Levels of dissociation in detoxified substance abusers and their relationship to chronicity of alcohol and drug use.
The Journal of nervous and mental disease April 1, 1996 K Wenzel, D P Bernstein, L Handelsman et al.
Alcoholics reported higher levels of three types of dissociative experiences—amnesia, depersonalization/derealization, and absorption—than drug addicts. Among 138 detoxified male veterans, chronic (lifetime years) alcohol and cocaine use correlated with dissociation scores, and the amnestic effect of chronic cocaine use persisted after controlling for chronic alcohol use. No dissociative effects of recent (past 30 days) use of alcohol or drugs were found. These findings suggest dissociation may be a chronic residual effect of long-term substance abuse, including both alcohol and cocaine.