Accumulating evidence indicates
pain may be an important risk factor for development of
alcohol use disorder (AUD) and risk of relapse for people recovering from AUD. This study was conducted to characterize the prevalence and severity of significant recurrent
pain and various
chronic pain conditions in treatment-seeking alcoholics. In addition, we sought to examine associations between alcohol use trajectory and
pain presence/severity. Four hundred fifty-one treatment-seeking alcoholics were recruited for this study. Participants completed a battery of assessments, including measures of demographics, affect, alcohol and other drug use, presence/absence of significant recurrent
pain, recent
pain severity, and
chronic pain type. Analyses indicated significant recurrent
pain was highly prevalent in the study sample (53.66%), and was significantly more common among women (62.57%) than men (47.35%; p = 0.001). Typical drinking prior to treatment did not differ by
pain status, but participants with
pain were more likely to report current
opioid use. Individuals with
pain reported greater depression and anxiety than those without (p < 0.0008), and
pain tended to be more severe among women than men (p = 0.035). Both men and women with
pain indicated that
pain had affected their
substance use. In addition, both later age of first treatment and longer transition time from
alcohol dependence to treatment were associated with greater
pain severity, especially among men. These data suggest
chronic pain is highly prevalent among treatment-seeking alcoholics, especially women, and that delays to first treatment are associated with
pain presence and intensity. These results highlight the importance of effective
pain management for the subset of treatment seekers with
pain.