A Comparison of Recidivism Rates for Alcoholic Detox Residents Referred to Hospitals, Halfway Houses, and Outpatient Facilities

Abstract

Recidivism rates were studied for alcoholics referred to treatment facilities from a detoxication center. The aims were to examine (1) the proportions of clients who arrived, (2) whether similar clients were referred to different facilities, and (3) whether different facilities had different recovery rates. A sample of 183 alcoholics from a detoxication center was followed up for one year. Only a minority improved in terms of recidivism. There were no differences for those referred to halfway houses, hospitals, and nonresidential programs. Those who arrived for treatment or completed it did not have higher improvement rates than those who did not. are not to become another revolving door for chronic inebriates, it will be necessary to successfully place their clientele in long-term treatment facilities, such as halfway houses, hospitals, and outpatient clinics. Currently, in Ontario there are 12 detoxication centers operating for a population of about 8.2 million persons. Most of these centers were designed to take police arrestees for drunkenness and to detoxify them. However, an important purpose is also to refer as many as possible to other health care facilities. Unfortunately, little is known of the relative value of different health care facilities for the detoxication center population. Typically, this population contains mainly older males who have had previous treatment for alcoholism and may be involved in skid row. It would be of interest to know for various referral facilities what the overall recidivism rate is and whether different facilities have different rates of recidivism and lengths of stay.