Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
The behavior and motivation of Boston area residents who sought help for their drinking problems and those who did not are compared. Three areas were examined: (1) Factors which respondents indicated influenced their decision to seek or not to seek help, the length of time they took to decide, the nature of their decisions and the action they took after deciding; (2) Whether respondents' personal and demographic characteristics, reported drinking practices when they realized they had a problem, and beliefs about their drinking problem and about the treatment of such problems were associated with whether they sought help; and (3) The influence that medical care providers exerted on the respondents to seek help.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Hingson et al. (1982) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: