Impact of Alcohol Use on Pain

Lifetime prevalence of alcohol use disorders (AUD) ranges between 15% and 30%. In the pain setting, alcohol is known to provide short-term analgesic effects, however excessive long-term use is associated with notable health consequences including neurotoxic effects on the peripheral and central nervous system and poorer health outcomes. The etiology of an alcohol use and pain disorder is multifactorial involving overlapping biological, psychological, and social components. Patients may be motivated to use alcohol as a coping mechanism for chronic pain and therefore an integrated assessment and treatment approach for co-occurring pain and AUD is warranted to optimize outcomes.