Perceived Medical Risks of Drinking, Alcohol Consumption, and Hepatitis C Status Among Heavily Drinking HIV Primary Care Patients

ConclusionsOver one‐third of HIV patients are unaware of the medical risks of drinking, and do not restrict use, suggesting the need for intervention in this group. Patients coinfected with HIV/HCV may report more effort to restrict drinking, but their reported drinking quantity and frequency suggest that they are actually drinking just as heavily as HIV mono‐infected patients. Awareness of medical risk was unrelated to drinking, which suggests the need for interventions consisting of more than simple education. However, reported effort to restrict drinking did predict less drinking, suggesting the importance of patient commitment and initiative in change.

Source: Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research - January 7, 2015 Category: Addiction Authors: Jennifer C. Elliott, Efrat Aharonovich, Ann O'Leary, Barbara Johnston, Deborah S. Hasin Tags: Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Comorbidity Source Type: research