Drinking patterns and alcohol dependence: a comparison of primary care patients in a southern county with the...

Alcohol-related problems are thought to be overrepresented in primary care settings compared to the general population; however, studies comparing alcohol use problems within primary care settings and within the general population from the same area are relatively rare.

Data on drinking patterns and alcohol dependence are reported on a probability sample of 767 patients in a primary care system and 1,536 general population respondents sampled from the same region.

No differences were found regarding heavy drinking, frequency of drunkenness or prior alcohol treatment, between the primary care sample and those in the general population who reported primary care use during the previous year, although those in the primary care sample were significantly less likely to be alcohol dependent. Compared to those in the general population who reported not using primary care services during the preceding year, the primary care sample was significantly less likely to report frequent drunkenness or prior alcohol treatment. Controlling for the demographic disparity between samples in multivariate analysis, drinking characteristics were not positively predictive of belonging to the primary care sample.

The data suggest that problem drinking does not appear to be overrepresented in this primary care sample, nor among those reporting primary care use in the general population of the region, and that all primary care settings may not hold equal promise for screening for problem drinking patients.