THE RELATIONSHIP OF MEAN DAILY BLOOD-ALCOHOL LEVELS TO ADMISSION MAST, CLINIC ABSENTEEISM AND DEPRESSION IN ALCOHOLIC METHADONE PATIENTS

Alcoholism is a prevalent problem encountered during the methadone treatment of opioid dependence. The unique feature of examining alcoholism in methadone clinics is the ability to objectively measure alcohol consumption on a frequent basis. The present study examined how blood alcohol level (BAL) relates to clinic absenteeism and whether any paper and pencil tests predict BAL in alcoholic methadone patients. Thirty-eight alcoholic methadone patients receiving outpatient treatment had their BALs assessed over consecutive 5-day periods for a period of 2 months. The relationship of these BALs to several measures, including the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), clinic absenteeism and methadone dose was assessed. Significant positive correlations between mean BAL and admission MAST, mean BAL and clinic absenteeism, and MAST and BDI were observed. Methadone dose tended to be inversely correlated with mean BAL. These findings demonstrate that the MAST predicts mean BAL and that mean BAL is an objective predictor of clinic absenteeism in alcoholic methadone patients. Moreover, the results illustrate the usefulness of methadone clinics as a setting to investigate alcohol abuse and dependence.