Substance use and homelessness among emergency department patients

Homelessness and substance use are intricately related. Estimates of substance use among people experiencing homelessness vary depending on the population studied and definitions used, but are consistently above average (Fazel et al., 2008; Fischer and Breakey, 1991; Koegel et al., 1988; O ’Toole et al., 2004). A meta-analysis of international studies found alcohol dependence ranging from 8.1–58.5% and drug dependence ranging from 4.5–54.2% among homeless populations (Fazel et al., 2008), substantially higher than overall global prevalence rates (WHO, 2018).

Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence - May 22, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: Kelly M. Doran, Neloufar Rahai, Ryan P. McCormack, Jacqueline Milian, Donna Shelley, John Rotrosen, Lillian Gelberg Tags: Short communication Source Type: research