École de travail social, Université du Québec à Montréal, 455 René-Lévesque Blvd. Est Local W-4020, Montreal, QC, H2L 4Y2, Canada.
École de travail social, Université de Montréal, Pavillon Lionel-Groulx, 3150 Jean-Brillant Street (C-7075), Montreal, QC, H3T 1J7, Canada.
Harm Reduct J. 2023 Feb 24;20(1):22. doi: 10.1186/s12954-023-00757-2.
People experiencing homelessness are disproportionately affected by harms related to alcohol use. Indeed, their alcohol dependence is associated with numerous physical and mental health problems along with strikingly high rates of alcohol-related mortality. Recent research has extensively examined alcohol use patterns among people experiencing homelessness in an effort to develop interventions and treatments for this problem. However, only a few studies have incorporated the perspectives of the individuals under study about their drinking or examined the ways in which they manage the associated harms. To bridge this gap, we conducted a qualitative study exploring the relation between the drinking motives, risky drinking patterns and harm reduction practices of a group of people (n = 34) experiencing homelessness in Montreal, Canada.
The qualitative methods we used consisted of semi-structured interviews (n = 12) and focus groups (n = 2, with a total of 22 participants). The content of the collected data was then analyzed.
Participants identified their various motives for alcohol use (coping with painful memories, dealing with harsh living conditions, socializing/seeking a sense of belonging, enjoying themselves/having fun); their risky drinking patterns (binge drinking, mixing alcohol with drugs, non-beverage alcohol drinking, failing to keep sufficient alcohol on hand to prevent acute withdrawal, drinking in public settings); their harm reduction practices (planning how much to drink, keeping a supply of alcohol to prevent acute withdrawal, hiding to drink, concealing alcohol, drinking alone, drinking/hanging out with others, drinking non-beverage alcohol, and taking benzodiazepines, cocaine or other stimulant drugs); and the rationales underpinning their alcohol use and harm reduction practices.
Associating the drinking motives of a group of study participants with their risky drinking patterns and harm reduction practices shed light on their rationales for alcohol use, yielding insights that could be used to better tailor policies and interventions to their needs.
无家可归者受到与饮酒相关的伤害的影响不成比例。事实上，他们的酒精依赖与许多身心健康问题以及惊人高的酒精相关死亡率有关。最近的研究广泛研究了无家可归者的饮酒模式，以期为这一问题开发干预措施和治疗方法。然而，只有少数研究纳入了研究对象的观点来了解他们的饮酒情况，或者研究了他们管理相关伤害的方式。为了弥补这一差距，我们进行了一项定性研究，探索了加拿大蒙特利尔的一群无家可归者（n=34）的饮酒动机、高风险饮酒模式和减少伤害实践之间的关系。
我们使用的定性方法包括半结构化访谈（n=12）和焦点小组（n=2，共有 22 名参与者）。然后对收集到的数据的内容进行分析。
参与者确定了他们饮酒的各种动机（应对痛苦的记忆、应对恶劣的生活条件、社交/寻求归属感、享受自己/娱乐）；他们的高风险饮酒模式（狂饮、将酒精与药物混合、饮用非酒精饮料、未能保持足够的酒精以防急性戒断、在公共场所饮酒）；他们的减少伤害的实践（计划饮酒量、保持足够的酒精以防急性戒断、隐藏饮酒、隐藏酒精、独自饮酒、与他人一起饮酒/闲逛、饮用非酒精饮料和服用苯二氮䓬类、可卡因或其他兴奋剂药物）；以及他们饮酒和减少伤害实践的理由。
将一组研究参与者的饮酒动机与他们的高风险饮酒模式和减少伤害的实践联系起来，揭示了他们饮酒的理由，从而为更好地满足他们的需求来调整政策和干预措施提供了思路。
