ABSTRACT
In this chapter you will find a list of patient-and illness-related data that you should gather during your first interview with the patient, as well as a short introduction on how you can motivate your patient to realize his/her problem drinking and accept treatment. Alcohol abuse and dependence distort the patient’s inner life in a predictable manner. This chapter will alert you to some aspects of the patient’s behavior that might be most stressful for you and will help you solve these conflicts in your daily professional life. Many of the issues in this introductory chapter will be discussed in detail in several of the following chapters. Please see the corresponding parts of this handbook for further information.
