Seasonal variations in treatment seeking for Alcohol Use Disorder in the total Danish population.

OBJECTIVE: A minority of all individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) seek treatment. Contextual factors associated with treatment seeking is poory understood. It is known that level of alcohol consumed varies between season of the year. However, it is not known to what extent treatment seeking for AUD also varies between seasons. The aim of this study is to investigate seasonal variations in treatment seeking for AUD.

METHOD: Study design: Time-series analysis. Study population: Adults age 18 years and older in Denmark seeking AUD treatment. The outcomes were two measures of changes in treatment seeking: 1. treatment entry and 2. filled prescription of AUD pharmacotherapy. Data: National Alcohol Treatment Register on treatment entries for specialist addiction care and National Prescription Registry for filled prescriptions on AUD pharmacotherapies 2013 to 2018. Analysis: Segmented negative binomial regression.

RESULTS: Treatment seeking for AUD showed clear seasonal variations, with lowest numbers in December and from March to April. In January, treatment seeking was highest, with a decline around July, and a subsequent slight rise from August to October.

CONCLUSION: The findings emphasizes the importance of contextual factors when developing and evaluating interventions to increase treatment seeking for AUD.