Pattern of Alcohol Use and Problems Associated with Alcohol Use Among Patients with Alcohol Use Disorder: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Introduction Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is also known as alcohol dependence or alcohol addiction. In India (2020), 160 million people are consuming alcohol; among them 57 million people are alcohol dependent (Eashwar et al., 2020, Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, Vol. 9, 1, p. 49). Currently, it is a major public concern. Because AUD not only affects the patients physically but also affects person’s other life aspects such as mental health, social status, financial status, spirituality, and occupation. Objective To assess the alcohol use pattern and problems due to alcohol use among patients with AUD registered in the Drug De-Addiction and Treatment Centre, PGIMER, Chandigarh. Methodology An exploratory study was conducted among 40 participants who were enrolled by purposive sampling technique. Participants were enrolled after written informed consent and interviewed as per the interview schedule comprised sociodemographic data, clinical data, and performa to assess the problems associated with alcohol use. Data coding and analysis were done with SPSS (version 26). Results More than half of the study participants (57.5%) were from the age group of 36 to 55 years with a mean age of 40.55 ± 8.941 years ranging from 24 to 58 years; all were men and 70% of participants were from upper class socioeconomic status. Nearly half (47.5%) of the participants started drinking before 20 years of age and 50% participants had been drinking alcohol for more than 15 years. Participants had many problems such as gastric disorder (80%), weight loss (55%), inefficiency at work (92.5%), increased alcohol-related expenses (88.5%), reduced sources and amount of earning (57.5%), impaired interpersonal relationship (IPR) with family (97.5%), with spouse (80%), and in society (85%). Conclusion Patients with alcohal use disorder (AUD) have many problems in various aspects of their lives, that is, health, education, occupation, finance, family, marital life, and social life.