Abstract
Rationale
A substantial literature indicates that in alcohol addiction aspects of impulsive decision-making are typical of individuals with an early onset of addictive behaviour problems. It is not known whether the same applies to opiate addiction, and this insight has important theoretical and clinical implications.
Objectives
This study aims to examine the relationship between age at onset of addictive behaviour problems and decision-making in opiate addiction.
Methods
Ninety-three opiate-dependent, treatment-seeking individuals were divided in three groups, early, late and intermediate onset of problems, and completed impulsivity questionnaires and delay discounting and gambling tasks.
Results
Individuals with a late onset of opiate problems (25 years or above) had lower delay discounting rates than individuals with early (18 years or less) or intermediate onset. There were no differences in performance on the gambling tasks. Late-onset individuals were older and had shorter drug histories, but there was no relationship between either age or length of exposure to opiates and delay discounting rates.
Conclusions
In keeping with previous studies in alcohol addiction, these findings support the notion of at least two distinct subgroups of opiate-dependent individuals, characterised by a different onset of problems, different propensity to impulsive behaviour and perhaps distinct mechanisms leading to addiction.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Professors Kris Kirby and Antoine Bechara for supplying the Delay Discounting and Iowa Gambling Tasks.
Conflicts of interest
None. This work was supported by NoCLoR (North Central London Research consortium). F.P. was supported by University College, London and by St George’s Medical School, University of London.
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Passetti, F., Verdejo-Garcia, A. & Abou-Saleh, M. Comparatively preserved impulse control in late-onset opiate users. Psychopharmacology 230, 499–505 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-013-3174-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-013-3174-x