ABSTRACT
This chapter rectifies a fundamental fault apparent in at least two reviews of controlled drinking treatment we have read. Room cited evidence to show that it was only about one percent of the male adult population who exhibited social problems related to drinking as severe as those exhibited by clinic alcoholics. Researchers who simply try to match their groups on important characteristics such as age, sex and occupational status weaken their design, simply because it is not yet known which variables are responsible for most of the outcome variance in alcoholism treatment. A clear distinction must be made between the specific procedures of a particular treatment method and its general, hope-inspiring placebo effects. Any positive finding in an otherwise methodologically adequate outcome study must warrant serious consideration. ‘Softer’ sources of information about these related areas collected through interviews or questionnaires given to friends or relatives should be strengthened through the use of reliable and valid instruments.
