Title: Prognostic Validity of Short‐Term Abstinence in Alcoholism
Abstract: A demonstrated period of abstinence is often viewed as a good prognostic sign in alcoholism. For example, short‐term abstinence one factor often considered important as a selection criteria for alcoholics who are being evaluated as liver transplant candidates. However, the prognostic validity of short‐term abstinence is unclear. We evaluated the effects of 3 and 6 months of abstinence on readmission rates in a series of 299 alcoholics following discharge from inpatient treatment. Readmission rates were stratified using 3‐factor model of alcoholism severity. This 3‐factor model defined groups with 1‐year readmission rates, ranging from 15.8% to 62.7%. Short‐term abstinence did not have strong effects on readmission rates for the most severe alcoholics, nor did short‐term abstinence produce clinically significant reduction for readmission rates for the least severe alcoholics. We conclude that short‐term abstinence has minimal effect on prognosis for alcoholics with various levels of baseline severity.
Publication Year: 1994
Publication Date: 1994-04-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref', 'pubmed']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 22
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