The Attitudes of Students and House Staff Toward Alcoholism

To the Editor.—  Geller and colleagues¹ supply important additional information regarding the many reasons physicians continue to underdiagnose alcoholism; the same problem exists among psychologists, social workers, nurses, and others in the health care business. As early as 1973, Fisher et al² indicated that the longer one stays in medical school, the more negative one's attitude is toward alcoholics and the possibility of effective intervention. After 8 years of teaching physicians to identify drinking problems at an early stage, I have three points to make.I have had the experience of presenting well—thought-out and well-received workshops on how to identify problem drinkers and what to do once you identify them only to observe residents finish the seminar, meet with a patient shortly afterward, and miss virtually every clue that suggests a drinking problem. Noting this behavior reinforces my belief that this particular skill is best taught like many