The participants were 210 men and women, recruited from the community. Participants had to be at least 18 years old, meet DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence or abuse, and be willing to accept random assignment to any of the three treatment conditions. Individuals were excluded if they had acute medical or psychiatric problems requiring inpatient treatment (e.g., acute psychosis, or suicide/homicide risk), current dependence on drugs (except nicotine and marijuana), intravenous drug use in the previous 3 months, reading ability below the fifth grade level, lack of reliable transportation to the treatment site, or excessive commuting distance. Individuals were excluded if they denied any drinking in the 60 days prior to intake, if they were already engaged in substance abuse treatment, or if they had attended more than three AA meetings in the prior month.
