ABSTRACT
The estimated number of alcohol-dependent persons in West Germany 1.5 million, or 2-3 per cent of the population - shows that alcoholism is a major problem in our society (Dilling et al. 1987). Causing a high rate of hospital admissions (Vereinigung Schweizer Krankenhäuser 1987), it is now the most frequent of all psychiatric admission diagnoses; in Lübeck for example, the annual admission rate corresponds to 0.5 per cent of the population (Dilling et al. 1987)! Considering that alcoholics comprise 7-14 per cent of all admissions to general hospitals, according to our own investigations (Auerbach and Melchertsen 1981), while others put the rate as high as 20 per cent (Trojan 1980), and taking into account the hardships for the families of alcoholics, another three to five million persons, the demand for prevention is more than justified.
