Self-help group participation, avoidance of nonalcoholic beer, and nonsmoking independently predict better drinking outcomes in Japanese alcohol-dependent men.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Relapse after inpatient treatment for alcohol dependence is a major barrier to recovery. This study evaluated one-year drinking outcomes and their associations with self-help group participation, nonalcoholic beer use, smoking after discharge, and other prognostic factors among Japanese men treated for alcohol dependence.

Methods

We conducted a prospective 12-month follow-up of 198 male patients who completed a three-month inpatient program in 2014. Drinking status, self-help participation, nonalcoholic beer consumption, and smoking after discharge were assessed by mailed questionnaires. Time to first drink, heavy-drinking lapse, and sustained relapse were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier estimates and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models.

Results

One-ye

SUBMITTER: Yokoyama A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12861170 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature