AUTHOR=Noroozi Alireza , Danesh Ahmad 

TITLE=Prevalence of alcohol consumption among clients of opioid agonist treatment (OAT) centers in Golestan province, Iran

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1134683

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1134683

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=Introduction: Opioid agonist treatments (OATs) with methadone and buprenorphine are known to be effective treatments for people with opioid use disorder (OUD). However, concomitant use of other substances such as alcohol can negatively affect OAT outcomes. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of alcohol use among clients of OAT centers in the Golestan province in the northern part of Iran.
Materials and Method: A sample of 706 clients who were receiving OATs from certified OAT centers in Golestan province in 2015 and had been on OATs for at least one month were randomly selected. The main indicators studied in the present study were "lifetime history of alcohol consumption", "alcohol consumption during last month”, "lifetime history of excessive alcohol use on one occasion", and “years of regular alcohol consumption”. 
Results: Prevalence of "lifetime history of alcohol consumption" was estimated at 39.2%. Prevalence of "alcohol consumption during last month" and "lifetime history of excessive alcohol use on one occasion" was 6.9% and 18.8%, respectively. 
Conclusion: Despite a total ban on alcohol consumption in Iran, a sub-sample of participants admitted past-month alcohol use concurrent with their OATs. The estimated past-month prevalence of alcohol use was lower than reported prevalence from countries where production, distribution and consumption of alcohol are legal.