Alcoholics With a History of Heroin Consumption: Clinical Features and Chronology of Substance Abuse

In our clinical experience, when alcohol is used as a surrogate for heroin, social adjustment improves, although the metabolic destiny does not change, and the medical outcome is worsened to some extent by alcoholism itself. Alcohol abusers with a history of heroin use engage in alcohol use in a more intensive way. Alcohol consumption is higher right from the start, and reaches higher maximum levels, whereas heroin use dwindles, in some cases to extinction. The results of our studies support the hypothesis that alcohol replaces opiate craving in former heroin consumers who break away from heroin, and often become alcohol abusers or at least increase their use of alcohol.