Project MATCH was a multisite study of how patients respond to different treatment approaches for alcohol use disorders. Outpatient and aftercare clients participated in one of three 12-week treatments: a 12-session Twelve-Step Facilitation Therapy (TSF), a 12-session Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), or a Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET), consisting of 4 sessions spread over 12 weeks. Below are some of the broadest conclusions reached by the Project MATCH Research Group, based on analyses completed to date. The overall outcomes of patients receiving all three of the treatments studied in Project MATCH were quite favorable. Matching (or mismatching) of patients to treatments on the basis of their personal characteristics contributed surprisingly little to the overall effectiveness of treatment. The strongest effects observed for the 12-months posttreatment were for psychiatric severity and anger among outpatients and for severity of dependence among aftercare patients. Although MET was less successful among outpatients during the treatment phase, there were only a few outcome differences after treatment between the 4-session MET and the two 12-session treatments. New analyses and publications have appeared or are in progress. Funded by a grant of $2,410,415 from NIAAA, 1989-1999.
