title: Lifetime complications of drug use in intravenous drug users.
abstract: Ninety-two intravenous drug users (IVDUs) were identified from a study of 1,640 relatives of treated alcoholics and felons. Nearly all of the IVDUs (90%) reported a lifetime history of some degree of physical, psychological, or social difficulty related to drug abuse, but only 35% had ever received treatment for drug abuse. Overall, compared to subjects with a history of substantial illicit drug use who had never injected, IVDUs were significantly more likely to report all drug-related problems assessed. Even in populations of drug users not selected through treatment, any history of intravenous (IV) drug use is strongly indicative of a lifetime occurrence of complications of drug use.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Jewish Hospital of St. Louis, MO 63110.
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Dinwiddie
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Reich
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Cloninger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects; D012307:Risk Factors; D012917:Social Adjustment; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs