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Alcohol Abusers (alcohol + abuser)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	76%
Life Sciences	14%

Selected Abstracts

Alcohol abuse in a metropolitan city in China: a study of the prevalence and risk factors

ADDICTION, Issue 9 2004
Zhang Jiafang
ABSTRACT Aims To investigate the prevalence of alcohol abuse in modern China and to explore the risk factors that may be associated with alcohol abuse. Design A face-to-face interview was carried out in a random sample with 2327 respondents. Setting Respondents were selected randomly from Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, between May and June 2002. Participants Fifteen,65-year-old urban Chinese adults. Measurements Scores for alcohol abuse and related risk factors were the main measures. Findings (1) Nearly 15% of urban Chinese adults aged 15,65 were alcohol abusers. (2) Deviant drinking habits of mother, schoolmates, colleagues or friends all had a negative impact on the respondent's alcohol drinking behaviours, and higher economic status, current smokers, being male and being older were identified as risk factors related to alcohol abuse. In particular, if a drinker's mother used alcohol frequently then this drinker was more likely to become an alcohol abuser than those drinkers whose mothers did not use alcohol frequently (P = 0.0001). Fathers' drinking behaviours do not have a significant impact on the alcohol abusers. Conclusions In addition to common risk factors such as economic status, deviant peers' and fellows' drinking behaviours and negative attitudes to alcohol drinking, maternal alcohol drinking habit influenced significantly the offspring's drinking habits. Therefore, efficient intervention and education of healthy drinking habits in early motherhood is necessary for Chinese women. [source]

Rumination as a predictor of drinking behaviour in alcohol abusers: a prospective study

ADDICTION, Issue 6 2010
Gabriele Caselli
ABSTRACT Aims To investigate the role of depression and rumination in predicting drinking status (absence or presence of alcohol use) and level of alcohol use at 3, 6 and 12 months following a brief course of cognitive,behavioural therapy for alcohol abuse. Methods A total of 80 out-patients with a diagnosis of alcohol abuse completed measures of depression (Beck Depression Inventory), rumination (Ruminative Responses Scale) and alcohol use (Quantity,Frequency Scale). Results These indicated that rumination predicted drinking status and level of alcohol use at 3-, 6- and 12-month follow-up. The contribution of rumination was independent of depression and initial level of alcohol use. Conclusions The results confirm that rumination is an important prospective predictor of drinking status and level of alcohol use in alcohol abusers and highlight the potential relevance of targeting rumination in the treatment of alcohol abuse. [source]

A randomized controlled trial of an internet-based intervention for alcohol abusers

ADDICTION, Issue 12 2009
John A. Cunningham
ABSTRACT Objective Misuse of alcohol imposes a major public health cost, yet few problem drinkers are willing to access in-person services for alcohol abuse. The development of brief, easily accessible ways to help problem drinkers who are unwilling or unable to seek traditional treatment services could therefore have significant public health benefit. The objective of this project is to conduct a randomized controlled evaluation of the internet-based Check Your Drinking (CYD) screener ( http://www.CheckYourDrinking.net). Method Participants (n = 185) recruited through a general telephone population survey were assigned randomly to receive access to the CYD, or to a no-intervention control group. Results Follow-up rates were excellent (92%). Problem drinkers provided access to the CYD displayed a six to seven drinks reduction in their weekly alcohol consumption (a 30% reduction in typical weekly drinking) at both the 3- and 6-month follow-ups compared to a one drink per week reduction among control group respondents. Conclusions The CYD is one of a growing number of internet-based interventions with research evidence supporting its efficacy to reduce alcohol consumption. The internet could increase the range of help-seeking options available because it takes treatment to the problem drinker rather than making the problem drinker come to treatment. [source]

Associations of cohort and socio-demographic correlates with transitions from alcohol use to disorders and remission in metropolitan China

ADDICTION, Issue 8 2009
Sing Lee
ABSTRACT Aims To examine socio-demographic associations of transitions from alcohol use to disorders and of remission from disorders in metropolitan China. Design and setting Face-to-face interviewing by trained lay-interviewers on a multi-staged, clustered sample from the general population of Beijing and Shanghai, China. Participants A total of 5201 adults aged 18,70 years and with household registration. Measurements World Mental Health version of Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Findings Lifetime prevalence estimates for alcohol use, regular use (at least 12 drinks in a year), DSM-IV abuse and dependence with abuse were 65.4%, 39.5% (60.4% of ever-drinkers), 4.6% (11.6% of regular users) and 0.9% (20.4% of lifetime alcohol abusers), respectively. These estimates were higher among respondents from the recent cohort; 64.3% and 36.9% respondents with a history of lifetime abuse and dependence respectively had remitted. The number of socio-demographic associations for the onset of each transitional stage decreased from alcohol use to alcohol dependence. Onset of ever-use was more common in respondents who were male, 18,50 years of age, with middle education level and never married, but less common among the previously married and students. First onset of regular use among those with ever-use was more common in respondents who were male, less than 50 years of age and never married, but less common in students. Being male and less than 50 years of age was associated with more alcohol abusers among regular users. Conclusion This study was the first to reveal in a Chinese population that qualitatively different risk factors might operate during the different stages of progression from alcohol use to disorders. Further research is needed to clarify the mechanisms underlying these differences in order to guide prevention programmes. [source]

Effects of lactate and acetate on the determination of serum ethyl glucuronide by CZE

ELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 23 2006
Michaela Mrázková
Abstract The analysis of ethyl glucuronide,(EtG), a marker of recent alcohol consumption, in serum with an optimized CZE assay is reported. The method uses a 0.1-mm,id fused-silica capillary of 50,cm effective length that is coated with linear polyacrylamide, a pH,4.4 nicotinic acid/,-aminocaproic acid (EACA) BGE, reversed polarity and indirect analyte detection. The assay is based on a 1:1 dilution of serum with deionized water and has LODs for EtG, lactate and acetate of 3.8×10,7,M, 2.60×10,6,M and 2.18×10,6,M, respectively. Separation of EtG from endogenous macro- and microcomponents (anionic serum components of high and low concentration, respectively) and its quantification are shown to be possible for a wide range of lactate (stacker) and acetate (destacker) concentrations, macrocomponents that have an impact on the CZE behavior of EtG and that change after intake of ethanol. The assay has been successfully applied to the analysis of EtG, lactate and acetate in (i),sera of volunteers that ingested known amounts of alcohol and (ii),samples of patients that were classified (teetotalers and social drinkers vs. alcohol abusers) via analysis of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin. [source]

Alcohol abuse in a metropolitan city in China: a study of the prevalence and risk factors

Alcoholic macrocytosis,is there a role for acetaldehyde and adducts?

ADDICTION BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2004
Onni Niemelä
Although alcohol abuse is known to cause a wide array of adverse effects on blood cell formation, the molecular mechanisms by which alcohol exerts its toxic actions have remained poorly defined. Elevated mean corpuscular volume (MCV), macrocytosis, is the most typical morphological abnormality induced by excessive ethanol consumption. This paper reviews recent data indicating that acetaldehyde, the first metabolite of ethanol, may play a role in the haematological derangements in peripheral blood cells and in bone marrow of alcoholic patients. Studies in experimental animals and in human alcoholics have shown that acetaldehyde can bind to proteins and cellular constituents forming stable adducts. Elevated adduct levels have been found from the erythrocytes of alcohol abusers, which may also be associated with ethanol-induced effects in haematopoiesis and adverse consequences in cellular functions. [source]

Naltrexone: report of lack of hepatotoxicity in acute viral hepatitis, with a review of the literature

ADDICTION BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2004
Colin Brewer
Many clinicians appear to be concerned about the potential hepatotoxicity of the opiate antagonist naltrexone (NTX) and this may be one reason why it is not used more widely in treating both heroin and alcohol abusers. Some much-quoted early studies noted abnormalities in liver function tests (LFTs) in very obese patients taking high doses, although there was no evidence of clinically significant liver dysfunction. These concerns may be reinforced by advice in the UK product information sheet to perform LFTs before and during treatment, by high infection rates with hepatitis C virus (HCV) among injecting heroin addicts and by the frequency of abnormal LFTs in alcohol abusers. We describe a heroin abuser in whom clinical and laboratory manifestations of acute hepatitis B and C appeared a few days after the insertion of a subcutaneous naltrexone implant. A decision was made not to remove the implant but the hepatitis resolved completely and uneventfully well within the normal time-scale. A review of the literature indicates that even when given at much higher doses than are needed for treating heroin or alcohol abusers, there is no evidence that NTX causes clinically significant liver disease or exacerbates, even at high doses, serious pre-existing liver disease. During the past decade, NTX has been shown to be safe and effective in the treatment of pruritus associated with severe jaundice caused by severe and sometimes life-threatening cirrhosis and other liver diseases. Its safety, even in these extreme conditions, is particularly reassuring. We suggest that it may be more appropriate and economical to advise patients to report promptly any suspected side effects than to perform regular LFTs, which may be misleading. [source]

Validation of the UPPS impulsive behaviour scale: a four-factor model of impulsivity

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 7 2005
Stephen P. Whiteside
The current study attempts to clarify the multi-faceted nature of impulsivity through the use of the four-factor UPPS Impulsive Behaviour scale. In order to build the nomological network surrounding this scale, the UPPS was administered to individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD), pathological gamblers (PG), alcohol abusers (divided into two groups based on the presence of antisocial features), and a control group. Several of the UPPS scales (e.g. Urgency, lack of Premeditation, and Sensation Seeking) differentiated the BPD, PG, and alcohol abusers with antisocial features from a group of non-antisocial alcohol abusers and a control group. Overall, the UPPS scales accounted for between 7% (pathological gambling) and 64% (borderline personality disorder features) of the overall variance in the psychopathology measures. Individual UPPS scales also made unique contributions to several of these disorders, which may provide insight into which of these personality traits may predispose individuals to behave in maladaptive or problematic ways. The results provide support for the differentiation of impulsivity-related constructs into the current four-factor model. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Milk Fat Globule EGF Factor 8 Attenuates Sepsis-Induced Apoptosis and Organ Injury in Alcohol-Intoxicated Rats

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 9 2010
Rongqian Wu
Background:, Despite advances in our understanding of excessive alcohol-intake-related tissue injury and modernization of the management of septic patients, high morbidity and mortality caused by infectious diseases in alcohol abusers remain a prominent challenge. Our previous studies have shown that milk fat globule epidermal growth factor-factor VIII (MFG-E8), a protein required to opsonize apoptotic cells for phagocytosis, is protective in inflammation. However, it remains unknown whether MFG-E8 ameliorates sepsis-induced apoptosis and organ injury in alcohol-intoxicated rats. The purpose of this study was to determine whether recombinant murine MFG-E8 (rmMFG-E8) attenuates organ injury after acute alcohol exposure and subsequent sepsis. Methods:, Acute alcohol intoxication was induced in male adult rats by a bolus injection of intravenous alcohol at 1.75 g/kg BW, followed by an intravenous infusion of 300 mg/kg BW/h of alcohol for 10 hours. Sepsis was induced at the end of 10-hour alcohol infusion by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). rmMFG-E8 or vehicle (normal saline) was administered intravenously 3 times (i.e., at the beginning of alcohol injection, the beginning of CLP, and 10 hours post-CLP) at a dose of 20 ,g/kg BW each. Blood and tissue samples were collected 20 hours after CLP in alcoholic animals for various measurements. Results:, Acute alcohol exposure per se did not affect the production of MFG-E8; however, it primed the animal and enhanced sepsis-induced MFG-E8 downregulation in the spleen. Administration of rmMFG-E8 reduces alcohol/sepsis-induced apoptosis in the spleen, lungs, and liver. In addition, administration of rmMFG-E8 after alcohol exposure and subsequent sepsis decreases circulating levels of TNF-, and interleukin-6 and attenuates organ injury. Conclusions:, rmMFG-E8 attenuates sepsis-induced apoptosis and organ injury in alcohol-intoxicated rats. [source]

GABRA2 and Alcohol Use Disorders: No Evidence of an Association in an Italian Case,Control Study

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 4 2010
Nicoletta Onori
Background:, Alcoholism is a major health and social issue, a highly frequent disease and a cause of premature death. It is also the most expensive addictive disorder being related to high morbidity and mortality, violence, accidents, and social and legal problems. It is a quantitative disorder, where the combined incidence of environmental and multiple genetic factors varies from 1 subject to another. Recent association studies have identified several genes as candidates for alcoholism, including GABAA receptor genes, due to their role in mediating several behavioral effects of alcohol, such as motor incoordination, anxiolysis, sedation, and withdrawal. The proposed association between the 3, half of the gene encoding the alpha-2 subunit of GABA receptor (3,-GABRA2) and alcohol use disorders (AUDs) has received several independent confirmations. Methods:, In this study, 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the 3,-GABRA2 gene, previously reported to be implicated in alcohol dependence, were used to evaluate the linkage between selected SNPs and AUDs in an Italian sample and to compare findings with those of previous studies. Results:, No evidence of an association was found at the allele, genotype, haplotype, or diplotype levels between the 3,-GABRA2 polymorphisms investigated and alcoholism in 149 Italian alcoholics (98 alcohol dependents and 51 alcohol abusers) and 278 controls. Conclusions:, Despite previous reports, we did not find an association between AUDs and 3,-GABRA2 polymorphisms. This is probably due to the minimal comorbidity of our Italian sample suggesting that this gene is implicated in polysubstance dependence rather than in alcoholism alone. [source]

Alcohol Up-Regulates TLR2 Through a NO/cGMP Dependent Pathway

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 1 2010
Kristina L Bailey
Background:, Heavy alcohol consumption is associated with severe bronchitis. This is likely related to increased inflammation in the airways of alcohol abusers. Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) is an important mediator of inflammation in the airway epithelium. TLR2 initiates an inflammatory cascade in response to gram-positive bacteria. We have previously shown that alcohol up-regulates TLR2 in the airway epithelium. However, the mechanism of alcohol-mediated up-regulation of TLR2 has not been identified. Methods:, A human airway epithelial cell line, 16HBE14o,, was exposed to biologically relevant concentrations of alcohol (100 mM) in the presence and absence of N, -Nitro- l -arginine methyl ester hydrochloride, a nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor; and Rp-8-Br-cGMP-S, an antagonist analogue of cGMP. TLR2 was measured using real-time PCR and Western blots. In addition, 16HBE14o, cells were incubated with sodium nitroprusside (SNP), an NO donor, and 8-Br-cGMP, a cGMP analogue. TLR2 was measured using real-time PCR. Results:,N, -Nitro- l -arginine methyl ester hydrochloride blocked the alcohol-mediated up-regulation of TLR2. This indicates that NO plays a key role in alcohol's up-regulation of TLR2. SNP, a NO donor, up-regulated TLR2. Rp-8-Br-CGMP-S attenuated alcohol's up-regulation of TLR2, suggesting that NO was working through cGMP/PKG. 8-Br-cGMP up-regulated TLR2, also demonstrating the importance of cGMP/PKG. Conclusions:, Alcohol up-regulates TLR2 through a NO/cGMP/PKG dependent pathway in the airway epithelium. This is an important observation in the understanding how alcohol modulates airway inflammation. In addition, this is the first time that cyclic nucleotides have been shown to play a role in the regulation of TLR2. [source]

Understanding and Treating Patients With Alcoholic Cirrhosis: An Update

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 7 2009
Giovanni Addolorato
Alcoholic cirrhosis represents the terminal stage of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and one of the main causes of death among alcohol abusers. The aim of this review was to provide an update on alcoholic cirrhosis, with an emphasis on recent findings. Increased alcohol consumption in developing countries is expected to increase cirrhosis mortality. There is a need, therefore, to develop new approaches to the prevention of ALD, including more attention to co-factors that may increase risk of ALD (i.e., obesity and diabetes, chronic HCV infection, and smoking). Furthermore, a better understanding of the pathological mechanisms on the basis of alcohol cirrhosis represents a cornerstone in order to develop new pharmacological treatments. Inflammatory and immune responses along with oxidative stress and alterations in adipokine secretion might contribute in different ways to the evolution of alcohol-induced fibrosis/cirrhosis. As of this date, patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis with a Maddrey Discriminant Factor (MDF) 32 should be offered pentoxifylline and/or corticosteroids unless contraindications exist. For ambulatory patients, S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) may be considered in a motivated patient with nutritional support. Current studies do not support use of anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha antibody. Finally, achieving total alcohol abstinence should represent the main aim in the management of patients affected by any stage of cirrhosis. In the last decades, several drugs able to increase abstinence and prevent alcohol relapse have been evaluated and some of them have obtained approval for alcohol dependence. Patients with alcoholic cirrhosis; however, are usually excluded from such treatments. A recent study demonstrated the efficacy and safety of baclofen in inducing and maintaining alcohol abstinence in cirrhotic alcohol-dependent patients with cirrhosis. All together the information available suggests the need of a multimodal approach in the clinical management of these patients. [source]

Response Inhibition Moderates the Relationship Between Implicit Associations and Drinking Behavior

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 4 2009
Katrijn Houben
Background:, Contemporary dual-process models of alcohol abuse propose that alcohol abuse develops because of dysfunctions in the impulsive system, which generates automatic impulses to drink alcohol, and disruptions in the reflective system, which becomes unable to inhibit the influence of these automatic impulses. Based on these insights, this study investigated whether individual differences in the ability of the reflective system to exert response inhibition moderate the relationship between automatic cognitive processes and drinking behavior. Specifically, it was examined whether the interaction between implicit alcohol-related associations and response inhibition predicted drinking behavior. Methods:, Seventy-one university students completed the study online via the Internet. Implicit alcohol associations with positive affect and with arousal were assessed with variants of the Implicit Association Test. Response inhibition was measured using the original Stroop task. Participants also reported their weekly alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. Results:, As predicted, implicit associations were unrelated to drinking behavior when response inhibition was high. In contrast, when response inhibition was low, stronger implicit associations between alcohol and positive affect predicted increased alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. Conclusions:, These findings indicate that the relationship between automatic cognitive processes, originating in the impulsive system, and drinking behavior depends on individual differences in response inhibition exerted by the reflective system. As prolonged alcohol abuse is known to impair response inhibition, alcohol abusers may benefit from interventions that increase response inhibition, thereby restoring inhibitory control over automatic impulses. [source]

Ethanol Consumption Alters Electroretinograms and Depletes Neural Tissues of Docosahexaenoic Acid in Rhesus Monkeys: Nutritional Consequences of a Low n-3 Fatty Acid Diet

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 12 2001
Robert J. Pawlosky
Background: Alcohol amblyopia is a rare neuropathy characterized by the development of blurred vision and a reduction in visual acuity. Further diagnostic details of this condition have shown abnormalities in the electroretinogram (ERG) that include an increase in implicit times in the a- and b-waves and a depression of b-wave amplitude. Methods: Periodically, the ERGs and the fatty acyl composition of nervous tissue were analyzed from alcohol-consuming rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) (mean consumption 2.6 g kg/day over a 5-year period) and controls that were maintained on a nutritionally sufficient diet that had low, yet adequate, amounts of linoleic acid but very low ,-linolenic acid. Results: Animals consuming alcohol had increased a- and b-wave implicit times and decreased b-wave amplitudes in their electroretinograms compared with those of the dietary control group at 2.5 and 5 years. The fatty acyl composition of brain specimens obtained by surgical biopsy at baseline, 2.5 years, and 5 years demonstrated that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) had decreased in both groups of animals compared with baseline values. In the brains of the alcohol-treated animals, DHA was even further decreased (2.5 years: ,20%; 5 years: ,33%) compared with the diet controls. In the retinas of the alcohol-consuming animals at 5 years, there was a similar decrease in DHA (-35%) compared with controls. Generally, the n-6 fatty acid, docosapentaenoic acid (DPAn-6) increased in these tissues, apparently compensating for the loss of DHA. Conclusions: A reciprocal change in the DHA/DPAn-6 ratio is known to be associated with abnormal electroretinograms in a number of species. Thus, a marginal intake of n-3 fatty acids in some alcohol abusers may, in part, be responsible for the biochemical changes that underlie the diminished retinal function associated with the visual abnormalities observed in alcohol-amblyopic patients. [source]

Ethanol Effects on Nitric Oxide Production in Cerebral Pial Cultures

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 4 2001
Chin-Lung Shih
Background: Although alcohol abusers are known to have higher incidences of hemorrhagic cerebrovascular diseases, it is not known whether these changes are associated with ethanol (EtOH) action on nitric oxide (NO) production in the cerebrovascular cells. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of EtOH treatment on basal and cytokine-induced NO production in cortical pial cultures. Methods: Cell cultures for this study included murine primary pial vascular cells, primary glial cells and cortical neurons. These cells were exposed to cytokines or EtOH for 24 to 48 hr. The culture media were used for measurement of nitrite, as an indication for NO release, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), as an index of cell membrane integrity. In addition, immunocytochemical determinations were carried out to identify cell types and to assess inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Results: Exposure of primary pial vascular cultures to cytokines that consisted of interleukin-1, (IL-1,; 250 pg/mL) and interferon-, (IFN,; 2 ng/mL) or to EtOH (50 to 100 mM) for 24 to 48 hr significantly elevated NO production. NO production could be attenuated by N -nitro-L-arginine (N-arg), a nonspecific NOS inhibitor, or aminoguanidine (AG), an iNOS inhibitor. Increased iNOS immunoreactivity was observed in cytokines- or EtOH-treated pial cells. When pial cells were cocultured with cortical neurons, prolonged EtOH exposure led to a large increase in NO production as well as LDH release. However, this increase was not observed in pial culture alone or in mixed cortical culture. Nevertheless, inhibition of NO production with N-arg or AG did not alter the EtOH-induced LDH release in the pial cells cocultured with cortical neurons. Conclusion: These results show that EtOH exposure led to increased production of NO in primary pial cell culture. In mixed culture that contained cortical neurons and pial cells, EtOH induced increase in NO as well as LDH release, which is an indication of loss of cell membrane integrity. However, EtOH-mediated LDH release in mixed cortical pial cultures was not a consequence of the increase in NO production by these cells. Studies that use mixed cortical-pial cultures may provide a unique in vitro system for examining the interactions among glial cells, neurons, and cerebrovascular cells. [source]

Polymorphism in the Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Gene Is Associated With Alcoholism in Spanish Men

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 10 2000
Isabel J. Pastor
Background: A polymorphism located in intron 2 of the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL1RN) gene recently has been associated with the development of hepatic fibrosis in Japanese alcoholics. In the present study, we analyzed whether there is an association between this polymorphism, alcoholism, and alcoholic liver disease in a Spanish male population of alcoholics. Methods: The IL1RN genotype was assessed by polymerase chain reaction by using oligonucleotides that flank a variable nucleotide tandem repeat polymorphism located in intron 2 of this gene in 90 male alcoholic patients from Spain; 30 alcohol-dependent men, 30 alcohol abusers, and 30 alcoholics with liver cirrhosis. We also studied 40 healthy subjects. Results: The distribution of the IL1RN allelic frequencies in Spanish healthy subjects is similar to that previously reported in White subjects. However, the A1 allele is overrepresented in Spanish alcoholics when compared with healthy subjects. No significant differences in allelic frequencies were observed between alcoholics with liver cirrhosis and alcoholics without liver disease or between alcohol-dependent subjects and alcohol abusers. Conclusion: The presence of the A1 allele of the IL1RN gene is associated with a higher risk of alcoholism in Spanish men. [source]

Prevalence and correlates of epileptic seizure in substance-abusing subjects

PSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCES, Issue 4 2009
Surendra K. Mattoo md
Life-time prevalence of epileptic seizures was assessed in 626 consecutive patients treated for substance abuse. Seizures were reported in 8.63% (9.2% in alcohol abusers, 12.5% in opioid abusers). A total of 64.8% of the seizures were associated with substance use. These occurred during withdrawal in the alcohol cohort and during intoxication with dextropropoxyphene and withdrawal from heroin or poppy husk in the opioid cohort. Results indicate that seizures may be more common in older patients with longer duration of dependence among those abusing alcohol. [source]