IBT: Emergence of New Treatment Evaluation Measures and Procedures

Abstract

Traditional concepts of alcoholism not only prescribe certain treatment goals but also have strongly influenced treatment outcome evaluation. For example, traditional concepts usually portray the alcoholic as unable to control his or her drinking. Consequently, in evaluations of treatment effectiveness, drinking behavior is often portrayed as either abstinent (sober) or drunk. This dichotomous representation of drinking behavior is typically characteristic of most alcoholism treatment outcome studies (see reviews by Crawford and Chalupsky, 1977; Hill and Blane, 1967; Sobell and Sobell, 1975a). A host of similar problems have plagued the evaluation of all alcohol treatment outcome variables. Until recently, this can be attributed partly to the nearly nonexistent involvement of professionals and scientists in this field.