Evaluation instruments applied in the study are:
The Addiction Severity Index (ASI). ASI provides a multidimensional image of the patient’s situation within the last month before the interview. The interview concentrates on the following seven areas in the patient’s life: medicine, employment, alcohol, drug, legal status, family/social network, and psychiatric health. ASI contains two different scores: the interviewer score and the composite score. The scores give a mathematical estimate of each problem area based on symptoms within the 30-day period preceding the interview. Each composite score consists of the sum of various questions from the ASI. Final scores are reported as 0 to 1, where 0 denotes no problems and 1 denotes severe problems.
The time-line-follow-back method (TLFB) is used to describe alcohol-free days as well as number of drinks per day. By use of TLFB patients describe the daily number of standard drinks 30 days before the basic interview and 30 days before the 6 and 12-month follow-up interview.
Cardiorespiratory fitness: VO2max is assessed using the Bruce treadmill test (Bruce et al., 1963) with increased speed (2.7 km/h, 5.5 km/h, 6.8 km/h) and grade (10%, 12%, 14%, 16%) every 3 minutes according to a scheme. Oxygen consumption is measured directly by the breath. The test continues until exhaustion.
To avoid discomfort with the testing standardised written and oral information is applied.
Physical activity: 1) Prior to treatment: The level of physical activity is assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), a 27-item self-completion questionnaire. It measures activities taken in each of the four domains: leisure-time physical activity; domestic and gardening activities; work-related physical activity and transport-related physical activity.
2) During treatment: the physical activity will be measured by HR monitors with possibility for valid registration of activity.
Well-being is assessed by EuroQuol-5D (EQ-5D), a standardized instrument for use as a measure of health outcome, functioning and health status.
Anxiety and depression: is assessed by the Screening Questionnaire of Common Mental Disorders (CMD-SQ) consisting of 37 items in validated subscales (SCL-SOM, Whiteley-7, SCL-ANX-4, SCL-8, SCL-DEF-6, CAGE) measuring anxiety, depression, use of alcohol, and somatisation. The patients respond on a five point Likert scale. A normal score is <= 4 in somatisation (SCL-SOM) and 0 in the other scales.
Interpersonal problems: are assessed by the IIP (Inventory of Interpersonal Problems). The measurement of interpersonal problems allows a differentiation of interpersonal and non-interpersonal sources of distress (e.g. depressed mood, anxiety). The IIP (short form) consists of 64 items scored on eight scales. The scales include areas that may be hard for a person and areas that indicate things a person may do too much. The eight scales (domineering, vindictive, cold, socially avoidant, non-assertive, exploitable, overly nurturant and intrusive) are scored on at five point scale.