Treatment of Alcoholism by Physicians in Private Practice; A National Survey

Of 88,302 physicians in private practice mailed a questionnaire, 17.5% returned usable responses. Most had seen 3 or more problem-drinking patients in the previous 2 months, of whom over 25% were women and over 50% were diagnosed as alcoholics. A minority described their community alcoholism treatment resources as adequate. Most believed that the chief cause of alcoholism was personality or emotional factors. Over 90% used medications in the treatment of alcoholism.