[3 years of taking charge of alcoholic patients within the framework of a psychiatric district].

From a catamnestic study of sixty-three alcoholics hospitalized over three years in an adult psychiatry district (4th district; North Charente - D' Daniel Menard) and regularly visited at home, we have attempted to define the optimum conditions for maintaining absolute abstinence. This has led us to emphasize: the importance of detoxification and of the quality of the therapeutic agreement; rigorous follow up in mental health outpatient clinics, taking into account the psychopathologic dimension of alcoholism; membership in an association of veteran drinkers; the importance of chemotherapy prescribed at discharge, the best results having been recorded with tiapride alone or associated with antidepressants and/or vitamins B1, B6 and B12.