The analysis of the impact of individuals’ behaviors on their health involves several variables, namely alcoholism. It is necessary to take in account that when anxiety is excessive it may be very disabling and produce many adverse effects, such as unsatisfactory work performance, anxiety disorders, depressive mood and somatic symptoms. These elements affect the Quality of Life (QOL) drastically, while social support of the patients protect QOL.

To assess the quality of life of patients with alcohol use disorders in treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD).

An exploratory, descriptive and correlational study was carried out. A sociodemographic scale was used, an instrument constructed by the authors that assesses the existence of risk behaviors and protective health behaviors, the Social Support Satisfaction Scale (ESSS), and a quality of life assessment scale (WHOQOL-Bref). Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS 25 statistics.

Sample consisting of 34 patients with Alcohol Use Disorders. Abstinence time is positively correlated with QOL and negatively correlated with social support satisfaction.

This study shows that in treatment of patients with AUD, longer abstinence times have a positive effect on QOL and overall wellbeing of patients, while being associated with a lower satisfaction with social support. Treatment Units dedicated to AUD should keep striving for maintenance of abstinence due to these positive effects.

Previous research suggests recovery from cannabis-related deficits in verbal learning and memory functioning after periods of cannabis abstinence in adolescents. Here, we examine how cannabis cessation affects cognitive performance over 2 weeks of monitored abstinence compared to controls in adolescents and young adults.

Seventy-four participants (35 cannabis users) aged 16–26 ceased all cannabis, alcohol, and other illicit substance consumption for a 2-week period; abstinence was monitored via weekly urinalysis, breath, and sweat patch testing. Starting at baseline, participants completed weekly abbreviated neuropsychological batteries. Measures included tests of attention, inhibition, verbal working memory, and learning. Repeated measures assessed within and between subject effects for time and group status, while controlling for past year alcohol and nicotine use.

Cannabis users showed increased performance compared to controls on sustained attention tasks after 2 weeks of cannabis use.

Deficits in attention, but not verbal learning and memory, recovered after 2 weeks of monitored abstinence. This differs from previous literature, suggesting that other cognitive domains may show signs of recovery after periods of cannabis cessation in adolescents and young adults.

The most prominent endocrinology disturbance among alcoholics is male hipogonadismus. This paper deals with the effects of early abstinence on gonadal hormones.

A total group of non-cirrhotic male primary alcoholics, without malnutrition, (N=40) aged from 20-60 years was consecutive recruited during inpatient treatment. They meet ICD-10 criteria for alcohol dependence and were compared with 20 matched healthy controls. The blood samples for testosterone, estradiol and SHBG (sex-hormone binding globuline) were collected at day 1 and 28. The plasma levels of hormones (RIA) differences between groups were tested by Student t-test.

There was significant higher concentration of estradiol and SHBG at alcoholics vs. controls, and significant lower concentration of testosterone at alcoholics compared with controls. Repeated assessment after 28 days showed non-significant elevation of testosterone and decrease of SHBG, but significant decrease of estradiol. All values were between normal range.

There is trend of development of hipogonadismus and secondary feminisation at male alcoholisc without prominent liver damage, which may be transient and resolve during early abstinence.

Severe alcohol use disorders (AUD, DSM5 criteria, 2013) are associated with changes in the dynamics of emotional processes and emotional experience [1]. The aim of the study was to compare emotional information processing in patients with AUD in short-term abstinence (STA, less than 1 month) and in long-term abstinence (LTA, at least 6 months) with control participants (C). We studied the parasympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system with the heart rate variability (HRV) and more particularly high frequencies (HF). This indicator is recognized as a reliable marker of physiological activation in reaction to emotional stimuli and as a good marker of vulnerability to AUD [2].

The recording was performed for all participants during presentation of high emotional inducing stimuli presenting human interactions [3]. For each participant HRV was recorded before, during and after induction. Participants were asked to evaluate the intensity and the valence of emotional stimuli. In addition, a clinical and cognitive assessment was performed. We proposed in this study for abstinence in short- and in long-term to combine both behavioral and cognitive measures to this physiological indicator.

We observed:

– significant differences in HF-HRV between LTA and STA groups, controls and STA groups but not between LTA and C groups;

– significant correlations between craving scores [4] and HF-HRV results in LTA and STA groups.

The results support the relationship between the ability to process emotional information and the risk of relapse. HF-HRV results indicate specific deficits in regulation in STA group and also recoveries in LTA group. It suggests specific different therapeutic interventions in preventing the risk of relapse or maintenance of addiction.

Gambling disorder is associated with various adverse effects. While data on the immediate effectiveness of treatment programs are available, follow-up studies examining long-term effects are scarce and factors contributing to a stable therapy outcome versus relapse are under-researched.

Patients (n = 270) finishing inpatient treatment for gambling disorder regularly participated in a prospective multicenter follow-up study (pre-treatment, post-treatment, 12-month follow-up). Criteria for gambling disorder, psychopathology, functional impairment were defined as endpoints. Changes in personality were defined as an additional parameter.

At follow-up, three groups were identified: subjects maintaining full abstinence (41.6%), patients still meeting criteria for gambling disorder (29.2%), and subjects still participating in gambling without meeting the diagnostic criteria for gambling disorder (29.2%). Every group had improvements in functional impairment, abstinent subjects showed the lowest psychopathology. Significant decreases in neuroticism and increases in both extraversion and conscientiousness were found among abstinent subjects but not in patients still meeting criteria for gambling disorder.

One year after treatment, a considerable percentage of patients kept on gambling but not all of them were classified with gambling disorder leading to the question if abstinence is a necessary goal for every patient.

The changes of personality in abstinent patients indicate that after surmounting gambling disorder a subsequent maturing of personality might be a protective factor against relapse.

Chronic opioid exposure, as a treatment for a variety of disorders or as drug of misuse, is common worldwide, but behavioural and brain abnormalities remain under-investigated. Only a small percentage of patients who receive methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) for previous heroin misuse eventually achieve abstinence and studies on such patients are rare.

The Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery and T1 weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were used to study a cohort of 122 male individuals: a clinically stable opioid-dependent patient group receiving MMT (n = 48), an abstinent previously MMT maintained group (ABS) (n = 24) and healthy controls (n = 50).

Stable MMT participants deliberated longer and placed higher bets earlier in the Cambridge Gambling Task (CGT) and showed impaired strategic planning compared with healthy controls. In contrast, ABS participants showed impairment in choosing the least likely outcome, delay aversion and risk adjustment on the CGT, and exhibited non-planning impulsivity compared with controls. MMT patients had widespread grey matter reductions in the orbitomedial prefrontal cortex, caudate, putamen and globus pallidus. In contrast, ABS participants showed midbrain–thalamic grey matter reductions. A higher methadone dose at the time of scanning was associated with a smaller globus pallidus in the MMT group.

Our findings support an interpretation of heightened impulsivity in patients receiving MMT. Widespread structural brain abnormalities in the MMT group and reduced brain structural abnormality with abstinence suggest benefit of cessation of methadone intake. We suggest that a longitudinal study is required to determine whether abstinence improves abnormalities, or patients who achieve abstinence have reduced abnormalities before methadone cessation.

There is growing evidence that pharmacological treatment with two of the best validated anticraving drugs, acamprosate and naltrexone, is efficacious in promoting abstinence in recently detoxified alcohol-dependent subjects.

The stability of effects after termination of treatment remains to be answered, especially when combining both the drugs.

After detoxification, 160 alcohol-dependent subjects participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Patients received naltrexone or acamprosate or a combination of naltrexone and acamprosate or placebo for 12 weeks. Patients were assessed weekly by interview, self-report, questionnaires and laboratory screening. Additionally, follow-up evaluation based on telephone interview of participants, general practitioners and relatives was conducted 12 weeks after terminating the medication.

At week 12, the proportion of subjects relapsing to heavy drinking was significantly lower in the group with combined medication compared with both placebo and acamprosate (P < 0.05). No difference was detectable between acamprosate and naltrexone, both of which were superior to placebo (P < 0.05). Relapse rates were 28% (combined medication), 35% (naltrexone), 50% (acamprosate) and 75% (placebo). After follow-up (week 24), combined medication led to relapse rates significantly lower than placebo, but not lower than acamprosate. Again, both naltrexone and acamprosate were superior to placebo. Relapse rates were 80% (placebo), 54% (acamprosate), 53% (naltrexone) and 34% (combined medication).

The results of this study highlight the stability of effects of pharmacotherapy on relapse prevention in alcohol dependence.

The beneficial outcomes associated with moderate compared with low alcohol intake or abstinence may be due to the inclusion of people as ‘low consumers’, who have stopped consumption because of poor health. We investigated the association between alcohol abstinence and symptoms of common mental disorder and personality disorder, distinguishing between lifelong abstinence and abstinence following previous consumption.

Analyses were based on the British National Survey of Psychiatric Morbidity 2000, which sampled 8580 residents aged 16–74 years. Hazardous drinking (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) was excluded. Symptoms of common mental disorder (depression/anxiety) were identified by the Clinical Interview Schedule. The screening questionnaire of the Structured Clinical Interview for Axis II Personality Disorders was used to identify potential personality disorder. Self-reported alcohol abstinence was divided into lifelong abstinence and previous consumption. Previous consumers were asked why they had stopped. Covariates included socio-economic status, social activity and general health status.

After adjustment, alcohol abstinence was associated with both common mental disorder symptoms and any personality disorder, but only for previous consumers, in whom odds ratios were 1.69 (95% CI 1.23–2.32) and 1.45 (95% CI 1.09–1.94). Associations were non-specific, being apparent for most individual mental disorder symptoms and personality disorder categories. More detailed analysis indicated that associations were again limited to previous consumers who reported ceasing alcohol consumption for health reasons.

Worse mental health in low alcohol consumers, particularly those who have previously ceased for health reasons, should be taken into account when interpreting associations between moderate (compared with low) alcohol consumption and beneficial health outcomes.