Discussion
EVENTS, DISORDERS
The aim of the current study was to investigate how patients who were treated with MET perceived their treatment and if it was sufficient to achieve the desired change. To our knowledge, this is the first qualitative interview study that explores patient experiences of receiving MET for AUD. Participants reported the therapist relationship as important for feeling secure and engaging in treatment. However, a lack of guidance on how to reach personal goals, as well as what would be an appropriate goal, was perceived as less helpful to some. Participants also expressed a wish for a longer treatment period, to increase their self-efficacy to change. Lastly, participants were hesitant or even negative towards bringing a SO to the treatment sessions.Participants described a positive, supportive, and non-judgmental relationship with the therapist as a particularly important aspect of the treatment. These are specific qualities suggested to represent MI spirit [In the current study, participants reported that therapists did not interfere with their drinking goals or strategies to approach those goals. Some of the participants described that this approach made them feel like the owner of their problem. This resembles the results of Jones and colleagues, where therapists were perceived to emphasize patients’ autonomy which in turn was important for the patients’ motivation to change [Some participants described that there was no room for talking about what they experienced as a failure or negative events, subjects which in their opinion, could have been beneficial to reflect on. A recent study of a brief MI-session addressing risky use of alcohol in emergency units found that discussing negative consequences related to alcohol consumption led to an increase in patients’ perceived readiness to change [Participants reported that their decision to seek treatment was one step in an ongoing motivational process and that they were already motivated to change at treatment entry. They hoped and expected that treatment would consolidate their wish to change, rather than expecting that the treatment per se would make them change. Seeking treatment may thus have been the most important step in the process from contemplation to readiness for change in these individuals. This is somewhat unexpected, as MI is primarily described as a method which would suit individuals in a pre-contemplation or contemplation stage of change [Participants in this study expressed that the treatment had been helpful regarding both increased awareness and increased control over drinking behavior. However, some had expected to have been more successful in reducing alcohol consumption than they actually were. The general opinion among participants was that they wanted treatment to continue for a longer period than the given 12 weeks to establish and maintain change. A more flexible approach to MET treatment length in clinical settings may thus be beneficial to patients’ sense of self-efficacy.In the current study, participants were encouraged to bring a SO to the treatment sessions but, interestingly, none of them did. They were, however, in favor of the idea of involving a SO, and some stated that they already had a supporting dialogue with their SO. In practice, most were reluctant to their SO participating in treatment and preferred to interact with their therapist in private. The effect of involving a SO in the treatment of substance use disorders has been examined in relation to several treatment methods [