A comparison of two aversion treatment methods for alcoholism.

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Abstract
Of the 344 patients who received their 1st treatment for alcoholism at Shadel Hospital (Seattle, Washington, USA) in 1973, 287 (mean age 44; 81 women) completed 3-5 sessions of chemical (emetine) aversion treatment and 57 (mean age 56; 19 women) completed 3-5 sessions of faradic (electrical) aversion treatment. Patients assigned to faradic therapy were either physically or emotionally unable to tolerate the chemical procedure. They were significantly older, had a longer drinking history and suffered from more chronic diseases than the chemical aversion group. Mailed questionnaires asking about current drinking status and any further treatment 2 yr after the initial treatment at Shadel were returned by 159 of the patients who received chemical aversion treatment and by 33 of those who received faradic treatment. Patients who received further alcoholism treatment, either at Shadel or elsewhere, in the intervening period were eliminated from further analyses. Similar proportions of the chemical and faradic aversion treatment groups reported being abstinent with no further treatment at follow-up (57 and 55%). If comparable results can be maintained over time, faradic aversion treatment might be an effective alternative to chemical aversion treatment in some patients.

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