Comparative Assessment of Motivation between Treatment-Na?ve and Other Patients in Alcohol Dependence

Background Alcohol is one of the major drugs of abuse in India. Life term risk involved in the development of alcohol dependence in Indian men is around 10-15 %. Motivation is one of the prime steps towards changing the life style or behavior, which plays a major role in the recovery from alcohol related problems. There exists a variation in the degree of motivation among people who participate or seek treatment for alcohol related problems. Therefore, the need to assess level of motivation in alcohol dependence treatment-naive and other patients is of a greater significance which can shed light on the importance of motivation in de-addiction management. Aim To assess the level of motivation in treatment naive alcohol dependence patients [group-1] and in ADS patients getting professional treatment for second or subsequent time (includes patients who have relapsed) [group-2] and to compare the levels of motivation among these two groups. Methodology A consecutive sample of 100 patients meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria admitted in family/de-addiction ward were included in the study. Details of Socio-demographic status were enquired into. URICA scale was administered to assess the level of motivation in both the groups, once the patient had completed detoxification treatment and was clinically out of delirium. Results The assessment of motivation showed a mean URICA score of 8.24 and 8.11 in group 1 and group 2 respectively, with a P value of 0.294 using T-test. There was a difference in level of motivation among treatment naive and other ADS patients though not statistically significant. Conclusion The study indirectly implies the role of motivation as one of the important factors in relapse and provides us with an area for enforcing better treatment towards relapse prevention. Hence motivation enhancement should be given utmost importance while considering treatment for de-addiction, even from the first contact with the professional.