PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF THE PROGRAMME (FROM DIVERSION PROGRAMME FOR DRINKING DRIVERS - PROCEEDINGS OF A SEMINAR, 1977 - SEE NCJ-49618)

• NCJ Number: 49624
• Author(s): W B HENNESSY
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 8 pages
• Corporate Author: Sydney University
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: Australia

Annotation

PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF 282 DRIVERS ASSIGNED TO 1 OF 3 POSSIBLE TREATMENT CENTERS AS PART OF A DIVERSIONARY PROGRAM FOR DRINKING DRIVERS FOUND THE PROGRAM REACHES A BROAD SPECTRUM OF PEOPLE. IN 82 CASES DRINKING LESSENED.

Abstract

THE DIVERSIONARY PROGRAM SET UP BY THE COURTS OF NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA, USED THE ALCOHOL CLINIC OF ST. VINCENT'S HOSPITAL, SYDNEY, FOR ASSESSMENT. DRIVERS REFERRED TO THE PROGRAM WERE QUESTIONED ABOUT THEIR DRINKING HISTORY AND WERE GIVEN MEDICAL AND OTHER TESTS. ON THE BASIS OF THIS ASSESSMENT THEY WERE REFERRED TO ONE OF THREE TREATMENT CENTERS: THE COMMUNITY ALCOHOLISM CENTER AT SURRY HILLS WHICH RELIES MAINLY ON CRISIS INTERVENTION, INDIVIDUAL, AND GROUP COUNSELING; THE SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, WHICH USES BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION TECHNIQUES; OR THE CENTRAL DRUG AND ALCOHOL ADVISORY SERVICE AT ROZELLE, WHICH FOCUSES ON HEATTH EDUCATION IN SMALL GROUPS. MOST OF THE DRIVERS WERE AGED 20-40 YEARS. ASSESSMENT CRITERION FOR 'HEAVY DRINKER' WAS EIGHT DRINKS OR MORE A DAY ON MORE THAN FOUR DAYS A WEEK. EVEN THOSE WHO MATCHED THIS CRITERION FELT THEY WERE 'SOCIAL DRINKERS' AND THAT THIS AMOUNT WAS NORMAL. CHARTS COMPARE OFFENDER CHARACTERISTICS BY AGE GROUP. BEFORE AGE 40 MOST ARE OCCASIONAL DRINKERS. HEAVY DRINKING INCREASES WITH AGE. WOMEN COMPRISE AN ALMOST INSIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF OFFENDERS IN ALL AGE GROUPS. COMPARISON WITH REGULAR CLINIC RECORDS SHOWS THAT THE PROGRAM IS REACHING YOUNGER PERSONS WITH LESS SEVERE PROBLEMS. MOST PEOPLE DO NOT SEEK TREATMENT VOLUNTARILY, USUALLY, UNTIL THEY ARE PAST 40 AND EXHIBIT SEVERE PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS. THE CRISIS INTERVENTION PROGRAM HAD THE FEWEST DROPOUTS (28 PERCENT) AND THE LEAST FAVORABLE RESPONSE FROM OFFENDERS. IT ALSO HAD THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF PROBLEM DRINKERS. THE HALTH EDUCATION PROGRAM HAD MOSTLY MODERATE DRINKERS, A DROPOUT RATE OF 34 PERCENT, AND THE GREATEST NUMBER OF FAVORABLE RESPONSES. THE BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION PROGRAM HAD A 40 PERCENT DROPOUT RATE AND A MIXED RESPONSE. A SMALL GROUP OF PATIENTS WERE GIVEN LIVER ENZYME TESTS AS PART OF THE INITIAL EVALUATION. IN THIS GROUP OF 85 PATIENTS FOLLOWUP TESTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION OF ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION OVER THE 6-WEEK PERIOD. (GLR)