Acceptance and Therapeutic Practice of Controlled Drinking as an Outcome Goal by Swiss Alcohol Treatment Programmes

Abstract

Sixty-one percent (138/226) of Swiss inpatient and outpatient alcohol treatment programmes responded to a postal survey designed to assess the definition and acceptance of controlled drinking (CD) as a treatment objective, the degree to which a client’s severity of dependence and finality of CD as an outcome goal were associated with acceptance, and the perceived value of selected client characteristics when making treatment recommendations. CD was acceptable to large proportions of both outpatient services and inpatient programmes, although willingness to recommend CD was associated with client characteristics such as selecting CD as intermediate versus final outcome goal, lower severity of dependence, not being pregnant and higher social stability. Information and individual therapy to help clients pursue a CD goal are commonly available in outpatient agencies and some inpatient programmes, but group counseling, cue exposure and wet house services are not typically available from Swiss programmes.