Addictive behaviors
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Addictive behaviors · Mar 2012
Stimulant use trajectories and the longitudinal risk of heavy drinking: findings from a rural population-based study.
The extant literature offers little information about the longitudinal course of alcohol use among stimulant users, particularly those in rural areas, but it is plausible that reductions in stimulant use are accompanied by increases in heavy drinking. The objective of this study was to examine the longitudinal relationships between heavy drinking days and latent trajectories of powder cocaine, crack cocaine, and methamphetamine use. Participants (n=710) were identified via Respondent-Driven Sampling in 3 rural communities in each of 3 states, with interviews conducted every 6 months over 3 years. ⋯ Trajectories of methamphetamine use were not significantly associated with heavy drinking days. In conclusion, heavy alcohol use changes little over time among rural stimulant users. Many rural cocaine users could potentially benefit from interventions aimed at curtailing heavy drinking.
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Addictive behaviors · Mar 2012
Chronic pain, addiction severity, and misuse of opioids in Cumberland County, Maine.
Few studies have examined the relationship between chronic pain and opioid abuse in non-clinical populations. We sought to investigate this in a street-recruited sample of active opioid abusers in Cumberland County, Maine, USA, a locale that had experienced substantial increases in opioid abuse. ⋯ Chronic pain was a common co-occurring condition among individuals misusing opioids. Better efforts are needed to integrate pain management and substance abuse treatment for this population.