Supervised Antabuse Therapy
| DOI | 10.1177/026455058303000404 |
| Date | 01 December 1983 |
| Author | John Smith |
| Published date | 01 December 1983 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Supervised Antabuse Therapy
John Smith
Probation Officer, Inner London
A 12 month review of supervised antabuse use as a condition of
Probation for habitual drunken offenders.
Like most of my colleagues, I first became aware
The Nature of Antabuse
of this resource in March, 1982 followmg Dr.
The Drug had a very bad press during the
Colin Brewer’s article in Probation Journal. My
mid-60s, partly because of its use in aversion
own
reaction was not unlike the majority, that drug
therapy. Alcoholics were then administered
therapy as a condition of Probation was not on,
antabuse often without prior medical examination,
particularly a negating drug that was prescribed to
and then m a specially constructed room to
modify behaviour.
resemble a bar, with walls daubed with liquor
However, when confronted with a particularly
adverts. The patients were plyed with massive
difficult case of alcohol abuse, who was on deferred
doses of alcohol and made
to drink it whether
they
sentence from
Crown Court, it appeared that most
wanted to or not. They all suffered a violent
of the available treatment programmes had been
reaction, some needed intensive care. The main
tned with no long term success. Supervised
reason for its becoming unpopular however, was
antabuse therapy was started during deferment and
the lack of supervision m taking antabuse as
his wife, now reconciled for the third time, agreed
prescribed. Naturally enough, antabuse fell into
to supervise the medication. At the end of the
disrepute.
deferment he had remamed sober for the longest
Pharnuacalogical aspects
period in many years, he had established a home
Antabuse is rapidly and completely absorbed
for his wife and children, and had resumed work
following oral administration and is reduced to
as a roofer, a hazardous job as an alcoholic. The
diethyldithio-carbonate (DDC) and is widely
Crown
Court was impressed with his recovery and
distributed throughout the body in the lipids of
made a probation order, with a condition of
various tissues. Alcohol inhibition after the initial
treatment. There was a breakdown at the New
dose develops over 12 hours and is irreversible.
Year, when he visited his family in Scotland, but
Over 90 % of orally administered antabuse is
he returned within ten days and resumed his
elinunated within 3 days, via the urine, and to a
medication before the breach warrant had been
small extent via the...
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