DRIVING HISTORIES OF ALCOHOLICS IN A TREATMENT UNIT
THE DRIVING HISTORIES AND ATTITUDES TOWARD DRIVING AND DRINKING WERE EXAMINED IN A GROUP OF 92 NON-PSYCHOTIC ALCOHOLICS (46 MEN AND 46 WOMEN) WHO WERE VOLUNTARY PATIENTS IN A STATE HOSPITAL REHABILITATION PROGRAM. EIGHTY-SEVEN PERCENT OF THE MALE ALCOHOLICS AND 61% OF THE FEMALES WERE OR HAD BEEN DRIVERS. OF THIS GROUP OF DRIVERS, 63% (78% OF THE MALES AND 43% OF THE FEMALES) ADMITTED THAT THEY HAD BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR ONE OR MORE ACCIDENTS WHILE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL. ONE-THIRD OF ALL THE DRIVERS HAD ALLOWED THEIR LICENSES TO LAPSE. ONE-FORTH HAD HAD THEIR LICENSES REVOKED OR SUSPENDED. MOST OF THE PATIENTS HAD POSITIVE ATTITUDES TOWARD COMPULSORY BREATH TESTING AND ALL EXPRESSED DISAPPROVAL OF DRIVING AFTER DRINKING. TWO-THIRDS OF THE DRIVERS WOULD HAVE ACCEPTED A DRIVER REHABILITATION PROGRAM EARLIER IN THE COURSE OF THEIR ILLNESS BUT FEWER THOUGHT SUCH A PROGRAM WOULD HAVE INFLUENCED THE COURSE OF THEIR DRINKING. ALCOHOLICS DO REPRESENT A GROUP WITH CONSIDERABLE DESTRUCTIVE POTENTIAL. THEY DO COME IN CONTACT WITH LAW-ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES AND WOULD ACCEPT DRIVER REHABILITATION. THIS WOULD BE MOST EFFECTIVE, HOWEVER, IF COMBINED IN THEIR CASES WITH REFERRAL FOR FULL-SCALE ALCOHOLISM TREATMENT. /SRIS/
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Supplemental Notes:
- Vol 43, pp 734-743, 7 TAB, 7 REF
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Corporate Authors:
N/A
, United States -
Authors:
- Blume, S B
- Publication Date: 1969
Media Info
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Serial:
- Psychiatry Quarterly
- Publisher: N/A
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Alcohol breath tests; Alcoholism; Driver licenses; Driver rehabilitation; Drivers; Drunk drivers; Drunk driving; Gender
- Uncontrolled Terms: Rehabilitation; Treatment
- Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Society;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00223264
- Record Type: Publication
- Source Agency: Nat Safety Council Safety Res Info Serv
- Files: TRIS
- Created Date: Oct 26 2003 12:00AM