Motivation and treatment goals

Personal goals are an important aspect of motivation for change. The provision of negotiable and alternative treatment goals can encourage early intervention, compliance with recoveryrelated programs, and favorable treatment outcome. At a health systems level, these effects promote the prevention of problem drinking, the provision of services to a broader range of those at risk, and decreased ultimate costs of alcoholism treatment and health-care utilization. Motivation is not a static client characteristic, but can only be judged relative to the intervention alternatives available. Failure to provide appropriate alternative goals and approaches may have substantial negative effects on the prevention of alcoholrelated problems, both at the individual and the societal level.