Alcohol and drug use among individuals with mental retardation (MR) has received little empirical attention. Two studies are reported: In Study 1, individuals (n = 122) with MR were surveyed regarding their personality characteristics, alcohol and drug use, and skills to avoid substance abuse. Results indicate that although the majority of participants did not drink alcohol, among those who did, the ratio of misusers to users was nearly 1:1. In addition, misusers were deficient in specific skill areas. In Study 2, participants (n = 84) were randomly assigned to receive a prevention program in either (a) assertiveness building, (b) modeling and social inference, or (c) a delayed treatment, control condition. Results suggest that each program, at least in the short-term, improved substance knowledge and enhanced skills. Overall, these results suggest that substance use interventions focused toward individuals with MR may be beneficial.

Adult↗

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Comparison of self-report and hair analysis in detecting cocaine use in a homeless/transient sample.

Detection of current (past 30 days) drug use by analysis of hair was examined along with self-reports of current use in a 1994 treatment needs assessment survey; the sample was 179 homeless/transient adults in New York state. Results of radioimmunoassay of hair (RIAH) were used to evaluate the veracity of self-reports of current cocaine use. Only 26% of those persons whose hair tested positive for cocaine (n=115) admitted to having used cocaine in the past 30 days. Subjects eligible for treatment, as indicated by a DSM-III-R diagnosis of cocaine dependency, were nearly four times as likely to admit current cocaine use than those who were not dependent. These results are consistent with other studies of populations at high risk for substance use.

Adolescent↗

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Problem drinking in delinquent and nondelinquent adolescent males.

Clinical evidence suggests that problem drinking among adolescent delinquents is more severe than among nondelinquents and is accompanied by greater social pathology. This investigation explored this question empirically by comparing samples of delinquent (n = 49) and nondelinquent (n = 100) adolescent male drinkers matched on age and race and controlling for community size and region of the country. Criteria for problem drinking and other measures duplicated those developed for a national probability survey of teenaged drinking practices conducted in the United States during 1974-1975. Results replicated the often-reported higher incidence of problem drinkers among delinquents than nondelinquents. More to the point, delinquent problem drinkers showed severer involvement with alcohol and drugs and more signs of social pathology than nondelinquent problem drinkers. Delinquent problem drinkers drank more, drank more frequently, reported more negative consequences from drinking in more areas, and perceived themselves as having a drinking problem more often than nondelinquent problem drinkers. These differences were not found between delinquent and nondelinquent subjects who showed no evidence of drinking problems. The results have implications for treatment and rehabilitation of juvenile offenders and for the construction of policy-relevant definitions of problem drinking in young people.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Recent trends in alcohol education.

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Alcoholism↗