A Study of the Background of 100 Hospitalized Veterans with Alcoholism

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Abstract
All male group, average age 31.8 years, had an average length of alcoholism of 10.2 years. Thirty-seven became alcoholic before 20, 73 before 30, 90 before 40, and 3 after 40. Equally divided between "spree" and daily drinkers, 85 were called "addictive", 6 "reactive", and 8 "symptomatic". With an average I.Q. of 114.6 and 12.1 years of schooling, only 11 had been able to maintain steady employment. Forty-five came from homes broken before early adolescence. High family incidence was found for alcoholism and mental illness. Although all were voluntary admissions, motivation was more often external than internal. No clear composite was found for the alcoholic patient, his parents, or his wife. This study is preliminary to a report on the long term follow-up of treatment results with this group of alcoholics.