Abstract
Alcoholism is likely to be a heterogeneous disorder with various subtypes. In this study involving 423 alcoholics, the characteristics and prognostic differences between groups of primary alcoholics who differ in secondary diagnoses were evaluated. The primary alcoholics were divided into three groups: those with only primary alcoholism and no secondary diagnosis (n = 309), those with secondary drug abuse (n = 30), and those with secondary depression (n = 84). Alcoholics with secondary drug abuse had a younger age of onset for alcoholism, younger age at entrance into the alcohol treatment program, more childhood criminality, a higher number of mental health visits, and a greater number of alcohol-related life problems. Alcoholics with secondary depression had a greater number of mental health visits than the primary alcoholics with no secondary labels. Despite these clinical differences upon admission to a treatment program, the rate of alcohol relapse at 3 months follow-up was similar between the groups, while the risk for relapsing into drug use and problems was higher in the secondary drug abusers.
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