[Present and future situations of support systems for the treatment of alcohol dependence].

In 1996, Mie Association for the Study of Alcohol-related Diseases (MASAD) started, which was consisted of 21 hospitals and have been conducted by managers constituted of doctors, nurses, and medical social workers with following backgrounds. Before the opening, there were a small number of physicians who recognized necessity for cooperative medical care of alcohol dependence, whereas the ratio of alcoholics to inpatients of general hospitals was 17.8%. It took 7.4 years for alcoholics to admit the mental care center after their first arrival of general ones. Ino noticed that the physicians or medical stuffs had not performed secondary prevention of progressing alcohol dependence. MASAD have been held every 6 months at the district general hospitals. After the first meeting, the members have been screening for patients with a brief intervention steadily. We accumulated actual results for eight years and developed a cooperative network for the treatment of alcohol dependence. The number of new patients per year who were introduced to the special center from the general hospitals increased naturally, such as 7 patients in 1993 and 104 ones in 2003. Since 1998, we have had educational meetings for patients with alcohol-related problems and their families 3 times a year periodically in our hospital. The every meeting consisted of two lectures by Ino and one of the heads of the departments before a free talk session. Most of the doctors happened to recognize alcohol-related problems through preparing data for their presentation, which had been overlooked in their clinical practice. We have learned one important fact that alcohol dependence is recoverable. Development of MASAD and the educational meeting in the hospital is the lifework of Ino and our aim. If similar support systems for the treatment of alcohol dependence spread in every place, our society will become healthier and more peaceful.