The Epidemiology of Substance Use Disorders among the Adult Jewish Population in Israel

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Ruth Lev Bar-Or ◽  
Ariel Kor ◽  
Iman Jaljuli ◽  
Shaul Lev-Ran

Introduction: Substance use disorders (SUDs) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, having a profound and global impact on health, well-being, safety, and productivity. Although traditionally the prevalence of SUDs in Israel has been estimated to be lower than those in high-income countries, estimates and characteristics of individuals with SUDs in the past decade are lacking. In this work, we explored the prevalence of SUDs among the adult Jewish population in Israel, per different classes of substances across sex, age group, and other sociodemographic factors. Methods: Data from an online representative sample of 4,025 respondents were collected, including the alcohol, smoking, and substance involvement screening test (ASSIST) metric and sociodemographic data. Results: We found that the most common SUDs were alcohol (10.5% [9.5–11.4]), cannabis (9.0% [8.2–9.9]), and sedative (3.6% [3.0–4.2]) use disorders. Alcohol-cannabis (3.2% [2.7–3.7]) and alcohol-sedative (1.04% [0.7–1.35]) were the most prevalent co-occurring SUDs. Among those with cannabis use disorder, the prevalence of alcohol use disorder was found to be 35.3% [30.4–40.2]. The estimated risk for alcohol use disorder was found to be inversely proportional to age, cannabis use disorder increased, peaked, and decreased with age, and that of sedative use disorder increased with age, particularly among women. While older individuals (in the 51–60 years of age group) were at lower risk (OR = 0.5 [0.3, 0.8]) compared to those <20 years of age for alcohol use disorder, they were at increased risk for sedative use disorder (OR = 3.1 [1.2, 9.7]). Conclusions: These findings represent substantially higher rates of SUDs in Israel than those previously reported and should affect resources allocated to addiction prevention and treatment. Further research on the role of gender, age, culture, and ethnicity in the propensity to develop SUDs is necessary for the development of more focused preventive and intervention measures. Focusing on non-Jewish populations in Israel and broadening the scope to include behavioral addictions should be addressed in future studies.

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 247054701775263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terril L. Verplaetse ◽  
Kelly E. Moore ◽  
Brian P. Pittman ◽  
Walter Roberts ◽  
Lindsay M. Oberleitner ◽  
...  

Background Stress contributes to the development and maintenance of substance use disorders, with some research suggesting that the impact of stress on substance use disorders is greater in women. However, this has yet to be evaluated in a national dataset, across major substances of abuse. Methods Using data from the newly available U.S. National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC; Wave 3; n = 36,309), we evaluated relationships among past year stressful life events (0 or 1 vs. 2+ events, range 0–16) and gender, and their association with transitions (new vs. absent cases; ongoing vs. remitted cases) in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition alcohol use disorder, tobacco use disorder, cannabis use disorder, and nonmedical prescription opioid use disorder diagnoses. Results Having two or more stressful life events in the past year increased the odds of having a new alcohol use disorder, tobacco use disorder, cannabis use disorder, and opioid use disorder (OR = 3.14, 2.15, 5.52, and 3.06, respectively) or ongoing alcohol use disorder, tobacco use disorder, and cannabis use disorder (OR = 2.39, 2.62, and 2.95, respectively) compared to zero or one stressful life event. A stress by gender interaction for new vs. absent alcohol use disorder demonstrated that having two or more stressful life events was associated with increased odds of new alcohol use disorder in men (OR = 2.51) and even greater odds of new alcohol use disorder in women (OR = 3.94). Conclusions Results highlight that stress is a robust factor in both men and women with new or ongoing substance use disorders, and that effective treatments for substance use should consider the role of stress in addiction etiology and maintenance. There was little evidence for gender differences in the role of stress on transitions in substance use disorders, except for the onset of alcohol use disorders. Given that rates of alcohol use disorders are increasing in women, the impact of stress needs to be considered.


Author(s):  
Dominic Hodgkin ◽  
Hilary S. Connery

Drug and alcohol use disorders, also called substance use disorders (SUD), are among the major health problems facing many countries, contributing a substantial burden in terms of mortality, morbidity, and economic impact. A considerable body of research is dedicated to reducing the social and individual burden of SUD. One major focus of research has been the effectiveness of treatment for SUD, with studies examining both medication and behavioral treatments using randomized, controlled clinical trials. For opioid use disorder, there is a strong evidence base for medication treatment, particularly using agonist therapies (i.e., methadone and buprenorphine), but mixed evidence regarding the use of psychosocial interventions. For alcohol use disorder, there is evidence of modest effectiveness for two medications (acamprosate and naltrexone) and for various psychosocial treatments, especially for less severe alcohol use disorder syndromes. An important area for future research is how to make treatment more appealing to clients, given that client reluctance is an important contributor to the low utilization of effective treatments. A second major focus of research has been the availability of medication treatments, building on existing theories of how innovations diffuse, and on the field of dissemination and implementation research. In the United States, this research identifies serious gaps in both the availability of SUD treatment programs and the availability of effective treatment within those programs. Key barriers include lack of on-site medical staff at many SUD treatment programs; restrictive policies of private insurers, states, and federal authorities; and widespread skepticism toward medication treatment among counseling staff and some administrators. Emerging research is promising for providing medication treatment in settings other than SUD treatment programs, such as community mental health centers, prisons, emergency departments, and homeless shelters. There is still considerable room to make SUD treatment approaches more effective, more available, and—most importantly—more acceptable to clients.


Author(s):  
Michael Burgard ◽  
Robert Kohn

Substance use disorders in older adults remains lower than in younger adults; however, the prevalence is rising in the elderly population. In the United States, the lifetime prevalence of an alcohol use disorder among persons age 65 and older is 16.1%. Studies of Veteran’s Administration nursing home residents have found that 29% to 49% of those admitted have a lifetime diagnosis of alcohol use disorder. A sizable proportion of the elderly acknowledge driving under the influence. In 2013, 1.5% of the elderly had used illicit drugs. The number requiring treatment for substance abuse is expected to double by 2020. The populations with the fastest increase in opiate mortality are those age 55 and older, including those 65 and older. This chapter presents the epidemiology of substance use among older adults and discusses issues related to elders’ substance use, including use in nursing homes, impaired driving and arrests, use of non-prescription medications, screening for substance use, and treatment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 159-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Cavicchioli ◽  
Francesca Prudenziati ◽  
Mariagrazia Movalli ◽  
Pietro Ramella ◽  
Cesare Maffei

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