THE STUDY USED THE SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC RECORDS AND THE 12-MONTH POSTTREATMENT QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSES FROM 288 PATIENTS COMMITTED TO HAZELDEN DURING 1974-75 BY THE COUNTY COURTS. DATA FROM THESE RECORDS WERE CONTRASTED WITH THOSE FOR 2,662 NONCOMMITTED PATIENTS. THE COMMITTED PATIENT GROUP CONSISTED OF 222 MALES AND 66 FEMALES, WHILE HAZELDEN'S NONCOMMITTED GROUP CONSISTED OF 1,881 MALES AND 781 FEMALES. IT WAS FOUND THAT MORE COMMITTED PATIENTS WERE YOUNGER, OF CATHOLIC RELIGIOUS PREFERENCE, MARRIED, AND WORKING EITHER IN SKILLED OCCUPATIONS OR UNEMPLOYED THAN NONCOMMITTED PATIENTS. APPROXIMATELY HALF OF THE COMMITTED AND NONCOMMITTED PATIENTS REPORTED TOTAL ABSTINENCE FROM ALCOHOL FOR THE 12 MONTHS FOLLOWING DISCHARGE FROM TREATMENT. SOCIAL AND INDIVIDUAL FUNCTIONING, SUCH AS RELATIONSHIPS WITH FAMILIES AND FRIENDS, WAS COMPARABLE FOR BOTH CATEGORIES OF PATIENTS. POST-TREATMENT ARRESTS WERE SIMILAR WITH 90 PERCENT OF THE COMMITTED AND 91 PERCENT OF THE NONCOMMITTED PATIENTS REPORTING NO ARRESTS DURING THE YEAR AFTER TREATMENT. FINALLY, BOTH PATIENT GROUPS REPORTED A SIMILAR HIGH LEVEL OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS INVOLVEMENT. THE STUDY CONCLUDED THAT COMMITTED PATIENTS WERE IMPROVED BOTH COMPARATIVELY AND IN AN ABSOLUTE SENSE AT 12 MONTHS AFTER THEIR TREATMENT AND THAT COMMITMENT FOR CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY CAN WORK. TABLES AND FIVE REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED.