The relationship between past-year drinking behaviors and nonmedical use of prescription drugs: Prevalence of co-occurrence in a national sample

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between past-year drinking behaviors and nonmedical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD) in a nationally representative sample. Prevalence estimates in the United States were derived based on data collected from face-to-face interviews using the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) (n = 43,093 individuals aged 18 years and older). Nonmedical use of prescription opioids, stimulants, tranquilizers, and sedatives was more prevalent among individuals with alcohol use disorders (AUDs) than those without AUDs. The odds of reporting NMUPD were 18 times higher among alcohol dependent participants compared to past-year abstainers (OR = 18.2, 95% CI = 13.9-23.8). Although individuals with AUDs constituted less than 9% of the total sample, those with AUDs accounted for more than one in every three nonmedical users of prescription drugs. The past-year co-occurrence of AUDs and NMUPD was more prevalent among young adults 18-24 years of age than individuals 25 years and older. More than one in every four young adults aged 18-24 years who met the criteria for past-year DSM-IV alcohol dependence also reported past-year NMUPD. These findings suggest that the treatment for AUDs should include a thorough assessment of NMUPD, especially among young adults.

Nonmedical Prescription Drug Use (NMPDU) in the Swedish General Population—Correlates of Analgesic and Sedative Use

“…Contrary to most previous studies (Back et al, 2010;Becker et al, 2008;Huang et al, 2006;McCabe et al, 2006;Shield et al, 2011;Simoni-Wastila et al, 2004;Tominaga et al, 2009;Wu et al, 2010), we found no association between NMPDU and younger age in the present study.…”

“…Any past-year NMPDU has been reported in 1.9% of the Japanese population (Tominaga et al, 2009), 3.17% of the U.S. population (McCabe, Cranford, & Boyd, 2006) and 8.2% of the population in Alberta, Canada (Currie et al, 2011). Past-year non-medical analgesic use has been reported in 1.8-5.1% of the U.S. population (Back et al, 2010;Becker et al, 2008;McCabe et al, 2006;Tetrault et al, 2008) and in 2.0-4.9% of the Canadian population (Currie et al, 2011;Shield et al, 2011). Pastyear non-medical sedative use has been reported in 2.3% of the U.S. population (Becker et al, 2007).…”

Alcohol-Use Disorders and Nonmedical Use of Prescription Drugs Among U.S. College Students

“…Limitations also included the absence of characteristics that might be associated with NMPD (e.g., sensation-seeking), because such information was not collected. Although the prevalence rates of NMPD in this study are comparable to rates found in other national surveys of young adults and college students (Johnston et al, 2005;McCabe et al, 2006a;Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2005), the prevalence of NMPD may have been underestimated because the 1999 CAS did not specifically list some commonly abused prescription drugs. Furthermore, the present study used a modified version of the SemiStructured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism, which may have overestimated the prevalence of DSM-IV alcohol abuse and underestimated the prevalence of DSM-IV alcohol dependence (see Dawson et al, 2004;Grant et al, 2004).…”

Trends in prescription drug abuse and dependence, co-occurrence with other substance use disorders, and treatment utilization: Results from two national surveys

“…Previous research has shown that non-medical use of prescription drugs is highly associated with other drug use behaviors, including cigarette smoking, heaving drinking, marijuana use, and other illicit drug use among adolescents Herman-Stahl et al, 2006;McCabe et al, 2004) and adults (Herman-Stahl et al, 2007;Huang et al, 2006;McCabe et al, 2006a;SAMHSA, 2006a). Although associations between non-medical use of prescription drugs and other substance use behaviors are important to understand, the relationships between prescription drug use disorders and other substance use disorders have important implications for developing effective prevention and intervention strategies.…”

“…Recent research has shown that alcohol use disorders are more prevalent among nonmedical users of prescription drugs (Blanco et al, 2007;Huang et al, 2006;McCabe et al, 2006a). In addition, Stinson and colleagues (2005) found strong associations between pastyear alcohol use disorders and other drug use disorders including several classes of prescription drugs (e.g., tranquilizers, opioids, and stimulants).…”