Profiles of alcohol use disorder criteria: Help-seeking vs self-achieved remission in Argentinean hospital patients

Abstract

This study aimed to identify alcohol use disorder (AUD) criteria that better characterized those who seek treatment and those who recover on their own. We gathered data from help-seeking (HS) patients in an alcohol unit and compared them with self-achieved remission (SAR) patients. The best criteria to predict HS were psychological problems due to use, physical problems due to use, repeated attempts or desire to stop using, and not being able to stop drinking. The best criteria to predict SAR were tolerance, craving, hazardous use, much time spent, larger/longer use than intended, and role impairment. We discuss the impact of these results in current efforts to improve the accuracy of AUD diagnosis.

Keywords:

• Alcohol use disorder
• criteria
• treatment seeking
• natural recovery
• diagnostic orphans

Declaration of interest

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Partial funding for this study was provided by the Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMdP) and by the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina [Resolution Nº 4256, and it stands for a postdoctoral fellowship].