Hazardous and Harmful Alcohol Consumption Among Non-Psychotic Psychiatric Clinic Attendees in Oman

Abstract

Although interest in substance abuse in psychiatric patients has received increasing attention, there is scant study of hazardous and harmful drinking patterns in Arab/Islamic societies where socio-cultural patterning imposes total abstinence on drinking. However recent globalization has eroded such prescription. An aim of this study is to examine the severity of harmful and hazardous drinking in Oman. From Omani nationals seeking psychiatric consultation, an assessment of alcohol dependence or hazardous or harmful drinking was elicited using the World Health Organization's assessment measure, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Clinical interviews were also conducted to ascertain the severity of alcohol dependence. The results from this convenience sample of patients suggest the presence of hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption among non-psychotic attendees seeking psychiatric consultation. The clinical interview revealed that 49 patients of the consenting patients (n=56) have persistent and clinically significant alcohol intoxication. Fifty patients scored in the pathological range of Int J Ment Health Addiction (2007) 5:3-15

Alcohol and substance use in the Arabian Gulf region: A review

“…The vast majority of studies conducted in this region collected information on alcohol and substance use from clinical populations and rarely from the general public. The populations consisted of patients attending general psychiatric clinics (e.g., Amin, Hamdi, & Ghubash, 1996; Zaidan et al, 2007) in addition to in‐patients at dedicated drug and alcohol dependency units (e.g., Abalkhail, 2001; Bilal, 1988) and incarcerated populations (Amir, 1994; Ghubash & El‐Rufaie, 1997). In contrast to Western literature, where a large amount of alcohol‐related research is conducted with university/college student populations, only 3% of the located studies in this region used tertiary‐education student samples (Al‐Subaie & Al‐Hajjaj, 1995; El‐Anzey & Abel Moneim, 2003).…”

“…An early study conducted in Kuwait reported that the mean daily drinking in a sample of 100 alcohol‐dependent patients was 300 grams of ethanol a day (Bilal & El‐Islam, 1985)—an amount markedly higher than the corresponding British sample (Bilal, Kristof, & El‐Islam, 1987a). In a recent study conducted in Oman (Zaidan et al, 2007), 66% of the 56 patients interviewed consumed alcoholic beverages on more than four occasions a week. For these participants, typical drinking sessions consisted of more than six drinks, with almost 50% consuming this amount on a daily basis.…”

“…Age differences between substance users in treatment was reported, with heroin and poly‐substance users being younger than individuals who abuse alcohol alone (Bilal, 1988; Effat, 1994; Hafeiz, 1995). A small number of studies (five in total) from Oman, Kuwait, UAE, and KSA were identified that reported substance misuse among female participants (Al‐Kandari et al, 2001; Amin et al, 1996; Bilal et al, 1987a; Osman, 1992; Zaidan et al, 2007). The ratio of female to male participants in each study was extremely low; in a study with a sample of 56 alcohol‐dependent individuals in Oman 1 was female, in a sample of 257 addicts in Kuwait 2 were female, in a sample of 832 in the UAE 5 were female, and in a sample of 485 substance abusers in KSA 13 were female.…”

“…Although substance abuse transcends global borders (Weiss, Sawa, Abdeen, & Yanai, 1999), such research with people of Arabian origin is limited. Low reported consumption rates and a scarcity of conducted research exist in Muslim Arab societies due to these substances, including alcohol, being prohibited and disapproved of by the religious, social, and sometimes legal systems of these countries (Hafeiz, 1995; Okasha, 1985), but may be increasing within the Middle East region (Zaidan, Dorvlo, Viernes, Al‐Suleimani, & Al‐Adawi, 2007). Geographical position (i.e., proximity to opiate‐producing countries) and rapid population growth resulting in a predominately young population, coupled with immense social change and stressors occurring in parts of the Arabian Gulf, suggest the importance and urgency of exploring the substance use research to date in addition to the identification of the needs of future research.…”

“…Likewise, in Oman alcohol is served in hotels and restaurants (the government applies time restrictions on serving) and non‐Omanis can buy alcohol from designated shops with a permit. However, in Oman some private companies also sell alcohol to their Omani and expatriate staff (Zaidan et al, 2007). The use of narcotics is strictly prohibited in all these countries and penalties for usage are severe.…”