The process of recovery from alcoholism. II. Comparing spouses of alcoholic patients and matched community controls.

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Abstract
Spouses of recovered and relapsed alcoholics were studied 2 yr after their partners had completed residential treatment and were compared with sociodemographically-matched community controls on 7 sets of indices reflecting varied aspects of personal and social functioning. There were relatively few differences between the groups, although spouses of heavy-drinking relapsed patients consumed more alcohol, complained of more drinking problems, depression and medical conditions, engaged in fewer social activities, and experienced more negative events and less family cohesion than did the control spouses. Spouses of alcoholics were affected by life-change events, social support and coping responses, as well as by their partner''s alcohol consumption and general level of functioning.