Drinking practices of illicit and licit drug users in the general population across Greece

This article presents the results on the patterns of alcohol consumption among illicit and licit drug users in a Greek nationwide sample of general population with 4,290 respondents aged 12 to 64. The type of survey was cross sectional and the respondents were interviewed in their homes with a multidimensional structured questionnaire. The illicit drug users of all age groups reported a higher frequency of alcohol consumption in their lifetime, past year, month, and week prior to interview than the unprescribed licit drug users and the nonusers. The majority of illicit drug users of all ages reported their reason for drinking "to feel better or to get high." Illicit drug users of all age groups had a higher frequency of episodes of drunkenness than the other categories. Finally, the higher the frequency (> or = 3 times) of illicit drug use, the more excessive drinking reported during the past year and month. Forty percent of this category of illicit drug users reported that they had two or more serious alcohol-related problems.