Contemporary Issues for Alcohol Research and Services

We open this issue with articles on trauma. Stones & Dennis assessed the relationship of childhood trauma and treatment outcomes in adults with substance use disorders using clinical data mining. Family history of substance use was found significantly related to both neglect and childhood trauma. Age at admission and program completion were also significantly related. Branson and colleagues presented a mixed methods study that found the need for client safety, individualization of interventions and client choice important for positive treatment outcomes in trauma-informed care. There is recognition of the need for increased physical and emotional rest in clients in residential treatment facilities as part of their trauma treatment.

The next section focuses on behavior in people with alcohol and substance use disorders. Yazici & Akhan conducted a semi-structured individual interview schedule to explore sexual problems among people with alcohol use disorder. Themes of perceptions of sexuality, difficulties in sexual relations, barriers to medical support for sexual problems, and help-seeking behaviors were elaborated using a descriptive and phenomenological design. Sexual problems associated with loss of libido, arousal, impotence, and orgasm were reported. Their findings support the importance of sexuality among their subjects with alcohol use disorder. Meshesha and peers held virtual focus group sessions with participants who have alcohol use disorder and endorsed substance-free activities as a key aid to successful recovery. While motivation for initial engagement in substance-free activities may be from external sources such as a therapist, continued participation in these activities are linked more to personal, intrinsic motives. These findings support the necessity of substance-free activities, particularly those related to self-care, social connections, service and creative outlets, in the early recovery period.

The next two articles look at college age individuals with alcohol use disorders as a special population. Using data from a national online sample, Khauli, Haas, et al. found college students at-risk for alcohol use disorder pre-COVID had the greatest increase in consumption during the pandemic. The preexisting AUD risk and academic disruptions have impacted risky drinking behavior during the pandemic. Park, LaBelle and team evaluated the trend of student recovery programs emerging in Canada using qualitative methods to assess individual recovery trajectories, program participation, stigma, barriers to recovery, and the impact of campus-based recovery programs. They highlight the inclusivity and diversity of these programs, increasing recovery capital and dimensions of well-being, and reducing barriers to recovery.

Berry presents a physician’s perspective on alcohol-related liver disease in people with long-standing alcohol use disorder. He advocates for maintaining therapeutic positivity even in the terminally ill as one considers palliative care. We close the issue with an erratum for a previously published article.