The Problem of Abstinence by the Patient as a Requisite for the Psychotherapy of Alcoholism. I. The Need for Abstinence by the Alcoholic Patient during Treatment

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Abstract
Differences of opinion as to the need for abstinence in the treatment of alcoholism may partly reflect uncertainty concerning its etiology. A major reason for the controversy, however, rests in the viewing of alcoholism as a neuotic disorder. When it is seen as a manifestation of a deeply ingrained, hedonistically oriented, egosyntonic disturbance, protected from detection through the defense mechanism of denial, the controversy seems more academic. Abstinence as the 1st step in the treatment of alcoholism is desired, though often difficult to obtain, and is based on the psychological understanding of alcoholism.

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