12 months following completion of group BMT, o r not. Following completion of group BMT, subjects a ere reevaluated o n drinking, marital functioning and related behaviors at 3, 6, 12, 18, 24 and 30 months later. Results: Outcome analyses, taking into accoun t baseline differences between drinker groups on age, marital function ing and number of days light drinking, showed better alcohol use (18, 24 and 30 months) and marital functioning (6, 12, 18, 24 and 30 months ) for the first-year abstainers. Furthermore, fewer first-year abstain ers than drinkers reported they were hospitalized for alcohol-related reasons at the 18-, 24- and 30-month follow-ups, and the abstainers sh owed a greater degree of self-efficacy not to drink heavily at each of the 6-, 18- and 30-month follow-ups. Conclusions: The data are consis tent with the literature in showing the prognostic value of first-year post-alcohol treatment abstinence for drinking and functioning in oth er life areas in the longer term. The findings suggest that at least s horter term abstinence should be considered as an outcome goal for ind ividuals who present to alcohol treatment settings.