In this prospective, 1-year study, 360 males admitted to an inpatient alcoholism treatment program were administered a DSM-III compatible structured interview and subtyped by co-occurring psychiatric disorder. Forty percent satisfied diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence while 27% met criteria for alcohol dependence and one additional psychiatric syndrome. The dually diagnosed patients were divided into: alcohol dependence plus drug abuse, alcohol dependence plus antisocial personality and alcohol dependence plus depression. These subtypes were compared on multiple dimensions at intake and at 1-year follow-up. At follow-up, all groups showed significant improvement in drinking and psychosocial functioning. The results suggest that subtyping alcoholics by co-morbid psychiatric disorders may be a good postdictor of clinical history, but a poor predictor of drinking outcome.

The primary aim of this study was to investigate the association between measured blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and the presence and degree of amnesia (no amnesia, grayout, or blackout) in actively drinking subjects. A secondary aim was to determine potential factors other than BAC that contribute to the alcohol-induced memory loss. An interview questionnaire was administered to subjects regarding a recent alcohol associated arrest with a documented BAC greater than 0.08 g/dL for either public intoxication, driving under the influence, or under age drinking was administered. Demographic variables collected included drinking history, family history of alcoholism, presence of previous alcohol-related memory loss during a drinking episode, and drinking behavior during the episode. Memory of the drinking episode was evaluated to determine if either an alcohol-induced grayout (partial anterograde amnesia) or blackout (complete anterograde amnesia) occurred. Differences in (1) mean total number of drinks ingested before arrest, (2) gulping of drinks, and (3) BAC at arrest were found for those having blackouts compared with no amnesia; while differences in drinking more than planned were found between the no amnesia and grayout groups. A strong linear relationship between BAC and predicted probability of memory loss, particularly for blackouts was obvious. This finding clinically concludes that subjects with BAC of 310 g/dL or greater have a 0.50 or greater probability of having an alcoholic blackout.

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