Assisted resolution and self-change: differences between healthcare systems.

This editorial discusses a study by Day and colleagues, in which the authors investigated the prevalence of resolution of alcohol and other drug problems in the UK and compared people who resolved their problems with and without treatment.

Are long-term alcohol health harms overlooked in individuals with illicit drug problems? Alcohol-related morbidity and mortality in a Danish cohort of clients in residential rehabilitation for drug use disorders.

Aims: This study described the burden of alcohol-related morbidity and mortality among those who had been enrolled in residential treatment for drug use disorders in Denmark and investigated whether self-reported information on alcohol use provided at treatment admission can be used to assess risk for future serious alcohol-related harms.

Methods: At baseline (entry in drug use disorder treatment during 2000-10), clients completed a European adaptation of the Addiction Severity Index-5. We tracked 4981 clients through 2018 using multiple national registers to identify fully (100%) alcohol-attributable hospital contacts and deaths.

Predictors of retention in heroin-assisted treatment in Denmark 2010-2018 - A record-linkage study.

Introduction: While randomized-controlled trials have shown that heroin-assisted treatment (HAT) is superior to methadone maintenance alone in treatment of refractory clients, little is known about client factors associated with retention in HAT in routine care.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study assessed predictors of retention in first treatment episode among a consecutive cohort of clients admitted to HAT in Denmark from 2010 to 2018, who could be matched to the Danish population register and for whom a Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) was available at admission (N = 432). The study derived predictors from client self-reports at intake and administrative data available in national registers.

Who receives heroin-assisted treatment? A comparison of patients receiving opioid maintenance treatment in Denmark.

Background: Since 2010, heroin-assisted treatment (HAT) has been one of the treatment options available to people with opioid use disorder (OUD) in Denmark. This study aimed to characterize HAT patients at treatment start and compare their individual characteristics to those of patients entering traditional opioid maintenance treatment (OMT) with methadone or buprenorphine during the same period.

Methods: Patients who initiated HAT or OMT with methadone or buprenorphine in Denmark from 2010 to 2018 were included (n=6798).

The impact of parental substance use disorder and other family-related problems on school related outcomes.

Aims: To identify young people with different levels of family-related problems, including parental substance use disorder (PSUD), and investigate differences in grades at graduation from compulsory school and further enrollment in education.

Methods: Participants included 6784 emerging adults (aged 15-25 years) from samples drawn for two national surveys in Denmark 2014-2015. Latent classes were constructed using the following parental variables: PSUD, offspring not living with both parents, and parental criminality, mental disorders, chronic diseases and long-term unemployment.

Using the alcohol use disorders identification test to predict hospital admission for alcohol-related conditions in the Danish general population: a record-linkage study.

Background And Aims: Most studies validating the alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT) have either assessed its factor structure and/or test-retest reliability or used diagnostic interviews as validators of current alcohol use disorders. The aim of the present study was to determine whether AUDIT and AUDIT-Consumption (AUDIT-C) scores are associated with subsequent risk of hospital admission for alcohol-related disorders and diseases (ARDDs).

Design: We used a historical cohort study.

Changes in Alcohol Use in Denmark during the Initial Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Further Evidence of Polarization of Drinking Responses.

Introduction: The year 2020 was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. Policy responses to COVID-19 affected social and economic life and the availability of alcohol. Previous research has shown an overall small decrease in alcohol use in Denmark in the first months of the pandemic.

Hazardous drinking and violence-related hospitalizations in the Danish general population: A historical cohort study.

Background: It is well documented by case-control and case-crossover studies that hazardous drinking and the risk of experiencing violence-related injuries are related. The present study investigated this relationship in a cohort of general population survey respondents in Denmark using subsequent hospital admissions for violence.

Methods: The cohort consisted of participants in the 2011 Danish national survey on alcohol and drugs (N = 5126).

How Do Register-Based Studies Contribute to Our Understanding of Alcohol's Harms to Family Members? A Scoping Review of Relevant Literature.

Objective: This review maps the research literature on register-based studies of alcohol's harms to family members and identifies areas for future research.

Method: Using a scoping review methodology, the PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO databases were searched in August 2019 with keywords to identify studies that included register-based outcome sources, a family relationship, and an exposure to heavy drinking. In total, 5,961 records were screened, 403 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility, and 91 studies were included in the final review.

Time characteristics of the effect of alcohol cessation on the risk of stomach cancer--a meta-analysis.

Background: In the Bagnardi et al. (2001) meta-analysis, it was found that alcohol consumption increases the risk of stomach cancer (OR = 1.32 for heavy drinkers).

A comparison of four telephone-based counseling styles for recovering stimulant users.

The continuing development and refinement of empirically supported interventions to increase participation in posttreatment care and promote sustained abstinence from illicit drug use is a priority for the addictions field. The purpose of this study was to assess the combined and relative effectiveness of four types of counseling styles, delivered by telephone, relative to a no call control condition. Stimulant users (N = 302) were randomized to one of four low-cost, telephone support protocols (unstructured/nondirective, unstructured/directive, structured/nondirective, structured/directive) or a standard referral to aftercare without telephone counseling (control).

Methamphetamine dependence and human immunodeficiency virus risk behavior.

We examined human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related risk behaviors among methamphetamine (MA)-dependent users. Secondary data analysis was performed on data from a large clinical trial: The Methamphetamine Treatment Project (N = 784). All MA-dependent participants were enrolled in an outpatient treatment program, receiving either a standardized psychosocial protocol (Matrix model) or treatment-as-usual.