Patients' reports of the effect of alcohol on tinnitus

One hundred chronic sufferers attending a tinnitus outpatient clinic completed self-report questionnaires assessing the quantity of alcohol they consumed weekly and its effect on tinnitus. The results showed a mixed effect of alcohol on tinnitus with 22% of the sample reporting that drinking worsened tinnitus, 62% reporting no effect of alcohol on tinnitus and 16% reporting that alcohol improved tinnitus. The reported effect of alcohol on tinnitus significantly influenced the reported change in the level of alcohol intake since tinnitus onset, with significantly more units of alcohol being consumed by those sufferers who reported that alcohol improved their tinnitus. However, for the sample as a whole, drinking behaviour was not significantly different to that of the general population.