Characteristics of first-time alcohol treatment seekers: the COMBINE Study.

Objective: The current study compared alcoholics who entered treatment for the first time with those who had reported one or more prior treatment experiences using a large sample (N = 1,362) of alcoholics who entered the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism-sponsored COMBINE (Combining Medications and Behavioral Interventions) Study of pharmacological and behavioral treatment efficacy.

Method: Participants were categorized into three prior-treatment groups: (1) treatment naive (n = 691, 50.73%), (2) one to two prior treatments (n = 380, 27.