New Methods of Treatment Efficacy Research

ALCOHOL HEALTH & RESEARCH WORLD Research on the efficacy 1 of treatments for alcohol use disorders (AUD’s) has become considerably more rigorous in recent years, and methodological features that were rarely seen in clinical trials as recently as 10 years ago have now become standard practice (Miller et al. 1995; Morley et al. 1996). The increasing sophistication of treatment outcome research has enabled researchers to investigate numerous relevant and increasingly complex issues. These issues include the effectiveness of different AUD treatments, the relative costs of these treatments, the types of patients who respond to treatment, the symptoms and problem areas that respond to specific treatments, and the long-term benefits of treatment. Moreover, the improvements in treatment outcome research have led to some general conclusions regarding the effectiveness of AUD treatment, as follows (see McCrady and Langenbucher 1996; O’Brien and McLellan 1996; O’Brien 1997): New Methods of Treatment Efficacy Research