Introduction
The use of multiple substances heightens the risk of overdose. Multiple substances,
including alcohol, are commonly found among people who experience overdose-related
mortality. However, the associations between alcohol use and the use of a range of
other substances are often not assessed. Therefore, this study examines the associations
between drinking patterns (e.g., binge drinking) and other substance use in the U.S.,
the concurrent use of alcohol and prescription drug misuse, and how other substance
use varies by binge-drinking frequency.
Methods
Past 30–day alcohol and other substance use data from the 2016–2018 National Survey
on Drug Use and Health were analyzed in 2020 among 169,486 U.S. respondents aged ≥12
years.
Results
The prevalence of other substance use ranged from 6.0% (nondrinkers) to 24.1% (binge
drinkers). Among people who used substances, 22.2% of binge drinkers reported using
substances in 2 additional substance categories. Binge drinking was associated with
4.2 (95% CI=3.9, 4.4) greater adjusted odds of other substance use than nondrinking.
Binge drinkers were twice as likely to report concurrent prescription drug misuse
while drinking as nonbinge drinkers. The prevalence of substance use increased with
binge-drinking frequency.
Conclusions
Binge drinking was associated with other substance use and concurrent prescription
drug misuse while drinking. These findings can guide the implementation of a comprehensive
approach to prevent binge drinking, substance misuse, and overdoses. This might include
population-level strategies recommended by the Community Preventive Services Task
Force to prevent binge drinking (e.g., increasing alcohol taxes and regulating alcohol
outlet density).
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Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
