Problem drinkers among patients on methadone

Among 212 former heroin users maintained on methadone, the authors identified 27% as problem drinkers. The problem drinkers were found remarkably similar to other patients on methadone in personal and treatment characteristics. They differed significantly from other patients in only three respects: the problem drinkers worked more frequently at manual labor, they had more evidence of liver disease, and they appeared more depressed. All subjects showed more depression than normal controls. This finding with evidence from other studies of depression among opioid users suggests that depression may serve as an important etiological factor in chronic opioid use.