Prospective correlates of drinking cessation: variation across the life‐course

Abstract

Aims To assess age variation in correlates of drinking cessation. Design Prospective study of a U.S. general population sample. Setting Face-to-face household interviews. Participants Past-year ≥monthly drinkers interviewed at baseline and 3-year follow-up (n=14,885). Measurements Baseline values and selected changes over follow-up in alcohol consumption, alcohol use disorder (AUD), sociodemographic and health characteristics, other substance use and psychiatric comorbidity were used to predict drinking cessation in three age groups. Findings Correlates of drinking cessation varied over the life course, with pregnancy/presence of an infant, nicotine or drug use disorder, incident AUD, cluster A personality disorder, liver disease and incident retirement being important at younger ages and high-school graduation, family income ≥$70,000, volume of ethanol intake, Asian race/ethnicity, mood disorder and incident cardiovascular disease being significant at older ages. Age-invariant correlates included smoking cessation over follow-up, OR=2.82 (95% CI=1.62–4.92) to 3.45 (2.20–5.39); college education, OR=0.42 (0.27–0.65) to 0.54 (0.36–0.83); Black and Hispanic race/ethnicity, OR = 1.74 (1.18–2.29) to 1.88 (1.21–2.93) and 1.58 (1.11–1.25) to 1.73 (0.83–3.63), respectively, and months since last drink, OR=1.24 (1.13–1.36) to1.29 (1.19–1.39). Conclusions Factors associated with ceasing alcohol use in US adults appear to differ over the life course, reflecting age variation in both their prevalence and impact and supporting the importance of role transitions and health problems (the “sick quitter” effect). The most consistent correlates of drinking cessation included factors reflecting ability/inability to give up potentially addictive substances and factors associated with perceived acceptability of drinking and subgroup-specific drinking contexts that might facilitate/impede continued drinking.

Impact of quitting smoking and smoking cessation treatment on substance use outcomes: An updated and narrative review

“…Of these, five were among patients in SUD treatment- 42–46 of which two targeted adolescents, 43,44 four were among participants delivered smoking cessation interventions, 29,38,41,47 of which one study targeted adolescents during psychiatric hospitalization, 29 and two were among adult general population samples. 39,40 (Figure 2)…”

“…Of the 11 studies with positive findings, eight (73%) found improved alcohol-specific outcomes of fewer drinks per day, 38 fewer drinks per week, 47 decreased likelihood of relapse, 43 increased abstinence for 12 months 40,42 and for 30 days, 45 increased likelihood of “alcohol-abstainer” trajectory membership, 44 and decreased likelihood of being diagnosed with alcohol use disorder. 39 Five studies (45%) reported drug-specific outcomes or general “drug” outcomes that excluded alcohol; one found increased likelihood of past year abstinence from drugs, 42 one found decreased likelihood of being diagnosed with a drug use disorder, 39 two found improved marijuana-specific outcomes of reduced percent of using days 47 and decreased likelihood of relapse and longer time to relapse 43 and one found reduced stimulant craving.…”

The National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) Waves 1 and 2: review and summary of findings

“…Wave 1 factors predicting Wave 2 drinking cessation: absence of comorbidity [258], [259] recent childbearing, lower drinking amounts; and non-white race/ethnicity [259]. Among those with Wave 1 alcohol dependence, factors predicting Wave 2 abstinent recovery (no drinking or symptoms) were minority race/ethnicity, having young children, religious involvement, and treatment/12-step participation [260].…”

Defining and predicting short-term alcohol use changes during a smoking cessation attempt

“…While a variety of studies have attempted to answer these questions, the findings have not been consistent. Older studies suggest that smoking cessation results in an increase in alcohol use [9–11], while more recent epidemiologic studies have found that alcohol use decreases [12–16] and other studies have found that alcohol use does not change [17–22] as a result of smoking cessation. Most recently, Lisha et al [23] found that alcohol use did not change with smoking cessation; however this study used 90-day recall methods for substance use and the populations studied were either alcohol dependent patients in early recovery or HIV positive patients, representing specific subsets of the general population.…”