Clinical characteristics and drinking patterns among treatment-seeking patients with alcohol use disorder in…

Cohort studyPCN reports : psychiatry and clinical neurosciences· Sep 2026

Clinical characteristics and drinking patterns among treatment-seeking patients with alcohol use disorder in Japan from the ALPS-J nationwide prospective cohort study.

Chie Nitta, Moemi Shibasaki, Yuko Urayama … Sachio Matsushita

Substance & AddictionCohort studyQ1IF 4.0

Most treatment-seeking patients with alcohol use disorder in Japan have severe disease

Clinical characteristics and drinking patterns among treatment-seeking patients with alcohol use disorder in Japan from the ALPS-J nationwide prospective cohort study.

Chie Nitta … Sachio Matsushita

PCN reports · Sep 2026 · Q1 in Psychiatry

Background

While "controlled drinking" as a treatment goal for alcohol use disorder (alcohol use disorder) has recently become accepted in Japan, knowledge regarding the clinical characteristics and drinking patterns of patients with alcohol use disorder remains limited.

Purpose

This study aimed to describe the gender-stratified baseline clinical characteristics and drinking patterns of treatment-seeking patients with alcohol use disorder using baseline data from the Alcohol Longitudinal Prognosis Study in Japan (Alcohol Longitudinal Prognosis Study in Japan), a multicenter cohort study conducted at 15 facilities nationwide.

Methods

The diagnosis and severity of alcohol use disorder were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Research Version (SCID-5-RV).

n = 354 participants

80.8%

Results

80.8%

4 in 5 patients already had severe, not mild, alcohol use disorder

n = 354 participants

More results

Treatment was started approximately 5 years after the onset of drinking problems.

Comorbid depressive symptoms were observed in 44.7% of participants, and 74.3% reported poor sleep quality.

The mean daily pure alcohol consumption was 110.4 g.

More results

The most commonly consumed type of alcoholic beverage was chu-hai with 9% alcohol by volume, a high-alcohol beverage commonly sold in Japan and often referred to as "strong-style" chu-hai.

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Conclusion

Patients with alcohol use disorder treated in specialized addiction treatment facilities often present with severe and complex clinical profiles, highlighting the need for earlier engagement in care and integrated treatment approaches.

Clinical characteristics and drinking patterns among treatment-seeking patients with alcohol use disorder in Japan from the ALPS-J nationwide prospective cohort study.

Clinical characteristics and drinking patterns among treatment-seeking patients with alcohol use disorder in Japan from the ALPS-J nationwide prospective cohort study.

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