Several studies, including some studies that tracked participants’ progress over time (rather than collecting data on patients’ histories at some later point) indicate that dually diagnosed people who become abstinent (compared with
those who do not) show more positive results in other related areas, such as lower psychiatric symptoms and decreased rates of hospitalization. For example, people in the ECA study with schizophrenia and AUD who attained abstinence had decreased rates of depression and hospitalization at 1-year followup (Cuffel 1996). In a long-term followup study of schizophrenia patients by Drake and colleagues, those who attained stable abstinence showed dramatic improvements in many domains, including decreased symptoms, decreased institutionalization, increased psychosocial stability, and self-reported improvements in quality of life. These positive findings have fueled attempts to develop more effective interventions for AUD among schizophrenia patients. As described below, such interventions include those that integrate treatment for schizophrenia and for AUD.