Alcohol and drug use following traumatic brain injury: A prospective study
Brain Injury, Volume 21, Issue 13 & 14 December 2007 , pages 1385 - 1392



To establish pre-morbid alcohol and drug use in persons with TBI, relative to controls, investigate how patterns of substance use change over time following TBI and identify factors associated with heavy post-injury substance use.

Participants with TBI showed similar levels of drug and alcohol use to controls pre-injury, with 31.4% of the TBI group and 29.3% of controls drinking at hazardous levels. Alcohol and drug use declined in the first year post-injury, but increased by 2 years post-injury, with only 21.4% of participants with TBI reporting abstinence from alcohol and 25.4% drinking at hazardous levels. Only 9% showed a drug problem, but 24% had returned to some drug use.

Those showing heavy alcohol use post-injury were young, male and heavy drinkers pre-injury. Drug and alcohol use was similar at 3 years post-injury.

More active intervention is needed to reduce alcohol and drug use following TBI.


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Request Reprint E-Mail: Jennie.Ponsford@med.monash.edu.au
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