Title : Community-based management of mild to moderate alcohol addiction in Gadchiroli, India
Abstract:
Introduction: 7% of Indian men drink alcohol in a harmful or dependent pattern. At that rate, an estimated 33 million males suffer from alcohol addiction. Moreover, Indian males drink frequently and heavily. More than 50% of them are binge drinkers. Institutional de-addiction for such huge numbers of addicts will need enormous resources. Hence, newer approaches that are more accessible and less costly need to be developed.
Objectives: To pilot test the feasibility and effectiveness of a community-based approach for management of alcohol addiction. Here we describe our experience of four years.
Outcome: A total of 10542 patients were treated during Jan 2019 to July 2023 through the de-centralized community-based task-shifting approach. Out of the 1500 villages in Gadchiroli, 681 villages were provided addiction management care by way of 812 one-day intervention camps. A total of 19,657 physical follow-up visits were done as part of 30- and 90-day treatment and outcome measurement 35.4% of all patients had remained completely abstinent at the end of 30 days and 37% reported decrease in drinking. At 90 days, 31.1% patients reported having maintained their abstinence.
Conclusion: A low resource community-based approach for management of alcohol addiction is feasible and resulted in positive outcomes in patients with mild to moderate alcohol addiction. Patients with severe dependence or severe medical co-morbidities need referral.
Audience Take Away Notes:
- A unique non-physician delivered addiction management intervention spread over an entire district of 1.2 million. Delegates interested in low-cost brief interventions for alcohol use disorders in low- and middle-income countries will have an opportunity to know more from this presentation
- Learnings from a large community intervention program where intervention is primarily delivered by counsellors who are trained in specific alcohol management skills
- To understand the success that can be obtained from a non-resource intensive intervention and the process of executing such a district-wide intervention.
- To share with my peers and experts from the field of addiction management.
- Collaboration and research opportunities for delegates interested in alcohol addiction in large community settings in a developing country.
