Seminar On Alcoholism Given Interesting Facts

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30971, 29 January 1966, Page 17

Seminar On Alcoholism Given Interesting Facts

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, Jan. 28. A significant proportion of women who had been ms ried to alcoholics and who subsequently remarried chose an alcoholic as their marriage partner, Dr. S. W. P. Mirams, the director, Division of Mental Health, told an alcoholism seminar at Massey University of Manawatu. The seminar is sponsored by the National Society on Alcoholism’s school of alcoholic studies. The alcoholic’s marriage was one of three aspects of the psychopathology of alcoholism discussed by Dr. Mirams. Increasing attention was being paid to the interaction of the two personalities in marriage where one partner was an alcoholic, he said. Treatment Opposed “Many of you will be familiar with stories of the

sober alcoholic whose wife shows and sometimes directly expresses a clear preference for him in his drinking state. “Undeniably the alcoholic’s drinking does sometimes meet the neurotic needs of the spouse, so that consciously or unconsciously the spouse may resist or undermine efforts to treat the alcoholic partner.” Dr. Mirams said it was still suggested from time to time that alcoholism was a selflimiting condition which tended to “burn itself out” towards middle or later life in a significant proportion of its victims.

Such a theory Implied that, provided the individual survived the hazards to life of alcoholism, he might perhaps by some process of biological maturation ultimately achieve sobriety and maturity from his own resources, rather than as a result of -sternal help. Gaps In Knowledge

“I have mentioned this only to draw attention to the major gaps Which still exist in our knowledge of the natural history of alcoholism,” he said. Dr. Mirams also said that it was sometimes mistakenly assumed that the “aversion” and “conditioning” methods of treatment, sometimes referred to as “behaviour therapy,” were used only with alcoholics. “There is at present fairly widespread interest in its application to a very considerable range of psychiatric problems,” he said.

“In itself aversion therapy will do nothing to modify or mature the underlying personality of the alcoholic, but it may be successful in halting or even reversing his drinking habit. “I would remind you that we don’t know of any treatment that can claim a very high rate of complete success for the alcoholic,” he said.