Substance use & misuse
-
Substance use & misuse · Nov 2018
Randomized Controlled TrialWeb-Based Intervention to Reduce Substance Abuse and Depression: A Three Arm Randomized Trial in Mexico.
Web-based cognitive-behavioral interventions to reduce substance use can be a useful low-cost treatment for a large number of people, and an attractive option in countries where a greater availability of treatment is needed. ⋯ The findings suggest that the web-based intervention to reduce substance abuse is feasible, although it is not more effective than other intervention modalities; its effectiveness must be evaluated in a larger sample. Attrition was a main limitation; future studies must improve retention and assess cost-effectiveness.
-
Substance use & misuse · Sep 2018
Randomized Controlled TrialA Randomized Controlled Trial for Veterans with PTSD and Substance Use Disorder: Creating Change versus Seeking Safety.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorder (SUD) co-occur in military veterans and other populations. ⋯ Intent-to-treat analyses indicated that both conditions improved over time, with no difference between conditions, on PTSD, alcohol use, and drug use (our primary outcomes) as well as mental health symptoms, quality of life, self-efficacy, and SUD cognitions. Effect sizes were medium except for alcohol use, which was large. Change over time reflected improvement from baseline to end-of-treatment, with gains sustained at follow-up, although alcohol use showed continued improvement from end-of-treatment to follow-up. Both treatments evidenced a strong safety profile; and attendance, alliance, and treatment satisfaction were also very strong. Conclusions/importance: CC has promise as a PTSD/SUD therapy with strong public health relevance and the potential to fill important gaps in the field. We used minimal exclusionary criteria to obtain a real-world sample, which was severe-predominantly substance-dependent with chronic PTSD and additional psychiatric diagnoses. Future research is warranted, especially on nonveteran samples and treatment mechanisms of action.
-
Substance use & misuse · Aug 2018
Randomized Controlled TrialCannabis Use is Associated with Lower Odds of Prescription Opioid Analgesic Use Among HIV-Infected Individuals with Chronic Pain.
Chronic pain is common in the United States and prescribed opioid analgesics use for noncancer pain has increased dramatically in the past two decades, possibly accounting for the current opioid addiction epidemic. Co-morbid drug use in those prescribed opioid analgesics is common, but there are few data on polysubstance use patterns. ⋯ Almost half of the sample of people with HIV and chronic pain reported current prescribed opioid analgesic use (N = 372, 47.1%). Illicit drug use was common (N = 505, 63.9%), and cannabis was the most commonly used illicit substance (N = 311, 39.4%). In multivariate analyses, only cannabis use was significantly associated with lower odds of prescribed opioid analgesic use (adjusted odds ratio = 0.57; 95% confidence interval: 0.38-0.87). Conclusions/Importance: Our data suggest that new medical cannabis legislation might reduce the need for opioid analgesics for pain management, which could help to address adverse events associated with opioid analgesic use.
-
Substance use & misuse · Nov 2014
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyCharacteristics of a treatment-seeking population in outpatient addiction treatment centers in Mexico.
Baseline patients' characteristics are critical for treatment planning, as these can be moderators of treatment effects. In Mexico, information on treatment seekers with substance use disorders is scarce and limited to demographic characteristics. ⋯ Substance use related problems, clinical features, and addiction severity reported by treatment seekers are important characteristics to take into account when planning treatment as they facilitate tailoring treatment to meet patients' needs.
-
Substance use & misuse · Sep 2014
Randomized Controlled TrialPerceived peer drinking norms and responsible drinking in UK university settings.
Heavy drinking is common among students at UK universities. US students overestimate how much their peers drink and correcting this through the use of social norm messages may promote responsible drinking. ⋯ In this UK based study, although perceived social norms about peer drinking were associated with individual differences in drinking habits, campus wide norm messages about responsible drinking did not affect students' intentions to drink more responsibly. More research is required to determine if this approach can be applied to UK settings.