Safer-Drinking Strategies Used by Individuals Experiencing Homelessness and Alcohol Use Disorder

Abstract

We analyzed interview data collected from 86 adults experiencing homelessness and alcohol use disorder, (AUD) describing their endorsement and implementation of safer-drinking strategies over a one-month time frame. At week 2 and month 1, strategies geared towards reducing alcohol consumption were most highly implemented by participants, followed by strategies related to buffering the effects of alcohol, and finally changing the manner in which one drinks. The mean number of endorsed strategies increased significantly from 2.8 at Week 0 to 3.4 at Week 2 (p=0.01, paired t-test), as did the number of implemented strategies, from 2.1 at Week 2 to 2.8 at Month 1 (p=0.01). These findings indicate that people experiencing homelessness and AUD can and will adopt strategies that minimize alcohol-related harm.