ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews this evidence, beginning with the classic paper of D.L. Davies in 1962 and ending with the controversial, so-called Rand Report published in 1976, together with its follow-up report four years later. One of the strongest arguments for the acceptance of resumed normal drinking is precisely that the number of papers in which it is described now precludes an exhaustive survey of all relevant scientific documents. The words ‘normal’, ‘controlled’, ‘social’, ‘moderate’, ‘limited’, ‘attenuated’ and ‘harm-free’ have all been suggested at one time or another for a variety of reasons. All patients who had been treated for alcohol addiction prior to 1955 had been followed up routinely through outpatient attendances, contact by a social worker and correspondence with relatives. In order to confirm this hypothesis it would of course be necessary to demonstrate that withdrawal of alcohol caused noticeable discomfort in such persons.
