Learning sobriety together: A randomized clinical trial examining behavioral couples therapy with alcoholic female patients

Married or cohabiting female alcoholic patients (n = 138) and their non-substance-abusing male partners were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 equally intensive interventions: (a) behavioral couples therapy plus individual-based treatment (BCT n = 46), (b) individual-based treatment only (IBT; n = 46), or (c) psychoeducational attention control treatment (PACT; n = 46). During treatment, participants in BCT showed significantly greater improvement in dyadic adjustment than those in IBT or PACT drinking frequency was not significantly different among participants in the different conditions. During the 1-year posttreatment follow-up, compared with participants who received IBT or PACT, participants who received BCT reported (a) fewer days of drinking, (b) fewer drinking-related negative consequences, (c) higher dyadic adjustment, and (d) reduced partner violence.