The association between alcohol abstinence, drinking or binge drinking and drug use: is alcohol abstinence that safe?

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the association between alcohol abstinence and illicit drug use during early adulthood, and compares abstinence to moderate drinking and binge drinking, regrouped in different frequencies. Design/methodology/approach A total of 5,968 young male adults who completed the questionnaires were selected for the analyses. Alcohol abstinent participants were compared to moderate drinkers (who did not experience binge drinking during the previous 12 months), and casual, monthly, weekly and daily binge drinkers in terms of prevalence of drug use during early adulthood. Findings Alcohol abstinence was associated with higher risks of drug use than moderate drinking (odds ratio (OR)>3) for most of drugs, especially last-stage drugs: crystal meth, solvents, spice and heroin (6.50<OR<13.50). Such findings encourage rethinking prevention among alcohol abstainers who were so far considered at low risk of drug use. Research limitations/implications The main limitations of the study are the fact that it is cross-sectional, gender-blind and focussing on Swiss native who are less vulnerable than migrants. Practical implications High-risk subjects should be identified among young people who do not drink in order to develop specific preventive interventions. Originality/value This study is one of the first that compare alcohol abstinence, moderate drinking and binge drinking. Separate results covering 15 different drugs are presented.

Addictive behaviors and healthcare renunciation for economic reasons in a French population-based sample

“…It is well known that this subgroup of drinkers is heterogeneous and includes people who stopped drinking due to major health problems, such as alcohol use disorder or severe health problems (Dupuis et al, 2014). They are also more likely to use illicit drugs (Dupuis, Baggio, Accard, Mohler-Kuo, & Gmel, 2016). Our findings extended these results and showed that alcohol cessation was associated with other forms of vulnerability, namely healthcare renunciation.…”

Prevalence of alcohol consumption and alcohol use disorders among middle and high school students in the province of Khemisset, Morocco: a cross-sectional study

“…Alcohol use disorders (AUDs), which integrate alcohol dependence and alcohol abuse are considered as an important public health problem (Pradhan et al, 2012). Several studies have indicated associations between alcohol abuse and physical and mental preventable health consequences (Dupuis, Baggio, Accard, Mohler-Kuo, & Gmel, 2016). According to the 2016 World Health Organization Global status report on alcohol and health, about 3 million deaths per year worldwide (5.3% of global deaths) were attributable to Harmful use of alcohol, and 28,7% of the global burden linked to alcohol consumption worldwide in 2016, were due to injuries (WHO, 2018).…”

High Prevalence and Early Onsets: Legal and Illegal Substance Use in an Urban Cohort of Young Adults in Switzerland

“…One may argue that C-SURF measured more participants from rural than from urban areas (41% vs. 59%, respectively) and that substance use is overrepresented in urban regions as assessed in z-proso. However, in C-SURF the differences between rural and urban areas in substance use prevalence were surprisingly small [57]. Moreover, although waste water analyses reflect the entire age spectrum and not only substance use of young people, the high cocaine and MDMA prevalence rates in our sample are in line with recent waste water testing revealing that benzoylecgonine (the main metabolite of cocaine) and MDMA concentrations in selected Swiss cities, including Zurich, ranked among the highest in European city comparisons [40].…”

“…Findings may not be generalized to other parts of Switzerland, especially to more rural areas where substances or substance use-relevant party scenes are less accessible compared to Zurich. However, data from the Swiss C-SURF study suggest that rural young males had surprisingly easy access to hard substances [57], indicating that the prevalence differences between rural and urban environments might not be as pronounced as expected. Furthermore, Zurich has a relatively affluent population, meaning that many youth have the means to buy substances; this could be different in other areas.…”