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ABSTRACT
Alcohol and substance use can challenge military veterans who live in rural communities. In 2016, the screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment in Alabama (AL-SBIRT) program was implemented in west Alabama. The primary aim of this study was to determine whether current tobacco use modified the relationship between veteran status and substance misuse. Self-reported wellness data was collected regarding substance, alcohol, or tobacco consumption. Risk levels for alcohol and drug use were measured using the United States Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (US-AUDIT) and the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST)-10. Substance and tobacco use were significantly and positively correlated. Veterans had a higher US-AUDIT and DAST score than nonveterans, and tobacco appeared to be an exacerbating factor. Effective evidence-based interventions are needed in rural settings. Technology based programs and motivational interviewing with trained clinicians may serve as beneficial and cost-effective interventions for tobacco use prevention and cessation efforts.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Disclaimer Statement
Views expressed here are those of the authors and do not represent positions or views of any employer, including the State of Alabama.
Financial Support
This research study uses data from the ‘AL-SBIRT: Screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment in Alabama’ project, which is supported with funding from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA; T10026659).