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Co-use of Alcohol and Opioids

  • Alcohol (R Leeman, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

This paper provides a narrative review of the co-use of alcohol and opioids, and its impact on biological, neurocognitive, and behavioral systems. In addition, data addressing co-use among patients receiving opioid replacement therapy and those who have chronic pain are discussed.

Recent Findings

Alcohol and opioids are among the most commonly used substances, and co-use has contributed to a growing number of accidental poisonings, emergency room visits, and overdose deaths. Prevalence of co-use is high among multiple populations and severely impacts treatment outcomes.

Summary

Treatment for those that co-use alcohol and opioids is inadequate. Future research should further investigate salient influences on co-use and identify potential targets for intervention to address this treatment need.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA

    Karlyn A. Edwards, Kevin E. Vowles & Katie Witkiewitz

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  1. Karlyn A. Edwards
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  2. Kevin E. Vowles
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Correspondence to Karlyn A. Edwards.

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Karlyn A. Edwards, Dr. Kevin E. Vowles, and Dr. Katie Witkiewitz declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Alcohol

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Edwards, K.A., Vowles, K.E. & Witkiewitz, K. Co-use of Alcohol and Opioids. Curr Addict Rep 4, 194–199 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40429-017-0147-x

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