People looking to give up
alcohol are said to be more likely to succeed if they go cold turkey rather
than if they cut down gradually.
Research carried out by the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, found
that people with a dependency on alcohol were less successful in reaching
sobriety when they were under the supervision of a care provider that worked in
controlled consumption. Care providers
in Sweden are split on the problem, with half believing that a gradual
reduction of a person’s alcohol intake is the way forward, while others believe
that stopping completely holds the best results. However, previous studies have shown that
the key element in the treatment process is that patients and care providers
share the same view and that the treatment method plays a subordinate role,
though how great an influence the choice of method has had on the final
treatment result has not yet been looked into.
The study followed 201 adult patients for two-and-a-half years after
their treatment began and showed that a shared view between patient and care
provider was not decisive for the treatment outcome. However, Associate Professor Kristina
Berglund, who studies dependence at the Department of Psychology, said
“patients whose goal was total abstinence were more successful than those who
had chosen to control their drinking.” Some
90% of patients agreed with their care provider that total abstinence were still
sober during the follow up, where only 50% who were in agreement with their
care provider on controlled consumption were still sober.
“It is easy to believe that the
patient and care provider having a common goal is the most important factor in
achieving good treatment outcomes, but it is not that simple. Our study shows
that, regardless of agreement on goals and methods, in the end it is more
difficult to stick to controlled drinking than to give it up entirely,”
Berglund said.
You can see the whole story at https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160914090314.htm
