NCJ Number
196051
Journal
Addiction Volume: 97 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2002 Pages: 169-178
Date Published
February 2002
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study investigated severity of alcohol dependence among drug misusers.
Abstract
The study investigates the inter-relationship of alcohol and drug dependence and associations with alcohol consumption, drug consumption, and substance-related problems. Study participants comprised 735 people seeking treatment for drug misuse problems, who were current (last 90 days) drinkers. Data were collected by structured face-to-face interviews and dependence was measured by the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS). 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; and 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 had good reliability and validity as a measure of alcohol dependence. SDS scores for alcohol and drug dependence were unrelated. The study concluded that alcohol was an important and under-rated problem in the treatment of drug misusers, and recommends that a comprehensive assessment of alcohol use among drug misusers include separate assessments of alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems, and severity of alcohol dependence. Tables, references