Motivation to change drinking behavior: the differences between alcohol users from an outpatient gastroenterology clinic and a specialist alcohol treatment service

Acesse: Motivation to change drinking behavior.pdf

Motivation to change drinking behavior: the differences between alcohol users from an outpatient gastroenterology clinic and a specialist alcohol treatment service
Neliana Buzi Figlie John Dunn Luis Cláudio Santoro Gomes Janaina Turisco Roberta PayáRonaldo Laranjeira

Universidade Federal de São Paulo — Escola Paulista de Medicina,
São Paulo Brazil
For some patients who have developed significant alcohol-related physical disease, total abstinence from alcohol may offer the best chance of survival. The aim of this study was to investigate motivation for treatment in two groups of alcohol users: outpatients from the gastroenterology clinic and outpatients from the specialist alcohol treatment service. Cross-sectional study, at a federally funded public teaching hospital. The sample studied was 151 outpatients from the gastroenterology clinic and 175 from the specialist alcohol treatment service.The interview was conducted in the outpatient clinics at the first appointment, and consisted of demographic questions and scales for measuring quality of life, alcohol dependence, pattern of alcohol,motivation for treatment and consequences of alcohol consumption.
RESULTS: The results suggested that outpatients from the gastroenterology clinic were less dependent on alcohol, had suffered fewer consequences from alcohol and had fewer emotional and mental health problems than did the outpatients from the alcohol treatment service. In relation to their stages of change, the gastroenterology outpatients presented high precontemplation scores at the beginning of treatment while outpatients of alcohol treatment service showed higher scores in contemplation, action and maintenance.