Alcohol Abuse Group Research Articles

Posttreatment depression in an alcohol and drug abuse population.

The prevalence and extent of relapse and the prevalence and severity of depressive symptoms were measured cross-sectionally in a group of alcohol and drug abusers (N = 842) at 1, 6, or 12 months after their discharge from alcohol or drug abuse treatment. The rate and severity of depressive symptoms for subjects who did not relapse were no higher than those found among the general population. However, among subjects who relapsed, the rate and severity of depressive symptoms were higher than those found in the general population. Women were more depressed than men after treatment, but the ratio of depressed women to men was no higher than that found in the general population.

Alcohol-related morbidity among older career navy men

Hospital admission histories were compared for groups of Navy enlisted men identified as alcohol abusers or controls during the later years of their service careers. The alcohol abuse group had a higher mean number of hospital admissions per year and a higher mean number of days hospitalized per year than did the control group. Highest admission rates for both abusers and controls were reported in two major diagnostic categories, first, accidents, poisoning, and violence, and second, diseases of the digestive system. The rates for alcohol abusers exceeded those of controls in these and several additional diagnostic categories including mental disorders where the greatest disparity in rates of hospitalization was noted. The greatest differences in rates of specific illness between abusers and controls were observed for cirrhosis of the liver and diseases of the pancreas. Reasons for higher illness rates other than alcohol abuse were not apparent from available data.

Post-treatment depressive symptoms and relapse to drug use in different age groups of an alcohol and other drug abuse population

The prevalence of relapse to alcohol or other drug use and prevalence and severity of depressive symptoms were measured cross-sectionally in different age groups of alcohol and drug abusers at one, six, and twelve months post-discharge. Relapse rates increased over time since discharge for all age groups (17–29, 30–39, 40–49, and 50+ years). However, no differential effect of age was found on relapse rates at each of the three post-discharge intervals. Rates of depressive symptoms increased over time since discharge only for the youngest age group. Mean depressive symptom scores increased over time since discharge only for the 17–29 and 50+ age groups. There were significant differences between age groups in rates of depressive symptoms at six and twelve months post-discharge and on mean depressive symptom scores at one, six and twelve months post-discharge. In addition, for abstinent and for relapsed subjects, there were significant differences between age groups in rates of depressive symptoms and mean depressive symptom scores. Higher rates of depressive symptoms were found in relapsed than abstinent subjects at the younger ages (17–29 and 30–39 years), with mean depressive symptom scores being higher for relapsed than abstinent subjects in all age groups.

A longitudinal study of health risks associated with alcohol abuse in young navy men

Hospital admission histories were compared for groups of alcohol abusers and controls who entered the Navy in 1970 or 1971 and who reenlisted. The histories extended over a period of 6 to 8 years. The alcohol abuse group had a significantly higher mean number of hospital admissions and days hospitalized for conditions other than alcoholism than did the controls. Differences in frequencies of illnesses between the two groups were apparent during the first year in service and continued throughout the study period. Highest rates of illness in both groups were reported for accidents, poisonings, and violence; diseases of the respiratory system; infective and parasitic diseases, and diseases of the digestive system. Mental diseases were a major cause of morbidity in the alcohol abuse group but not in the control group. Differences in illness rates were related to identification as alcohol abusers rather than to differences between abusers and controls in education, aptitude, or age at enlistment.

On the possibility of the psychometric detection of persons who are prone to the abuse of alcohol and other substances

Abstract A summary of the literature containing the scores of male alcohol abusers and drug abusers on the MAC Scale (a 49-item MMPI-derived scale which was constructed to differentiate male alcohol abusers from nonsubstance-abusing male psychiatric outpatients) indicated that the memebers of these two subclasses of substance abusers were similar in certain psychometrically detectable respects which were stable over time, independent of both the immediate sequelae and the longer term consequences of substance abuse per se, and at least modestly predictive of subsequent substance abuse. In the present study, the MAC Scale succeeded in differentiating youthful male alcohol-related offenders (N = 91) from similarly aged nonsubstance-abusing male psychiatric outpatients (N = 48) and college students (N = 79) with an accuracy rate of 82.1%. The average scores of the present sample of youthful alcohol-related offenders and the scale's standardization group of adult alcohol abusers were found to be indistinguishable, as were the average scores of the parallel samples of youthful and adult nonsubstance-abusing psychiatric outpatients. Since the MAC Scale was not developed for the purpose of early identification, it was suggested that a scale developed for this specific purpose and free from dependence on the MMPI's item pool would almost certainly produce an appreciably more powerful early detection instrument.

Relationship of alcohol, cigarette, and drug abuse in adulthood with alcohol, cigarette and coffee consumption in childhood

The age of beginning intake of alcohol, nicotine, and coffee in a group of young, male, alcohol and drug abusers was compared with a similar group of nonabusers. There was a significantly greater percentage of abusers than nonusers of hashish, amphetamines, opiates, and alcohol who reported that they commenced use of alcohol, cigarettes, and coffee at age 12 or younger. Data reported here and in other reports raise the question whether the withholding of alcohol, cigarettes, and coffee until age 13 or older will prevent adult abuse of alcohol and drugs by some persons.