Barriers to Treatment: Why Alcohol and Drug Abusers Delay or Never Seek Treatment.

Author(s)

John A. Cunningham, University of Toronto
Linda C. Sobell, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow
Mark B. Sobell, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow
Sangeeta Agrawal, Canadian Addiction Research Foundation
Tony Toneatto, Canadian Addiction Research Foundation

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-1993

Publication Title

Addictive Behaviors

Volume

18

Issue/Number

3

First Page

347

ISSN

0306-4603

Last Page

353

Abstract/Excerpt

Reasons for delaying or not seeking treatment were compared between outpatient alcohol and drug abusers, and between alcohol abusers who had either resolved their problem without treatment, were currently not resolved, or were in an outpatient treatment program. Outpatient alcohol and drug abusers exhibited few differences in their endorsed reasons for delaying seeking treatment. There were, however, several differences between resolved and nonresolved alcohol abusers who had never sought treatment and alcohol abusers in treatment (e.g., endorsing items such as “wanted to handle problem on own,” “didn't think I had a problem”). Such differences may explain why some problem drinkers do not seek treatment. Treatment implications of these findings are discussed

DOI

10.1016/0306-4603(93)90036-9

NSUWorks Citation

Cunningham, J. A., Sobell, L. C., Sobell, M. B., Agrawal, S., Toneatto, T. (1993). Barriers to Treatment: Why Alcohol and Drug Abusers Delay or Never Seek Treatment.. Addictive Behaviors, 18(3), 347-353.
Available at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cps_facarticles/88