ABSTRACT
Alcohol abuse is often a long-lasting and disruptive condition to the abusers, their families and the work environment. It is a serious threat to the workplace for several psychobiological reasons. The effect of alcohol abuse upon health status is a more complex question than is reflected in early death due to chronic and acute diseases. It is therefore possible to conclude that a traditional approach to intervention and rehabilitation of alcohol abusers in inpatient clinics may reduce the physical fitness of clients below the subnormal level they present when they come to the clinic. In Norway, the typical relapse rate over the first year after treatment at a clinic for alcohol abuse intervention is around 75-85%. The highest relapse rate was obtained for patients in the control group, with those in the standard training group scoring almost as high as the controls (around 80%).
