Influencing factors in the course of alcohol treatment careers

Literature Review: Examines the background of alcohol addiction work and summarises the main models, dominant theories and evidence for differential treatment effectiveness. The difficulties of unclear and mixed definitions within the area are highlighted and explored together with the lack of longitudinal studies, small samples and low follow up rates. Finally, directions for future research are outlined.;Research Report: Describes the current study which utilised existing service data to investigate the impact of identified variables upon the dependent variables of `mean time between multiple referrals' and 'number of referrals' to treatment services in individuals' alcohol treatment careers. The results, gained from multiple regression analyses, indicated that the identified variables were not predictive of the dependent variables. However, a number of interesting secondary findings suggested that those who go onto have multiple referrals to treatment services have notably more chaotic lives at the point of first referral. The current study also suggests avenues for further research and, indirectly, changes to both future data collection and treatment in the host service.