Findings bulletins: residential treatment reviewed, brief intervention implementation, domestic violence & more

Recent bulletins from the Findings drug and alcohol bank: 

Glass half full for residential/inpatient treatment of drinking problems in England

For the small cohort of people with severe and chronic drinking problems, this study found that residential and inpatient treatments were effective over half the time based on the important public health indicator of not just completing treatment successfully, but also not returning to treatment within six months. Ground-breaking and important as this is, the findings refer only to people who accessed treatment. What does this mean for those whose vulnerabilities make them eligible for intensive support but go hand-in-hand with significant barriers to treatment?

Can the disappointing roll-out of brief alcohol interventions be cost-effectively turned around?

In a bid to reach the estimated ‘19 in 20 eligible patients’ not currently being screened for risky drinking in Europe, this study tested the cost-effectiveness of different levers to improve implementation of brief interventions. It identified optimally cost-effective strategies in England, the Netherlands and Poland – but does an ‘Achilles heel’ issue undermine the reliability of the calculations?

Do interventions to reduce alcohol-related harms also reduce domestic abuse?

This review examines the possibility that interventions aimed at reducing alcohol consumption may reduce a ‘hidden’ form of alcohol-related violence – domestic abuse. Considering the greater likelihood of women being victimised, the unequal power relations between men and women, and the greater effect of alcohol on men’s aggression, this is an inherently gendered topic.

Reading this analysis prompts thoughts about the role alcohol may play in initiating or exacerbating controlling and abusive behaviours in intimate relationships, and how the presence of heavy or dependent drinking among victims and perpetrators could shape the way health, substance use, and criminal justice professionals view domestic abuse situations

Other recent bulletins include:

• Feedback on client progress among most effective ways to improve outcomes
• Fear of being ‘misgendered’ is keeping transgender women away from drug and alcohol services
• Fundamental rule for therapists: know and be who you are