Detoxification, in an inpatient or outpatient program, is the primary and essential step for managing alcohol dependence. The superiority of one or other method of detoxification has never been proved in several previous randomized clinical trials (RCT). The aim of this multicenter RCT was to compare efficiency, on the abstinence rate as the primary outcome, at 1 and 3 months follow-up of two alcohol detoxification programs (a 5/7-days inpatient detox vs. an ambulatory detox).