“Keep an eye on me, doc!”: Outpatient voluntary supervised disulfiram for treatment of alcohol use disorders in a community setting

This study describes the medium term outcomes of patients commencing disulfiram in a specialised drug and alcohol outpatient setting in Australia. Design/methodology/approach Data was extracted from outpatient clinical notes for all patients commenced on disulfiram at any location in the drug and alcohol service between 1 January and 31 December 2013. Findings 80 patients were included in the study. At three months following commencement of treatment, 42 patients (53%) were considered to have been successfully retained in treatment. 36 (45%) patients reported remaining completely abstinent from alcohol during their first three months of treatment. Patients that self-referred to outpatient disulfiram treatment had 75% lesser odds of succeeding in treatment compared to those that were referred by other means (i.e. via hospital, GP or forensic services). Originality/value This study demonstrates that patients receiving supervised disulfiram for three months in the context of this treatment model can achieve abstinence. Further work is needed to compare this with other treatment options.
Source: Drugs and Alcohol Today - Category: Addiction Source Type: research