Research Proposal and Annotated Bibliography

My research proposal will involve discussing the effectiveness of non-pharmacologic

interventions alone in the treatment of patients with alcohol dependence. Generally, the use of

medications in the treatment of diseases particularly those with psychological disorders in nature,

have undesirable effects and adverse reactions which might put patients at more risk for drug

misuse, abuse or dependence. Though the effectiveness of alcohol dependence treatment is

mainly an adjunct therapy between pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions, I

propose that physicians should first and foremost advocate non-pharmacologic treatments

by motivating alcohol dependents to seek treatment, teaching them coping skills and techniques

to achieve and maintain abstinence, and helping improve other areas of functioning that are often

affected by alcohol dependence.

Works Cited

Kadden, Ronald, et al. “Cognitive Behavioral Coping Skills Therapy Manual: A Clinical

Research Guide for Therapists Treating Individuals with Alcohol Abuse and

Dependence.” National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Project MATCH

Monograph Series, vol. 3, 2003. This manual consists of 116 pages and broadly discussed the

available non-pharmacologic treatment in patients who are alcohol dependents. The manual

states that “in order to provide patients with effective cognitive-behavioral coping skills,

therapists need to be sure to cover all eight core topics and to do so thoroughly” (Kadden, et al.

2003). This manual will serve as an anchor in my research proposal since it encompasses all

topics from the treatment options and skills needed in dealing with alcohol dependent clients.
 This is the most scholarly article that I will utilize as a basis for my research findings.

This manual is endorsed by the Institute or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

It is presented to the Alcohol Research Community as standardized, well-documented

intervention tools for alcoholism treatment research. Authors are a collaborative group of doctors

and PhD holders which makes the manual well-grounded in clinical and experimental research. I

am sure that this manual will be very helpful in my research proposal. It will justify my claim

that non-pharmacological treatment alone can be effective rather than using drugs to treat

patients with alcoholism.

Moyer, Anne, et al. “Brief Interventions for Alcohol Problems: a Meta-Analytic Review of

Controlled Investigations in Treatment-Seeking and Non-Treatment-Seeking

Populations.” Addiction, vol. 97, no. 3, 2002, pp. 279–292., doi:10.1046/j.1360-

0443.2002.00018.x. This meta-analytic review has found little difference between brief

and extended treatment conditions in patients seeking treatment for alcohol dependence (Moyer

et al. 279). They have taken into considerations some factors that may affect the efficacy of brief

interventions like the characteristics of the population involved and the treatment options

considered. It was found that between brief interventions and the extended program has little or

no difference in the effectiveness of such treatments.

This article would be of great importance in my research proposal since it has stated that

the treatment of alcohol dependent individuals will largely depend on some factors like the time

and duration of treatment, the patients’ characteristics like compliance, and the use of treatment

and non-treatment regimens. I believe this study was written in a scholarly perspective so I don’t
think there is some prejudice on the part of the writers. This article is also from a very reputable

source since it has been featured in the Addiction Magazine published by the Society for the

Study of Addiction. This has been cited for over 600 times and the main proponent of the study

is Anne Mayer, who is a Doctor pf Philosophy in the Department of Psychology at SUNY, New

York. This will surely back up my research proposal because of its significant findings.

Williams, Steven H. “Medications for Treating Alcohol Dependence.” American Family

Physician, 1 Nov. 2005, www.aafp.org/afp/2005/1101/p1775.html. This article will be

very informative for my research since this will refute my proposal that a stand-alone treatment

of non-pharmacologic interventions is insufficient in the success of treating patients with alcohol

dependence. The articles discussed about the three popular medications used in the treatment of

the said disorder. These are disulfiram (Antabuse), naltrexone (Trexan), and acamprosate

(Campral) which have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the

treatment of alcohol dependence (Williams 2005). This will create an argument on my research

that would make it more interesting.

This article is featured in the American Academy of Family Physicians website which is

dedicated to improving the American physicians’ well-being. This is a good source of journals

and articles as references. The author Dr. Steven Williams works in Veterans Affair Medical

Center in Pennsylvania and also a holder of Doctor of Philosophy Degree. He wrote it in a non-

biased way since he presented the treatment drugs in details from indications, usage and the

accompanying adverse reactions and possible dependence to the particular drugs. This article

will be very helpful in my research because of the comparative analysis of having treatment
options between pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments available for alcohol

dependent patients.

Naranjo, Claudio A, et al. “Non-pharmacologic Intervention in Acute Alcohol

Withdrawal.” Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Wiley-Blackwell, 23 Aug. 1983,

ascpt.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1038/clpt.1983.155. This is very interesting

study involving 41 patients who were subjected for study. 21 patients were given lorazepam, an

anxiolytic drug and the other 20 has been on placebo. The results are very compelling since the

results showed that patients with acute alcohol withdrawal symptoms improve without drug

therapy in the said study (Naranjo, et al. 1983).

This is the most engaging article for me by far since this will really support my research

proposal. It was presented at the Eighty‐third Annual Meeting of the American Society for

Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Lake Buena Vista, Florida and was even featured in

the said association’s magazine. Dr. Claudio Naranjo, the corresponding author is a member of

the Addiction Research Foundation, Clinical Institute, and Departments of Pharmacology and

Medicine, University of Toronto. The said study performed numerous investigations which

demonstrated that non-pharmacologic therapies are effective in the treatment of alcohol

dependence. This will be a great groundwork for my research.

Morgenstern, Jon, and Richard Longabaugh. “Cognitive–Behavioral Treatment for Alcohol

Dependence: a Review of Evidence for Its Hypothesized Mechanisms

Action.” Addiction, Wiley/Blackwell (10.1111), 3 May 2002,

 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1360-0443.2000.951014753.x. This study will

quite have an opposing impact on my research proposal since the authors’ findings concluded

that it has not yet been established that Cognitive-Behavior Therapy is an effective treatment for

alcohol dependence (Morgenstern and Longabaugh 2002). Although in recent studies, Cognitive-

Behavior Therapy or CBT is indeed effective in the treatment of patients with alcohol

dependence whether or not in adjunct with pharmacologic treatment.

This article will serve as reinforcement for my research. It is obvious that the author is a

very reliable one since he works at Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine,

New York, USA and has written many paper works. The said article was also featured in the

October 200 issue of Addiction Magazine. The article was presented in a very academic way,

highlighting both treatment options in a non-biased way. This article will serve as a foothold on

my research which will really put a challenge on my proposal.