This study examined the effectiveness of employee assistance program (EAP) intervention designed to deal with alcoholism among white collar employees. Concurrently, this study assessed the significance of factors related to confidentiality and stigma in the effectiveness of such programs.
In contemporary American society, the "use of certain substances to modify mood or behavior under certain circumstances is generally regarded as normal and appropriate. Such use includes recreational drinking of alcohol, in which a majority of adult Americans participate . . ." (American Psychiatric Association, 1987, p. 165). Problems develop when "maladaptive behavioral changes associated with the more or less regular use of psychoactive substances that affect the central nervous system" appear (American Psychiatric Association, 1987, p. 165). For all psychoactive substances, including alcohol, "pathological use is categorized as either Psychoactive Substance Dependence or the residual diagnosis Psychoactive Substance Abuse" (American Psychiatric Association, 1987, p. 165). The essential feature of Psychoactive Substance Dependence is an indication that a "person has impaired control of psychoactive substance use and continues use of the substance despite adverse consequences" (American Psychiatric Association, 1987, p. 166). Substance dependence is "conceptualized as having different degrees of severity . . . mild, moderate, and severe" (American Psychiatric Association, 1987, p. 166). Psychoactive Substance Abuse denotes "maladaptive patterns of psychoactive substance use that have never met the criteria for dependence for that particular class of substance. The maladaptive pattern is indicated by either (1) continued use of the psychoactive substance despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent social, occupational, psychological, or physical problem that is caused or exacerbated by the use of the substance or (2) recurren...