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Monday, January 14, 2008

Web-based self-help for problem drinkers: a pragmatic randomized trial
Addiction 103 (2), 218–227.

Self-help interventions for adult problem drinkers in the general population have proved effective. The question is whether this also holds for self-help interventions delivered over the internet.

At follow-up, 17.2% of the intervention group participants had reduced their drinking successfully to within the guideline norms; in the control group this was 5.4% [odds ratio (OR) = 3.66; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3–10.8; P = 0.006; number needed to treat (NNT) = 8.5]. The intervention subjects decreased their mean weekly alcohol consumption significantly more than control subjects, with a difference of 12.0 standardized units (95% CI 5.9–18.1; P <>

To our knowledge this is one of the first randomized controlled trials on a web-based self-help intervention without therapist guidance for self-referred problem drinkers among the adult general population. The intervention showed itself to be effective in reducing problem drinking in the community.

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