A National Survey of Alcoholism Treatment Centers in the United States— A Preliminary Report

Abstract

This report presents the preliminary results of a national survey of Alcoholism Treatment Centers (ATCs). The data were collected through mail-return questionnaires. The sample was selected from a very comprehensive current listing of facilities known to treat alcoholic patients, which was provided by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The completion rate was high, with about 75% of all eligible ATCs responding. This report presents data on 396 ATCs which returned the questionnaire. These data indicated that ATCs were fairly active, with each treating and/or referring about 818 patients on the average per year. The facilities employed a broad range of treatment regimens, but the services of AA were quite widespread. As expected, the most common full-time treatment personnel were alcohol counselors. There was only 1 full-time psychiatrist for every three ATCs. The demographic profile of patients at these ATCs matched the known profile of ATC patients, which reinforces the validity of the obtained sample. Additional data were presented on the source of patient referrals to ATCs. These data revealed that the most common source of patient referrals were criminal justice agencies (22.5%), closely followed by self-referrals (21.9%). In addition, specific types of referrals were associated with patients from different demographic backgrounds.