The third group of patients includes those who may still be intoxicated and therefore have not had time to develop withdrawal symptoms or who have, at the time of admission, been abstinent for a few hours and have not developed signs or symptoms of withdrawal. A decision regarding medication for this group should be in part based on age, number of years of alcohol dependence, and the number of previously treated or untreated severe withdrawals (three or four appears to be a significant threshold in predicting future serious withdrawal) (Shaw 1995). If there is an opportunity to observe the patient in the emergency department of the clinic or similar setting over the next 6 to 8 hours, then it is possible to delay a decision regarding treatment and periodically re-evaluate a client of this category. If this is not possible, then the return of the patient to a setting in which there is some supervision by family, significant others, or in a social detoxification program is desirable.