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Patterns and Correlates of Alcohol Use- A Retrospective Study in a Secondary Care Hospital Setting

Introduction: Alcohol use in India has been increasing over the years, and it results in myriad medical and psychosocial problems. Primary and secondary care physicians can play a unique role in the early recognition and treatment of patients with alcohol problems. Aim: To determine the prevalence of different patterns of use of alcohol and factors associated with it among patients presenting to the psychiatry clinic in a secondary hospital. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of the medical records of patients attending the Psychiatry Department in a secondary care hospital in a semi-urban area of southern India who attended the clinic between 1st January 2016 to 31st December 2016 was made. Data regarding alcohol use and other clinical and socio-demographic details were analysed. Bivariate and multivariate statistics was used to identify factors associated with dependence pattern of alcohol use. Results: A total of 103 charts, which documented substance use were analysed of which 78 documented alcohol use in the subjects. The mean age of the sample was 44.09±13.18 years and majority (97.43%) were males. The prevalence of a dependence pattern of alcohol use was 83.4%. Factors associated with alcohol dependence were being married, greater daily expenditure on alcohol, greater number of days of alcohol use in a month, presence of a co-morbid medical diagnosis, problems with employment and marital discord. Depression was present in 33 (42.3%) individuals and it was the most commonly associated psychiatric morbidity. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD) in secondary care settings. Tackling this problem requires a combination of strategies including early and effective medical and psychosocial intervention in addition to public health strategies and legislation to regulate the availability and consumption of the substance.