AIM To study gender- and agespecific variation in, and co-variation between, alcohol consumption and the frequency of binge drinking. METHOD The analyses were mainly based on self-reported data of alcohol consumption and binge drinking collected monthly from general adult population surveys conducted between July 2001 and May 2003. A total of 1500 interviews were completed in the age group 16-80 years each month. RESULTS The Swedish alcohol consumption varies by month with the highest level found during the summer months, particularly July, and in December. This was the same across both genders and for most age groups. A similar pattern was seen for the frequency of binge drinking. CONCLUSIONS The highest frequency of binge drinking by Swedes was found to be during the same months as when they drink the most amount of alcohol. The peak in July is probably due to the fact that this is the typical holiday month in Sweden. The paper discusses the possibility that the temporal drinking patterns in Sweden (and in other Nordic countries) will gradually change in the future, and will keep pace with an increase in both alcohol consumption and the number of drinking occasions.

Aim: This is a first audit of how gambling operators in Finland and Sweden address citizens on social media. The study is able to pinpoint some differences between how gambling operators utilise social media in a state monopoly system (Finland) and in a license-based regulatory framework (Sweden). Methods: Curated social media posts from Finland- and Sweden-based accounts in national languages were collected from March 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. The data (N = 13,241) consist of posts published on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The posts were audited in terms of frequency of posting, content and user engagement. Results/Conclusions: Operators in both countries were, in general, active on their social media accounts, but there was a decline in number of posts between 2017 and 2020. A substantial number of the analysed posts did not visually portray gambling or games. In the Swedish license system, operators seem to present themselves more straightforwardly as gambling companies, whereas in the Finnish monopoly system the image was more tied to a social role of public good doing. Beneficiaries of gambling revenues became less visible in the Finnish data over time. 

Aim: This is a first audit of how gambling operators in Finland and Sweden address citizens on social media. The study is able to pinpoint some differences between how gambling operators utilise social media in a state monopoly system (Finland) and in a license-based regulatory framework (Sweden).

Methods: Curated social media posts from Finland- and Sweden-based accounts in national languages were collected from March 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. The data (N = 13,241) consist of posts published on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The posts were audited in terms of frequency of posting, content and user engagement.

Results/Conclusions: Operators in both countries were, in general, active on their social media accounts, but there was a decline in number of posts between 2017 and 2020. A substantial number of the analysed posts did not visually portray gambling or games. In the Swedish license system, operators seem to present themselves more straightforwardly as gambling companies, whereas in the Finnish monopoly system the image was more tied to a social role of public good doing. Beneficiaries of gambling revenues became less visible in the Finnish data over time.

AIMS - For a Swedish national sample of 12,833 individuals assessed for a substance use disorder (SUD) (2002-2008) in the Swedish welfare system, client self-report and clinical staff Addiction Severity Index (ASI) assessment data were used to assess mental health problem severity and needs. METHODS - Analysis of client self-report data using regression methods identified demographic characteristics associated with reporting significant mental health problems. Clinical staff assessment data from the ASI Interviewer Severity Rating (ISR) score were used to develop a K-means cluster analysis with three client cluster profiles: Narcotics (n=4795); Alcohol (n=4380); and Alcohol and Psychiatric Problems (n=3658). Chi-square and one-way ANOVA analyses identified self-reported mental health problems for these clusters. RESULTS - 44% of clients had a history of using outpatient mental health treatment, 45% reported current mental health symptoms, and 19% reported significant mental health problems. Women were 1.6 times more likely to report significant mental health problems than men. Staff assessed that 74.8% of clients had current mental health problems and that 13.9% had significant mental health problems. Client and staff results were congruent in identifying that clients in the Alcohol profile were less likely (5%) to report having significant mental health problems compared to the other two profiles (30% each). CONCLUSIONS - About 19% of clients with SUDs reported significant mental health problems, need integrated addiction and mental health treatment, and these clients are clustered in two population groups. An additional 25% of the addiction treatment population report current mental health symptoms and have at some point used mental health treatment. This national level assessment of the extent and severity of co-occurring disorders can inform decisions made regarding policy shifts towards an integrated system and the needs of clients with co-occurring disorders.

Aim: To investigate children's experiences of the intervention Me and my Family. Me and my Family is an intervention, for families with parental substance use problems (SUP) provided by Swedish social services outpatient care, includes eight weekly sessions where family members communicate how the SUP affects the family. Method: Data consists of 17 qualitative interviews with children, 7 to 19 years old. The qualitative data were analysed using a thematic approach, initially inductively and then discussed by adding salutogenic perspective. Results: The results are presented in three themes. Regardless of the children's varying ages, the results indicate that participating in the intervention has helped the family break the taboo surrounding parental substance use and enabled the young participants to communicate with their family members differently. The intervention also contributed to stronger bonds between children and their parents.

Aim: To investigate children's experiences of the intervention Me and my Family. Me and my Family is an intervention, for families with parental substance use problems (SUP) provided by Swedish social services outpatient care, includes eight weekly sessions where family members communicate how the SUP affects the family. Method: Data consists of 17 qualitative interviews with children, 7 to 19 years old. The qualitative data were analysed using a thematic approach, initially inductively and then discussed by adding salutogenic perspective. Results: The results are presented in three themes. Regardless of the children's varying ages, the results indicate that participating in the intervention has helped the family break the taboo surrounding parental substance use and enabled the young participants to communicate with their family members differently. The intervention also contributed to stronger bonds between children and their parents.

AIMS - New trends in drug consumption reveal increasing polydrug use. Epidemiological indicators in the current use are based on the prevalence and the associated potential harm of a single main substance. We propose new indicators to evaluate frequency and potential harm of polydrug use. The indicators are used to compare drug use among countries based on survey data on adolescents' substance use in 38 European countries. METHODS - The approach is based on analysis of the frequency of use in the various population samples: lifetime use, twelve months use or last thirty days, depending on available data, and on the risk of harm for the substances used. Two indicators are provided: the frequency of use score (FUS) by summing the frequency of use of each substance, and the polydrug use score (PDS) that weight all the substances used by their risk. RESULTS - The indicators FUS and PDS were calculated and the distribution functions were used to characterise substance use across ESPAD countries. The analysis shows important differences in poly-substance use severity among countries presenting similar prevention policies. CONCLUSIONS - Systematic analysis of substance use and the related risk are of paramount interest. The proposed indicators are designed to better monitor and understand consequences of polydrug use and to measure the resulting risk at country or population level. The indicators may also be used to assess the effects of policy interventions.

This paper provides an overview of brief intervention (BI) research to date and discusses future research needs as well as strategies for more widespread use of BI. Research has firmly established that significant reductions in drinking can be achieved by BI in a variety of health care settings. Despite convincing evidence, however, diffusion of BI in routine health care has been slow. Alcohol is a complex subject since it is often used moderately, without side-effects, and in a socially acceptable way. Although research on BI has accumulated rapidly during the last three decades, many important research challenges and development work remain before BI is widely implemented in routine health care.

AIM

- This exploratory study draws on national register data for 2,638 opioid users from 2004- 2008 to examine whether or not certain predisposing, enabling and need factors are associated with taking methadone or buprenorphine continuously on doctor’s orders for one year or more.

DESIGN

- Chi-square analysis, one-way Anova and logistic regression methods were used to explore the association between self-reported demographic characteristics, alcohol/drug use severity, substance use disorder treatment history, criminal justice history, level of mental health symptomatology, mental health treatment history, and whether or not adult opioid users had taken methadone or buprenorphine continuously on doctor’s orders for one year or longer.

RESULTS

- Having a job and having had more voluntary treatment episodes were significantly associated with using methadone or buprenorphine. Those opioid users who had a job were 19 times more likely to be on methadone or buprenorphine than opiate users who did not have a job.

CONCLUSIONS

- In our study, individuals who were working were significantly more likely to medicate against their opioid abuse. This suggests that they may be more socially integrated than their non-medicating counterparts

BACKGROUND – In Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the use of the psychoactive plant khat is widely seen as a social and health problem exclusively affecting the Somali immigrant population. Several projects by governmental and municipal bodies and agencies have been initiated to reduce khat use and abuse within this target population. AIM – This article analyses the khat abuse discourse as it is presented in evaluation reports describing projects initiated by the social services to reduce khat abuse. METHODS – Six publicly available and formally evaluated khat projects conducted in the Scandinavian countries were found, and these evaluation reports were subjected to a Foucauldian discourse analysis. The “What’s the problem represented to be?” approach was used to generate questions, which were then applied to the material. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS – The problem of khat abuse is represented to be that it is the cause of unemployment, lack of integration and relationship issues among Somali immigrants. The analysis shows that the notion of cultural competence is used instrumentally to govern the target population and that the Somali immigrant group is exclusively targeted. This instrumental use of cultural competence partly places the onus on the “Somali community” itself to reduce khat use, which may engender stigmatisation of Somali immigrants in general. The author maintains that an overreliance on cultural explanations overlooks socioeconomic issues and that the focus should be on potentially problematic patterns of khat use rather than Somali immigrants in general.

Background and aims:

During 10 weeks in the summer 2014 opening hours in nightclubs in Visby (Sweden) were extended by 1 hour, postponing the permitted closing time from 2 to 3 a.m. A number of preventive efforts such as Responsible Server Training, and an intensified cooperation between the police and the nightclubs were strengthened in connection with the trial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of this trial on police-reported violence.

Data and methods:

To estimate the effect of the trial on violence, we compared the violence rate during the intervention period (week 24–week 33, 2014) with the violence rate in the corresponding period in Visby in 2010–2013. The intervention period thus comprised 10 weeks, and the pre-intervention period 40 weeks. As outcome measure we chose police-reported assaults that had occurred at night (midnight–6 a.m.). As control series we used assaults daytime (6 a.m.–midnight). The intervention effect was estimated with the method of “difference in differences” (DiD). Interviews with key informants provided the study with an explanatory context for the trial outcomes.

Results:

The intervention effect was strongly statistically significant with a reduction of 3.336 reported assaults at night per week compared to the pre-intervention period. This represents a decrease of 71%.

Conclusion:

The trial with an extension of opening hours at nightclubs in Visby was followed by a reduction in police-reported violence. This unexpected outcome is likely to be the result of (i) the simultaneous strengthening of efficient preventive measures, and (ii) a decreased congestion in the streets resulting from increased spread in closing hours.

Aims: In the UK, nicotine pouches are growing in popularity, particularly among young people. This study investigated the Instagram marketing strategies of one leading brand, Nordic Spirit.

Methods: A total of 496 Instagram posts published by Nordic Spirit between 2019 and 2023 were collected and organised into themes using qualitative content analysis to identify recurring patterns. Then, multimodal critical discourse analysis was employed to explore the different linguistic and other semiotic resources at work in posts, their ideological patterns and how they work together to frame nicotine pouches as an essential product for young people.

Results: The study identified four key messages that Nordic Spirit uses to target young people: (1) fun and freedom; (2) Nordic happiness; (3) fuss-free and discreet; and (4) healthy and scientifically rational. It found that posts are often misleading, underplay the dangers of nicotine and frame nicotine pouches as trendy lifestyle products rather than as smoking alternatives.

Conclusion: The results underline the dangers of such marketing strategies in encouraging nicotine addiction and dependence. Consequently, the UK government and Advertising Standards Authority should do more to clamp down on these social media posts and introduce tighter regulations to protect young people and uphold their freedom from exploitation.

During the years around 1990, several policy and economic events occurred which had significant effects on the Swedish society. In this context, critique against the welfare state grew and the traditional roles of the state and the individual were challenged. The legitimacy and efficiency of Swedish alcohol policy was also called into question. The article describes and analyses how portrayals of alcohol, alcohol problems and alcohol policies have changed during the 1990s in the Swedish press. Despite the growth of media like television and the Internet, the daily press must still be considered an important source of information and also an active constructor of reality. The analysis is based on different samples of press articles during the studied period. Special attention is paid to different actors/ narrators, their argumentation and how they perceive the individual and the state as legitimate actors and controllers of our drinking habits. The analysis shows that the dominant restrictive alcohol discourse, based on the total consumption model, public health perspectives and universal and restrictive alcohol policy measures, gradually has been challenged by a liberal discourse in which individual freedom, market liberalism and consumer perspectives are put forward as guiding principles for alcohol policies. A 'sensible drinking' perspective has seriously weakened the traditional perspective where alcohol- related problems have been situated as the legitimate foundation for policies. Finally, the ongoing redefinition of the alcohol issue also has made it possible for new narrators, for instance, business representatives, to take part in and significantly influence the alcohol discourse.

The aim of the present study was to investigate variations between schools when it comes to gambling and risk gambling, and, in particular, to analyse the links between school collective efficacy and student gambling and risk gambling. The data consists of official register information on schools as well as survey data collected in 2016 among 1,061 teachers and 5,191 students in 46 Stockholm upper secondary schools. School collective efficacy was operationalized on the basis of teacher responses, which were aggregated to the school level. Gambling and risk gambling were based on students’ self-reports. Two-level binary logistic regression analyses were performed. The results show that there is between-school variation in gambling and in all the study’s indicators of risk gambling. Both gambling and risk gambling were more commonly reported by students attending schools with weak collective efficacy, even when adjusting for student- and school-level sociodemographic characteristics. The findings suggest that conditions at school may counteract students’ engagement in gambling and risk gambling. 

Background and aims: Waterpipe smoking is regarded as a burgeoning public health problem due to its popularity among young adults. This study aims to understand the meaning-imbued reality of waterpipe smoking for young adults in Sweden. Method: Data from 18 individual interviews with ethnically diverse Swedish young adults were analysed using inductive latent-level qualitative content analysis. Results: The youth's experience of waterpipe smoking shows different dimensions (time, space, fun, community) that construct the practice of waterpipe smoking as a closed bubble characterised by harmlessness, cosiness and freedom to develop an adult self in the waterpipe group. The bubble provides a breathing space and timeout in everyday life, fuelled by an understanding of the hookah as hazard-free and liberating. A variety of control mechanisms are used to defend the bubble's constructed harmlessness, proving responsibility by applying practice-, communication- and Othering-oriented means. Conclusion: The study enhances the understanding of waterpipe smoking by highlighting its community- and self-forming meaning in a combined focus on ritualistic and symbolic qualities. For young adults, waterpipe smoking combines potentially beneficial and detrimental impacts on health. This complex situation requires a dialogical – rather than a traditional – approach to prevention that negotiates the risk landscape faced by young adults.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to replicate earlier studies suggesting that changes in parenting have contributed to the recent decline in youth drinking by comparing parenting in a country experiencing a sharp decline in youth drinking (Sweden) with a country with only a small decline (Denmark). Data and analysis: Data stem from self-reported information from 15-16-year-old children in the Swedish and Danish subsamples of ESPAD. Youth drinking was measured by prevalence and frequency of drinking over the past year. Parenting was measured in terms of the extent the child reported that: (1) parents' attitudes towards offspring drinking are restrictive, (2) parents set up general rules for what their children are allowed to do, and (3) parents have high level of knowledge about where and with whom their children spend time. The association between these indicators of parenting and youth drinking was first estimated with logistic regressions. Second, changes in parenting between 1999 and 2015 were compared between Denmark and Sweden across the study period. Results: Restrictive parental attitudes were associated with a lower likelihood of past-year drinking and frequent drinking in both Sweden and Denmark. This attitude was more common in Sweden, where it also became more prevalent between 2003 and 2015 in contrast to in Denmark. The association between strict parental rule-setting and youth drinking was weak in both countries. A high parental knowledge of the child's whereabouts was linked to a lower likelihood of past-year drinking in Sweden and a lower frequency of drinking in both countries. Parental knowledge of offspring's whereabouts did not develop differently in Sweden and Denmark, with a high and stable proportion in both countries. Conclusion: More restrictive parental attitudes towards youth drinking may have contributed to the decline in youth drinking, whereas the importance of general parental rule-setting and parental knowledge of offspring's whereabouts was not supported.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to replicate earlier studies suggesting that changes in parenting have contributed to the recent decline in youth drinking by comparing parenting in a country experiencing a sharp decline in youth drinking (Sweden) with a country with only a small decline (Denmark). Data and analysis: Data stem from self-reported information from 15–16-year-old children in the Swedish and Danish subsamples of ESPAD. Youth drinking was measured by prevalence and frequency of drinking over the past year. Parenting was measured in terms of the extent the child reported that: (1) parents’ attitudes towards offspring drinking are restrictive, (2) parents set up general rules for what their children are allowed to do, and (3) parents have high level of knowledge about where and with whom their children spend time. The association between these indicators of parenting and youth drinking was first estimated with logistic regressions. Second, changes in parenting between 1999 and 2015 were compared between Denmark and Sweden across the study period. Results: Restrictive parental attitudes were associated with a lower likelihood of past-year drinking and frequent drinking in both Sweden and Denmark. This attitude was more common in Sweden, where it also became more prevalent between 2003 and 2015 in contrast to in Denmark. The association between strict parental rule-setting and youth drinking was weak in both countries. A high parental knowledge of the child's whereabouts was linked to a lower likelihood of past-year drinking in Sweden and a lower frequency of drinking in both countries. Parental knowledge of offspring's whereabouts did not develop differently in Sweden and Denmark, with a high and stable proportion in both countries. Conclusion: More restrictive parental attitudes towards youth drinking may have contributed to the decline in youth drinking, whereas the importance of general parental rule-setting and parental knowledge of offspring's whereabouts was not supported.

Aims: To examine if and how the drinking habits of older people aged 60-79 years in Sweden have changed during 2004-2017, with a specific focus on age groups and gender. Data and measures: A Swedish, nationally representative, repeated cross-sectional telephone survey covering the years 2004-2017 (n= 225,134) was used. Four aspects of alcohol consumption were investigated: proportion of alcohol consumers, frequency of drinking, amount per drinking occasion, and prevalence of heavy episodic drinking. Results: Three of the four measures investigated showed increases in alcohol consumption in the older age groups, particularly among women. Proportion of alcohol consumers, frequency of drinking and prevalence of heavy episodic drinking during the past month increased in most older age groups among both women and men, while the average amount per drinking occasion remained stable. Thus, total consumption in older age groups has increased over time, since the proportion of drinkers and the frequency of drinking has increased. Increases were particularly marked among women and in the age groups 70-74 and 75-79 years. In age groups below 60 years, these measures showed either declines or stability. Conclusions: There has been a steady increase in alcohol consumption across all the older age groups studied, which implies that the changing drinking habits are not isolated only to certain birth cohorts. Instead there seems to be a continuous shift in older people's drinking habits which can be expected to continue. However, these increases are from very low levels, and older people's drinking is still at modest levels. Public health implications must be studied further.

Aims: To examine the cultural impact on the diagnosis of alcohol-use disorders using European countries as examples. Design: Narrative review. Results: There are strong cultural norms guiding heavy drinking occasions and loss of control. These norms not only indicate what drinking behaviour is acceptable, but also whether certain behaviours can be reported or not. As modern diagnostic systems are based on lists of mostly behavioural criteria, where alcohol-use disorders are defined by a positive answer on at least one, two or three of these criteria, culture will inevitably co-determine how many people will get a diagnosis. This explains the multifold differences in incidence and prevalence of alcohol-use disorders, even between countries where the average drinking levels are similar. Thus, the incidence and prevalence of alcohol-use disorders as assessed by surveys or rigorous application of standardised instruments must be judged as measuring social norms as well as the intended mental disorder. Conclusions: Current practice to measure alcohol-use disorders based on a list of culture-specific diagnostic criteria results in incomparability in the incidence, prevalence or disease burden between countries. For epidemiological purposes, a more grounded definition of diagnostic criteria seems necessary, which could probably be given by using heavy drinking over time.

Injection drug using women and the means by which they support their drug use AIMS AND METHODS The purpose of the present paper is to investigate the ways in which women who inject heroin or amphetamines procure drugs and finance their drug use. The results are based on standardised interviews conducted at the needle exchange programme in Malmö between 1 July 2005 and 30 September 2006. In total, 188 out of the 232 women who visited the programme during this period were interviewed. RESULTS A vast majority of the women (93%) buy most of the drugs they use themselves. Among the women interviewed, the most common sources of income were; social benefits (45%), dealing (23%), prostitution (22%), theft (21%) and paid work (16%). A majority of the women (53%) reported use of both formal and informal incomes to finance their drug use over the last two weeks, just over a third of the women (36%) reported only formal incomes, and a small minority (12%) reported only informal incomes. A majority of the women also reported to have been provided with drugs by others. In most cases, the provider was a man (p>.01). Women with heroin as their principal drug more frequently reported multiple sources of income (p>.01), income through prostitution (p>.001), dealing (p>.01) or theft (p>.05), whereas women with amphetamines as their principal drug more frequently reported income through paid work (p>.05) or pensions (p>.01). CONCLUSIONS Few women correspond to the stereotypical image of the homeless and outcast street addict who supports her drug habit mainly through prostitution and illegal activities or by contacts with male addicts. The majority of the women in this study have a relatively stable housing situation, the vast majority (93%) are active actors on the drug market who buy most of the drugs they use themselves, and most of the women use incomes from both formal/legal and informal/illegal sources. For most of the women, drugs provided by others only constituted a complement to those obtained by the women themselves. A few women, however, who did not report any personal income, seem to be highly dependent on others to secure a safe supply of drugs. Some women also reported that they had had to perform sexual services in order to get access to drugs from male suppliers. For women with heroin as their principal drug, it seemed much more difficult to finance their drug use by legal incomes only. KEYWORDS Women, injection drug use, heroin, amphetamines, needle exchange programme, income, drug economy.

Aims: This article describes experiences of overdose among a group of long time heroin users. The main aim is to seek understanding for circumstances, motives and actions concerning the phenomena overdose. Methods: The data was collected through focus-groups and in depth interviews during the period September 2006- January 2008. A total of 52 participants took part in the study. Results: The participants were aware of many of the common risk factors for overdoses. In spite of this most participants had vast experience of overdoses. Most overdoses did occur as a result of a conscious risk taking behavior. A number of different circumstances and motives meant that risks for overdoses were ignored or that risks were considered to be subordinate to the expected benefits of risk taking. The search for the “ultimate rush”, severe abstinence, anxiety and depression, feelings of indifference and despondency, an unsafe and stressful environment are example of factors that led to a decrease in risk thinking and/or an increase of risk taking. Conclusions: Heroine overdoses can not fully be understood only by defining different isolated risk factors. There is also a need to explore the awareness of these risks among heroin users, how users comprehend and value these risks and what circumstances and which emotions and motives influence risk taking action that can lead to overdose. Key words: Overdose, heroin, injection drug use, risk taking, motives, occupational hazard, focus-groups, in-depth interviews, Sweden

The study adopts a qualitative comparative approach to better understand how different dimensions affect social norms regulating alcohol consumption. Female and male attitudes towards drunkenness were analysed on the basis of data from 27 focus groups involving a total of 166 participants from Italy, Finland and Sweden, grouped by age cohort (17-20 and 50-65 years) and educational level. Results suggest that gendered drinking norms may be affected more by the drinking culture than by the degree of gender equality, thus providing a possible explanation of why gender differences in drinking are not always consistent with broader gender inequalities.

AIMS - To study the prevalence of cannabis use and drug-related problems among European adolescents and the utility of the prevention paradox. METHODS - Survey data from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) in 2007 in the 27 countries with information about drug use and drug-related problems was used. We analysed the proportion of all drug-related problems that occurred in a high risk group and among others who had used cannabis in the previous 12 months. The cut-off for the high risk group was chosen to include 10-15% of the most frequent cannabis users. RESULTS - The high risk groups accounted for a substantial, but a minority, of drug-related problems among boys as well as girls. A minority of those who had used cannabis reported any drug-related problem. The proportion of adolescents with drug-related problems and the average number of problems increased with frequency of cannabis use. CONCLUSIONS - We find support for policy measures of more general character, supported by the prevention paradox. However, this does not exclude a policy supporting frequent drug users if they can be identified

Is alcohol dependence a mediator between alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems? A study from a clinical population in Stockholm County

Several studies have been done on the prevalence of the alcohol dependence syndrome, while other studies have focused on whether the dependence syndrome can be seen as a unity, or not. Few studies have analysed the association between alcohol consumption, the alcohol dependence syndrome (ADS) and alcohol-related problems. A main issue is to what extent an association between alcohol consumption and problems is explained by the dependence syndrome or by its sub-components (drinking despite a health problem, craving, impaired control, preoccupation with alcohol, withdrawal symptoms and increased tolerance). The purpose in this paper is to elucidate this issue in analyses of data from the health care-based clinical sample of the study “Women and Men in Swedish Addiction Treatment”, comprising comprehensive interviews of almost 1000 inpatients and outpatients in Stockholm County. These data cover e.g. alcohol and drug use, alcohol dependence (ICD-10) measured by the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI), the composite-scores part of the Addiction Severity Index (ASI), sociodemographics and alcohol-related problems. Three measures of alcohol-related problems were constructed covering health and psychological problems, self-defined social problems, and social problems defined by others. In these exploratory analyses of patients with alcohol dependence as a dominating problem, a series of logistic regression analyses were done. A substantial part of the association between the consumption measures and the three outcomes could be accounted for by measures of the ADS. The predictive power of the six criteria composing the ADS varied considerably for the different outcomes. The interpretation is not straightforward, not least as the alcohol dependence syndrome also includes items of alcoholrelated problems.