Brief interventions can be quite effective for some people when compared to no treatment. Therapist characteristics and skills can significantly influence the outcome of treatment. A number of variables have been shown to predict treatment outcome. These include characteristics of individuals seeking treatment, the characteristics of the individual's problems, the treatment process, the adjustments that the individual will have to make following treatment, and the interactions among all of these factors. For example, a homeless person, with a serious mental health problem, no family, and little education would have a poorer prognosis for successful outcomes of treatment than someone who might have a more serious addiction but has a supportive family, a job and no mental health problems.
Outcomes vary, and the course of recovery varies, from one treated individual to another.
In terms of drinking behavior, results could range from an increase in drinking, to no change in drinking, to reduced drinking but with no change in ongoing problems, to problem-free drinking, to total abstinence. Individuals who reduce consumption or become abstinent usually experience improvement in other life areas. What seemed like a simple question turns out to be not so simple, and the answers somewhat complex. Nevertheless, the answers we do have are very encouraging. With new work being done currently to achieve a better understanding of the process of matching client needs to appropriate treatments, the future looks even more encouraging.