Opioid agonist treatment in transition: A cross-country comparison between Austria, Germany and Switzerland.

Background And Aims: OAT is a well developed and successful treatment strategy for opioid dependent patients in Europe. It has significantly contributed to the fight against the HIV and HCV pandemics, leading to an increased life expectancy in this population. Building on the OAT experiences in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland and their models of care, the objective of this study is to analyse experiences and changes in patient structures to identify necessary adaptations for the system of care.

Alcohol and Cigarette Use among Adolescents and Young Adults in Austria from 2004-2020: Patterns of Change and Associations with Socioeconomic Variables.

Background: Adolescents and young adults are a crucial target group for preventing harm related to substance use. Recently, declining alcohol and tobacco consumption in young people has been observed in many countries. Based on survey data from 2004 to 2020, we describe time trends for several subgroups of adolescents and young adults (based on consumption levels and socioeconomic variables) and analyze associations between the level of alcohol per capita consumption or daily smoking and socioeconomic variables.

Estimating the number of children in households with substance use disorders in Germany.

Background: Parental substance misuse is reported to endanger the health and psychological development of children and adolescents. The aim of the present study was to address conceptual and methodological problems in estimating the number of children affected by parental substance misuse (CaPSM) and offer a novel approach based on survey data.

Methods: Data came from the 2018 German Epidemiological Survey of Substance Abuse (ESA) among 18- to 64-year-olds (n = 9267) and from population statistics.

Retention in the Austrian opioid agonist treatment system: a national prospective cohort study.

Background: Retention in care is a prerequisite for successful recovery, especially for a chronic condition like opioid dependence. Though retention varies greatly depending on the different substitution medication and treatment model, treatment retention is used as an indicator of treatment quality and effectiveness of care on a system and individual level. To monitor the overall quality of the Austrian opioid agonist treatment (OAT) system and to monitor patient satisfaction within the system, a new online-based registry called "eSuchmittel" was introduced in Austria at the beginning of 2011.

Perceived problems with adolescent online gaming: National differences and correlations with substance use.

Background: Not much is known about the correlation between gaming problems and substance use across different countries. This paper presents cross-national analyses of different gaming indicators and their relationship to substance use.

Methods: Based on data from the 2015 ESPAD study, differences in the relationship between gaming and substance use across 35 countries were analysed using multi-level logistic regression, using substance use as an individual level predictor, economic wealth as a country-level predictor and a combined problem gaming indicator as the outcome.

[Chaos concerning smoking prevalence figures in Austria].

Cigarette smoking has been identified to be a major risk factor to health and more and more measures have been implemented to curb cigarette consumption in society. The central question is: "Have those measures been successful in reducing smoking prevalence to a relevant degree?" In spite of many large surveys done by renowned institutes, we still cannot present a well-founded consistent answer because of contradictions. We should aim at fundamentally improving our research methodologies to assess health-damaging behaviours in society.

Is there a relationship between street heroin purity and drug-related emergencies and/or drug-related deaths? An analysis from Vienna, Austria.

This study examines the quality of street heroin seized in Vienna in 1999 and whether there was a relationship between the purity of street heroin and the number of heroin-related emergencies as well as the number of heroin-related deaths. Street heroin confiscated by the Viennese police, run-sheets of drug-related emergencies, and postmortem reports of drug-related deaths in Vienna in 1999 were analyzed. A total of 415 retail samples with a total weight of 128.

Estimating prevalence of problem drug use at national level in countries of the European Union and Norway.

Objectives: This paper will present the most recent estimates for problematic drug use in European Member States and explore the problems of comparability.

Methods: Estimates of problematic drug use, derived according to agreed guidelines, were collected from all EU countries and Norway. Methods included multipliers based on treatment, police, mortality or AIDS/HIV data, the capture-recapture method and the multivariate indicator method.