ABSTRACT
In 1994, 3.4 million Americans (about 1.6 per cent of the population ages 12 and older) received treatment for alcoholism and alcohol-related problems; 26-34 year olds were most frequently treated (SAMHSA, 1994). Worldwide, the numbers are equally staggering. Coupled with the finding that more costly treatments are not necessarily more effective (NIAAA, 1993b), the fact that providing heavy drinkers (who are not yet alcohol-dependent) with any type of intervention yields positive outcomes, the need for an inexpensive, widely available treatment for alcoholism is clearly evident. Alcohol-related treatments for women are especially needed because of their greater vulnerability and the need to reduce the incidence of fetal alcohol syndrome that is secondary to in utero exposure to ethanol.
