Recognizing Causes of Alcohol Use Disorder

Lifetime drug use disorder, greater alcohol use at baseline, and trauma-related characteristics were independently associated with developing alcohol use disorder within 7 years of follow-up in US military veterans, according to a study published in Addictive Behaviors. 

The study included 1770 veterans from a nationally representative sample who did not meet criteria for alcohol use disorder at baseline and who completed at least one follow-up assessment over a 7-year period. 

Among the veterans in the study, 5.9% went on to develop alcohol use disorder within 7 years. Adult sexual trauma, greater severity of anxious arousal symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), lifetime history of drug and nicotine use disorders, and higher alcohol consumption were each associated with incident alcohol use disorder, researchers found.

Lifetime drug use disorder and higher alcohol consumption explained the most variance in incident alcohol use disorder, according to the study, at 75.9% and 22.1%, respectively.  

“Future research should examine whether treatment of drug use disorder and PTSD symptoms in at-risk veterans may help mitigate risk of developing alcohol use disorder in this population,” researchers advised. —Jolynn Tumolo