Treatment of alcoholism and concomitant drugs of abuse

Abstract

It has been proposed that concomitant substances of abuse may have additive or synergistic properties such that alcoholics using other substances of abuse concurrently may have a harder time giving up alcohol than alcoholics abusing only alcohol. The present study surveyed 291 alcoholics in an alcohol treatment program and 86 social drinker controls matched on age, education, SES and gender. Alcohol consumption, smoking, coffee intake, other substances of abuse, Beck depression and Spielberger Anxiety (State) were measured. Alcoholics drank significantly more alcohol than did social drinkers per day (350.19 cc versus 28.08 cc, p<0.001), consumed more caffeine/day (486.3 mg versus 339.9 mg, p<0.002), smoked more cigarettes/day (27.8 versus 12.8, p<0.001), were more depressed (16.8 versus 4.4 (Beck), p<0.0001), had lower internal locus of control scores (37.6 versus 39.7, p<0.005), had higher scores on control by chance (22.7 versus 20.2, p<0.03) and were significantly more anxious (52.5 versus 33.9 on Spielberger's State Inventory p<0.0001). Some patients used stimulants, tranquilizers, depressants, narcotics or toluene. Only 3/258 abused alcohol without using other drugs. Results support earlier studies showing strong associations between alcohol and smoking and between alcohol and caffeine consumption. The alcoholic abusing only alcohol is very rare. Treatment programs need to pay attention to concomitant drugs of abuse.