A Prospective Study of Health Conditions Related to Alcohol Consumption Cessation Among 97,852 Drinkers Aged 45 and Over in Australia

Sarich, Peter; Canfell, Karen; Banks, Emily; Paige, Ellie; Egger, Sam; Joshy, Grace; Korda, Rosemary; Weber, Marianne

doi:10.1111/acer.13981

Cited by 58 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Finally, more research is required to examine the relationships between premorbid functioning, functional outcomes, and recovery. For example, the poor physical and mental health, low levels of alcohol consumption, and high unemployment captured by profile 2 could be reflective of “sick‐quitters” (Sarich et al, 2019), with health problems that are severe enough to drive drastic reductions in alcohol consumption, and perhaps in this case, corollary challenges to sustained employment. Profile 2, however, was also the youngest subgroup in the Project MATCH and COMBINE samples, with a mean age of 37 and 43 years, respectively.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Alcohol Use Disorder Recovery Include Some Heavy Drinking? A Replication and Extension up to 9 Years Following Treatment

Witkiewitz

Pearson

Wilson

et al. 2020

Alcoholism Clin & Exp Res

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Background Recent research indicates some individuals who engage in heavy drinking following treatment for alcohol use disorder fare as well as those who abstain with respect to psychosocial functioning, employment, life satisfaction, and mental health. The current study evaluated whether these findings replicated in an independent sample and examined associations between recovery profiles and functioning up to 6 years later. Methods Data were from the 3‐year and 7‐ to 9‐year follow‐ups of subsamples initially recruited for the COMBINE study (3‐year follow‐up: n = 694; 30.1% female, 21.0% non‐White; 7‐ to 9‐year follow‐up: n = 127; 38.9% female, 27.8% non‐White). Recovery at 3 years was defined by latent profile analyses including measures of health functioning, quality of life, employment, alcohol consumption, and cannabis and other drug use. Functioning at the 7‐ to 9‐year follow‐up was assessed using single items of self‐rated general health, hospitalizations, and alcohol consumption. Results We identified 4 profiles at the 3‐year follow‐up: (i) low‐functioning frequent heavy drinkers (13.9%), (ii) low‐functioning infrequent heavy drinkers (15.8%), (iii) high‐functioning heavy drinkers (19.4%), and (iv) high‐functioning infrequent drinkers (50.9%). At the 7‐ to 9‐year follow‐up, the 2 high‐functioning profiles had the best self‐rated health, and the high‐functioning heavy drinking profile had significantly fewer hospitalizations than the low‐functioning frequent heavy drinking profile. Conclusions Previous findings showing heterogeneity in recovery outcomes were replicated. Most treatment recipients functioned well for years after treatment, and a subset who achieved stable recovery engaged in heavy drinking and reported good health outcomes up to 9 years after treatment. Results question the long‐standing emphasis on drinking practices as a primary outcome, as well as abstinence as a recovery criterion in epidemiologic and treatment outcome research and among stakeholder groups and funding/regulatory agencies. Findings support an expanded recovery research agenda that considers drinking patterns, health, life satisfaction, and functioning.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Alcohol Use Disorder Recovery Include Some Heavy Drinking? A Replication and Extension up to 9 Years Following Treatment

Witkiewitz

Pearson

Wilson

et al. 2020

Alcoholism Clin & Exp Res

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show abstract

“…The profile was likely to represent a combination of occasional, light drinkers and sick quitters, i.e., people who decided to reduce their drinking because of their poor health (Marti, Choi, DiNitto, & Choi, 2015;Sarich et al, 2019). More than half of the participants were frequent (Profile 2; HF↕LQ↕) or moderately frequent (Profile 4; MF↓LQ↓) drinkers who consumed low amounts on typical drinking days.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, it has been suggested that changes in alcohol consumption reflect changes in health status as people age (Holdsworth et al, 2016). For example, the 'sick-quitter hypothesis' posits that those with declining health are more likely to reduce their drinking over time (Sarich et al, 2019). Overall, previous research highlights that the relationship between different health outcomes and alcohol use is not a linear function.…”

Section: Alcohol Use and Health In Older Adulthoodmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although members of this profile reported the greatest number of chronic health conditions and the poorest physical health at baseline, their health did not deteriorate further over the observation period. It is, however, unclear whether their poor health prompted them to start reducing their consumption level (Sarich et al, 2019) or the change in alcohol use contributed to slower health decline (León-Muñoz et al, 2017;Lin, Guerrueri, & Moore, 2011). The relationship could also be reciprocal.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ten-Year Trajectories of Alcohol Consumption in Older Adult New Zealanders

Szabó

Towers

Sheridan

et al. 2019

The Journals of Gerontology: Series B

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Objective Older adults are often treated as a homogenous drinking group, but research suggests they engage with alcohol in various ways, ranging from abstention to heavy drinking. The study aimed to 1) identify subgroups of older adults based on changes in frequency and quantity of alcohol use over ten years, and 2) examine co-occurring changes in mental and physical health. Methods Data were collected between 2006 and 2016 biennially from 2632 New Zealanders (55-70 years old at baseline). Latent class growth analysis was performed to identify trajectories of alcohol use. Co-occurring changes in physical and mental health were examined using latent growth curve analysis. Results Five drinking profiles emerged: 1) infrequent, low quantity consumers; 2) highly frequent, low quantity consumers; 3) moderately frequent, high quantity consumers; 4) moderately frequent, low quantity consumers; and 5) highly frequent, high quantity consumers. Drinking trajectories demonstrated no change or slight declines in frequency and quantity over time. Frequent and moderately frequent, high quantity drinking was more prevalent among men, younger participants, and active smokers. Moderately frequent, heavy drinkers were in very poor health. Frequent and moderately frequent, low quantity drinking was associated with better health and economic wellbeing. Infrequent, low quantity consumers were more likely to be women and in poor health. Discussion The five drinking profiles indicate that older adults engage with alcohol in diverse ways. Two of these patterns indicated potentially hazardous use, which highlights the need for screening and intervention in this age group.

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“…Light drinkers (≥1 to ≤3.5 drinks per week) were used as the reference group rather than non-drinkers due to the potential for bias from the 'sick-quitter effect', whereby nondrinkers may have quit drinking due to symptoms from undiagnosed cancer, which would potentially result in an underestimate of relative risks in relation to heavier drinking. 46,47 This variable was categorised with cut points aimed to align with the Australian alcohol consumption guidelines to minimise the risk of long-term harm (≤2 standard drinks/day) and short-term harm (≤4 standard drinks/day), where a standard drink contains 10 g of ethanol. 9 (2) Pattern of drinking:…”

Section: Alcohol Consumptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alcohol consumption, drinking patterns and cancer incidence in an Australian cohort of 226,162 participants aged 45 years and over

Sarich

Canfell

Egger³

et al. 2020

Br J Cancer

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BACKGROUND: Although overall alcohol consumption is known to increase the risk of a number of cancers internationally, evidence for Australia and evidence regarding the pattern of drinking and cancer risk is limited. METHODS: Adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for cancer risk in relation to overall alcohol consumption (drinks/week) and pattern of drinking were calculated using Cox proportional hazard regressions for 226,162 participants aged ≥45 years (2006-2009) in the 45 and Up Study, an Australian prospective cohort study. Incident primary cancer cases were ascertained by linkage to the New South Wales Cancer Registry to 2013 by the Centre for Health Record Linkage. RESULTS: Over a median of 5.4 years, 17,332 cancers were diagnosed. Increasing levels of alcohol intake were associated with increased risk of cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract (1

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A Prospective Study of Health Conditions Related to Alcohol Consumption Cessation Among 97,852 Drinkers Aged 45 and Over in Australia

Cited by 58 publications

References 39 publications

Can Alcohol Use Disorder Recovery Include Some Heavy Drinking? A Replication and Extension up to 9 Years Following Treatment

Can Alcohol Use Disorder Recovery Include Some Heavy Drinking? A Replication and Extension up to 9 Years Following Treatment

Ten-Year Trajectories of Alcohol Consumption in Older Adult New Zealanders

Alcohol consumption, drinking patterns and cancer incidence in an Australian cohort of 226,162 participants aged 45 years and over

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