Benzodiazepine dependence in subjects with alcohol use disorders: what prevalence?
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To our knowledge, no studies have been conducted in France on benzodiazepine (BZD) dependence among outpatients with alcohol use disorders (AUD). Some international studies have been conducted on the consumption of BZD in this specific population, but the comparisons among them are difficult. We aimed to assess the current prevalence of probable benzodiazepine and BZD-like hypnotics (Z-drugs) dependence among outpatients seeking treatment for AUD. METHODS: Participants were patients seeking treatment for AUD for the first time or repeating treatment after more than twelve months. Recruitment took place in seven addiction centres between January and December 2013 in the Nantes region (France). BZD/Z-drug dependence was assessed according to the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for dependence. This information was gathered through a self-report questionnaire. RESULTS: Among the 1005 patients included in this study, 413 were BZD/Z-drug users (41.1%). Among the 413 patients, 217 were probably dependent on at least one substance, which represents 21.6% of the total population and 52.5% of BZD/Z-drug users. CONCLUSION: BZD/Z-drug dependence represents a public health concern. Prescribers should take the risks into account and keep treatment courses to a minimum.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Over 40% of individuals with alcohol use disorder concurrently use BZDs or Z-drugs, with more than 20% meeting the criteria for dependence.
“Studies 65 report that over 40% of individuals with alcohol use disorder concurrently use BZDs or Z-drugs, with more than 20% meeting the criteria for dependence.”
From Z-drug abuse and dependence: Clinical guideline of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology for diagnosis and management (2025) · cites this paper as [65]
Zolpidem use has been linked to greater severity of substance use disorder compared to zopiclone.
“Zolpidem use has been linked to greater severity of substance use disorder compared to zopiclone.”
From Z-drug abuse and dependence: Clinical guideline of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology for diagnosis and management (2025) · cites this paper as [65]
Cites
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
American Psychiatric Association (2013) · doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596 · Cited by 116,369 · see citing works
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR)
American Psychiatric Association (2000) · doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890423349 · Cited by 11,069 · see citing works
Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale
(1976) · Gut · doi:10.1136/gut.17.8.660-e · Cited by 225 · see citing works
Identification and Management of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome
Mirijello, A., D’Angelo, C., Ferrulli, A., Vassallo, G. A., Antonelli, M., Caputo, F., Leggio, L., Gasbarrini, A., & Addolorato, G. (2015) · Drugs · doi:10.1007/s40265-015-0358-1 · Cited by 205 · see citing works
Baclofen in the Treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome: A Comparative Study vs Diazepam
Addolorato, G., Leggio, L., Abenavoli, L., Agabio, R., Caputo, F., Capristo, E., Colombo, G., Gessa, G. L., & Gasbarrini, G. (2006) · The American Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2005.08.042 · Cited by 203 · see citing works
BENZODIAZEPINE TREATMENT FOR ALCOHOL-DEPENDENT PATIENTS
Lejoyeux, M., Solomon, J., & Adès, J. (1998) · Alcohol and Alcoholism · doi:10.1093/alcalc/33.6.563 · Cited by 138 · see citing works
Rolland, B., Paillé, F., Gillet, C., Rigaud, A., Moirand, R., Dano, C., Demattéis, M., Mann, K. F., & Aubin, H. (2015) · CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics · doi:10.1111/cns.12489 · Cited by 117 · see citing works
Benzodiazepine use and anxiolytic abuse and dependence in treated alcoholics
ROSS, H. E. (1993) · Addiction · doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.1993.tb00804.x · Cited by 88 · see citing works
Topiramate in Alcohol Use Disorders: Review and Update
Guglielmo, R., Martinotti, G., Quatrale, M., Ioime, L., Kadilli, I., Nicola, M. D., & Janiri, L. (2015) · CNS Drugs · doi:10.1007/s40263-015-0244-0 · Cited by 81 · see citing works
Anticonvulsants for the Treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome and Alcohol Use Disorders
Hammond, C. J., Niciu, M. J., Drew, S., & Arias, A. J. (2015) · CNS Drugs · doi:10.1007/s40263-015-0240-4 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
An update on zolpidem abuse and dependence
Victorri-Vigneau, C., Gérardin, M., Rousselet, M., Guerlais, M., Grall-Bronnec, M., & Jolliet, P. (2014) · Journal of Addictive Diseases · doi:10.1080/10550887.2014.882725 · Cited by 74 · see citing works
Self-citationTemperament and Character Modify Risk of Drug Addiction and Influence Choice of Drugs
Milivojević, D., Milovanović, S., Jovanovic, M., Švrakić, D. M., Svrakic, N. M., Svrakic, S. M., & Cloninger, C. R. (2012) · American Journal on Addictions · doi:10.1111/j.1521-0391.2012.00251.x · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Objective Determination of Benzodiazepine Use and Abuse in Alcoholics
Busto, U. E., Simpkins, J., Sellers, E. M., Sisson, B., & Segal, R. (1983) · British Journal of Addiction · doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.1983.tb02531.x · Cited by 65 · see citing works
Craving Typology Questionnaire (CTQ): A scale for alcohol craving in normal controls and alcoholics
Martinotti, G., Nicola, M. D., Tedeschi, D., Callea, A., Giannantonio, M. D., & Janiri, L. (2013) · Comprehensive Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2013.03.023 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Pharmacoepidemiological characterisation of zolpidem and zopiclone usage
Victorri-Vigneau, C., Feuillet, F., Wainstein, L., Grall-Bronnec, M., Pivette, J., Chaslerie, A., Sébille, V., & Jolliet, P. (2013) · European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology · doi:10.1007/s00228-013-1557-x · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Self-citationA Brief Up-Date of the Use of Sodium Oxybate for the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder
Caputo, F., Vignoli, T., Tarli, C., Domenicali, M., Zoli, G., Bernardi, M., & Addolorato, G. (2016) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph13030290 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
‘Mixed’ (Drug Abusing) and ‘Pure’ Alcoholics: A Socio‐medical Comparison
Ashley, M. J., Riche, W. H. L., Olin, J. S., et al. (1978) · British Journal of Addiction to Alcohol & Other Drugs · doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.1978.tb00115.x · Cited by 28 · see citing works
DEPENDENCE ON LEGAL PSYCHOTROPIC DRUGS AMONG ALCOHOLICS
Johansson, B. A. (2003) · Alcohol and Alcoholism · doi:10.1093/alcalc/agg123 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
ASSESSMENT OF BENZODIAZEPINE DEPENDENCE IN ALCOHOL AND DRUG DEPENDENT OUTPATIENTS: A RESEARCH REPORT
Kan, C. C., Breteler, M., van der Ven, A., Timmermans, M. A., & Zitman, F. (2001) · Substance Use & Misuse · doi:10.1081/ja-100104491 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Baclofen for alcohol withdrawal
Liu, J., & Wang, L. (2010) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd008502 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Sallmén, B., Nilsson, L., & Berglund, M. (1997) · European Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s0924-9338(97)80001-6 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Monràs, M., Mondón, S., & Jou, J. (2008) · Medicina Clínica · doi:10.1157/13120771 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
The epidemiology of benzodiazepine misuse: A systematic review*
Votaw, V. R., Geyer, R., Rieselbach, M. M., & McHugh, R. K. (2019) · Drug and Alcohol Dependence · doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.02.033 · Cited by 479 · see citing works
Stelzer, F. G., Bacelar, A., Éckeli, A. L., Negrão, A. B., Almeida, C. M. O., Franco, C. M. R., Pires, G. N., Gitaí, L. L. G., Sobreira-Neto, M. A., Assis, M., et al. (2025) · Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria · doi:10.1055/s-0045-1812323 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
- Authors
- Morel, A., Grall-Bronnec, M., Bulteau, S., Chauvin-Grelier, P., Gailledrat, L., Pinot, M. L., Jolliet, P., & Victorri-Vigneau, C.
- Affiliations
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nantes (FR)
- EA4275, Biostatistics, Pharmacoepidemiology and Subjective Measures in Health Sciences, University of Nantes, Nantes, France
- Addictology Department, Les Apsyades association, Bouguenais, France
- Center for Evaluation and Information on Pharmacodependence, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital, Nantes, France
- Corresponding author
- Morel, A.
- Venue
- Expert Opinion on Drug Safety
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2016-08-22
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 1313-1319
- ISSN
- 1474-0338 (ISSN-L)
- 1744-764X
- OpenAlex
- W2481097774
- Cited by
- 25
- References
- 22
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 1 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 1 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 2.81
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Expert Opinion on Drug Safety (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Geriatrics and Gerontology › Pharmaceutical Practices and Patient Outcomes
- Keywords
- benzodiazepine dependence, alcoholism, Z-drugs, hypnotics, prevalence, comorbidities, outpatients, addiction treatment, benzodiazepine prescribing
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Ambulatory Care, Benzodiazepines, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, France, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Surveys and Questionnaires, Prevalence, Substance Abuse Treatment Centers, Substance-Related Disorders, Alcohol-Related Disorders
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
