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Symptomatology in Alcoholics at Various Stages of Abstinence
Author(s) -
Soto Clinton B. De,
O'Donnell William E.,
Allred Linda J.,
Lopes Cheryl E.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1985.tb05592.x
Subject(s) - abstinence , psychology , depression (economics) , psychosocial , abstinence syndrome , psychiatry , clinical psychology , economics , macroeconomics
Evaluation of 312 abstinent alcoholic* (163 man and 149 women) with the Symptom Check‐List 90 revealed high levels of symptomatology for subjects in the early months of abstinence. Symptomatology decreased progressively with prolonged abstinence, approximating normal levels for subjects abstinent 10 years or more. The levels were similar for men and women. At aH stages, for both men and women, symptomatology was highest on the depression, interpersonal sensitivity, and obsessive‐compulsive symptom dimensions, with guilt a particularly persistent symptom. It is suggested that the findings depict a long‐term process of recovery from active alcoholism and are consistent with the concept of a protracted withdrawal syndrome, an intermediate (partially reversible) brain syndrome, and general psychosocial dysfunction and demoralization consequent to active alcoholism.