Substance Abuse Among Subjects Seeking Treatment for Alcoholism

To the Editor.—  Consumption of alcoholic beverages increased throughout the 50s, 60s, and 70s but since 1981, an apparent downward trend has occurred.¹ During this same time, substance use patterns have changed considerably.^2,3 New, more potent, and dangerous drugs such as "crack" cocaine, "ecstasy," and "ice" have become available and use of multiple substances may have become more common, particularly among young subjects. To explore the incidence and clinical characteristics of coaddictions to alcohol and other drugs in a population seeking inpatient treatment for alcoholism, we analyzed telephone interview data from 308 subjects who were being considered for admission to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) (Bethesda, Md) Laboratory of Clinical Studies at the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda) Clinical Center.

Patients and Methods.—  We included data from 308 individuals who were interviewed by telephone following inquiry about admittance to the NIAAA clinical research