Introduction: The approach of alcohol-dependent people and medical personnel to alcohol-related problems may affect the efficacy of preventive and therapeutic measures aimed at alcohol-dependence treatment. Material and methods: The studies involved alcohol-dependent people subjected to inpatient health care and outpatient heath care. The questionnaire study involved 308 subjects, including 104 male inpatients treated at the detoxification centre, 102 patients of outpatient detoxification departments (all males) and 102 health care personnel members employed in detoxification facilities. The studies were carried out in 1995. Results: Inpatients and outpatients differ in their evaluations of the causes and treatment of alcohol dependence relatively insignificantly. A comparison of the answers of patients and health care personnel indicated that the patients pointed mainly to life failures or bad traditions and customs. The patients did not try to deny their parents’ upbringing errors and bad example set by their families and friends. Conclusions: Inpatients as compared to outpatients more frequently chose attitudes which did not support cessation of alcohol drinking. Inpatients, as compared to outpatients, were more often characterized by worse financial situation, worse family relationships, and lower educational level. The health care personnel was usually characterized by health promoting statements related to alcohol problems, prevailing over the patients, especially inpatients.

opinions of patients and medical personnel, outpatient and inpatient health care, alcohol dependence, sociology of medicine, social pathology