Educational lectures and films in the clinical treatment of alcoholism: a critique

A recent meta-analysis of alcohol treatment outcome research concluded that educational lectures and films are an ineffective treatment modality in the treatment of persons with alcohol-related problems. This paper suggests several reasons why educational lectures and films are likely to be ineffective with alcohol misusers. Possible explanations include (a) the inability of alcoholics to appreciate and utilize (presented) information because of the cognitive deficits associated with chronic alcohol misuse, (b) the presentation of inaccurate or misleading information about alcoholism through lectures and films (i.e., unitary disease concept, faulty conceptualizations of denial), and (c) conventional alcoholism education which may undermine an individual's belief in her/his ability to make a complete and successful recovery from chemical dependence. Treatment implications and suggestions for further research are briefly discussed.