1. Alcohol use problem among patients in methadone maintenance treatment in Taiwan.
- Author
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Chen IC, Chie WC, Hwu HG, Chou SY, Yeh YC, Yu CY, and Tan HK
- Subjects
- Adult, Age Factors, Breath Tests, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Male, Methadone therapeutic use, Narcotics therapeutic use, Prevalence, Prospective Studies, Risk Factors, Taiwan epidemiology, Alcohol Drinking epidemiology, Alcohol-Related Disorders epidemiology, Alcoholism epidemiology, Opioid-Related Disorders rehabilitation
- Abstract
Aims: To examine the prevalence rate and predictors of alcohol use problems among patients undergoing methadone maintenance treatment (MMT)., Design: This was a prospective follow-up study., Participants: Study population included 438 patients who underwent more than 6 months of MMT., Measurements: Demographic and clinical characteristics were collected for each patient prior to treatment, and treatment-related variables were collected during treatment process. Hazardous drinking, alcohol abuse, and dependence were measured using a Chinese version of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and by measuring breath alcohol concentration., Findings: The prevalence rates of alcohol use problems, indicated by hazardous drinking are 31.4%. The protective predictors of alcohol use problems among MMT patients include an attendance rate of more than 90% (odds ratio [OR] = 0.54, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.30-0.97) and being older than 36 years (OR = 0.48, 95% CI = 0.27-0.86), and alcohol drinking problem at intake of study is a risk factor (OR = 5.30, 95% CI = 2.87-9.76)., Conclusions: High attendance rate, which is regarded as a component of clinical policy and a key component of therapeutic context, should be incorporated with brief interventions to lower alcohol use problems among MMT patients., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2011
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