AIMS: The study investigates severity of alcohol dependence among drug misusers. Specifically, it investigates the inter-relationship of alcohol and drug dependence and associations with alcohol consumption, drug consumption and substance-related problems. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS: The sample comprised 735 people seeking treatment for drug misuse problems, who were current (last 90 days) drinkers. MEASUREMENTS: Data were collected by structured face-to-face interviews. Dependence upon illicit drugs and upon alcohol was measured by the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS). FINDINGS: Three groups of drinkers were identified: non-alcohol-dependent drug misusers (63%); low-dependence (19%); and high-dependence (18%). Many drug misusers were drinking excessively and alcohol dependence was related to patterns of alcohol and drug consumption. High-dependence drinkers were more likely to drink extra-strength beer; they were less frequent users of heroin and crack cocaine but more frequent users of benzodiazepines, amphetamines and cocaine powder; they reported more psychological and physical health problems. The SDS was found to have good reliability and validity as a measure of alcohol dependence. SDS scores for alcohol and drug dependence were unrelated. CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol use is an important and under-rated problem in the treatment of drug misusers. A comprehensive assessment of alcohol use among drug misusers should include separate assessments of alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems and severity of alcohol dependence.
AIMS: The study investigates severity of alcohol dependence among drug misusers. Specifically, it investigates the inter-relationship of alcohol and drug dependence and associations with alcohol consumption, drug consumption and substance-related problems. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS: The sample comprised 735 people seeking treatment for drug misuse problems, who were current (last 90 days) drinkers. MEASUREMENTS: Data were collected by structured face-to-face interviews. Dependence upon illicit drugs and upon alcohol was measured by the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS). FINDINGS: Three groups of drinkers were identified: non-alcohol-dependent drug misusers (63%); low-dependence (19%); and high-dependence (18%). Many drug misusers were drinking excessively and alcohol dependence was related to patterns of alcohol and drug consumption. High-dependence drinkers were more likely to drink extra-strength beer; they were less frequent users of heroin and crack cocaine but more frequent users of benzodiazepines, amphetamines and cocaine powder; they reported more psychological and physical health problems. The SDS was found to have good reliability and validity as a measure of alcohol dependence. SDS scores for alcohol and drug dependence were unrelated. CONCLUSIONS:Alcohol use is an important and under-rated problem in the treatment of drug misusers. A comprehensive assessment of alcohol use among drug misusers should include separate assessments of alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems and severity of alcohol dependence.
Authors: Marilyn Huckans; Shital Pavawalla; Theresa Demadura; Michael Kolessar; Adriana Seelye; Noah Roost; Elizabeth W Twamley; Daniel Storzbach Journal: J Rehabil Res Dev Date: 2010
Authors: Marilyn Huckans; Adriana Seelye; Jonathan Woodhouse; Tiffany Parcel; Lisa Mull; Daniel Schwartz; Alex Mitchell; David Lahna; Amy Johnson; Jennifer Loftis; Steven Paul Woods; Suzanne H Mitchell; William Hoffman Journal: J Clin Exp Neuropsychol Date: 2010-08-06 Impact factor: 2.475
Authors: Marilyn Huckans; Adriana Seelye; Tiffany Parcel; Lisa Mull; Jonathan Woodhouse; Danell Bjornson; Bret E Fuller; Jennifer M Loftis; Benjamin J Morasco; Anna W Sasaki; Daniel Storzbach; Peter Hauser Journal: J Int Neuropsychol Soc Date: 2009-01 Impact factor: 2.892