The rand reports reviewed: A critical analysis
Considerable controversy concerning the effectiveness of treatment for alcoholism and the ability of alcoholics to come social drinkers has been generated by the publication of the Rand Reports of 1975 and 1980. The 1980 Report describes the outcome of a cohort of 922 alcoholics followed for four years after initiating contact at an alcoholic treatment center. A critical review of the study design analytic methods and results reveals the authors to have seriously addressed the statistical problems as well as clearly stating the contraints that should be utilized in interpreting their findings. Although the sampling selection of the final cohort leads to bias, nonetheless the results presented are of interest. The results do not indicate either that different types of treatment are equally effective or that alcoholics may safely resume social drinking. The descriptive findings of the selective cohort, however, suggest that these observations should be studied prospectively under randomized controlled conditions. © 1983 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
