Probation With Antabuse
| Published date | 01 March 1982 |
| Author | Colin Brewer |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455058202900104 |
| Date | 01 March 1982 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
PROBATION WITH ANTABUSE:
A new chance for alcoholic offenders?
Dr Colin Brewer
Consultant Psychiatrist
Dr Brewer proposes that the supervised administration of
Antabuse as a condition of a probation order may offer hope
for the sobriety of habitual drunken offenders. Such studies
as there have been, including the author’s own, suggest that
there are few, if any, dangers or disadvantages.
One of the numerous received truths
money. The technique might have been
about alcoholics is that you can help
tailor-made for the needs of the Proba-
them only if they really want to give
tion Service and yet it is very rarely
up drinking. In the case of habitual
used. I believe that two cases which I
drunken
offenders
(i.e.
those
who
have recently described constitute the
habitually commit offences when drunk),
only reports in the British literature.
there is usually little or no motivation.
Antabuse has been around since the
The group as a whole is widely regarded
end of the 1940s. Its sole therapeutic
as a pretty hopeless therapeutic proposi-
effect is to produce an unpleasant
tion by most of those who have to deal
reaction within a few minutes of the
with them, and this view is supported by
consumption of any significant quantity
the few controlled studies which have
of alcohol. Knowledge of this deters
been done. Hamilton, for example, found
patients from drinking in exactly the
that habitual drunken offenders who
same way that seeing a police car in the
were randomly allocated on arrest to a
driving mirror deters almost everyone
detoxification programme, did no better
from exceeding the speed limit. Of
than a control group who were allocated
course, there is an obvious snag. Experi-
to the normal judicial processes. Even
ence shows that most alcoholics who
without their drinking problem, many of
are given a bottle of Antabuse and
them would be very difficult to rehabili-
advised to take it regularly simply don’t
tate. Depressingly often, the first visit
do so.
they make on leaving prison is to the
pub or the off licence. After years of
Supervised Medication
heavy drinking, a significant percentage
Happily, we can do something about
will have suffered a degree of alcoholic
this irritating but very human charac-
brain damage which can further under-
teristic by getting someone to supervise
mine what remains of their resolve.
the
medication.
In
ordinary non-
Yet there is an approach which can
criminal practice, the supervisor will
help a useful number of these offenders
usually be the patient’s husband or wife,
to stay sober, and thus take the most
although colleagues, friends and neigh-
important step towards rehabilitation. It
bours can be pressed into service. The
is
the supervised administration of
element of supervision makes a con-
Antabuse (also known as disulfiram) as
siderable difference to the effectiveness
a condition of...
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