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Cannabis Use & Alcohol Problems: New Study Finds Connection

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Cannabis Use & Alcohol Problems: New Study Finds Connection

/As marijuana continues to find legal and social acceptance throughout the nation, researchers are trying to determine the potential public health consequences. A new study from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health has yielded evidence that there is a significant link between cannabis use and the development of alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Cannabis Increases AUD Vulnerability for Adults

The study* of 27,461 adults who were enrolled in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions revealed two significant relationships that warrant further study:

  1. Adults with no history of AUD who began using cannabis were five times more likely to have developed an AUD after three years than study participants who had never used cannabis.
  2. Adults who had a history of AUD before cannabis use were more likely to still be experiencing AUD, compared with those who had not used cannabis and were successfully in recovery after the three years of the study.

Potential Risk for Youth

Renee Goodwin, Ph.D., associate professor of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health, notes that “further research should be conducted to understand the pathways underlying these relationships as well as the degree to which various potentially vulnerable population subgroups — youth, for example — are at increased risk.”

Drug and AUD Treatment for Young Adults

At Red Oak Recovery®, our clinical model addresses addiction and the mental and emotional health conditions that often accompany it. At the same time, we engage our young adult clients in new experiences that directly affect their lives: healthy food preparation, meditation and yoga, outdoor adventure, and life skills training. Our mix of gender-specific treatment and eco-therapy has proven effective in helping both young men and young women achieve sustained recovery.

If you have a young adult loved one who is caught up in an addiction to drugs and alcohol, call us at 866.831.9107. Our enrollment specialist will explain details of our program and help you with insurance verification and financing options.

*Source: Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. (2016, February 17). Marijuana smokers 5 times more likely to develop an alcohol problem. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 22, 2016.