Is alcohol use associated with psychological treatment attendance and clinical outcomes?

Depression and anxiety problems often co-occur with alcohol use and dependence. Conventional wisdom in the field suggests that heavy alcohol users may not engage well or benefit from psychological therapies for depression and anxiety. We found no empirical support for the above assumptions in a large clinical sample. Alcohol consumption was not significantly associated with treatment attendance or depression treatment outcomes. A nonlinear association between alcohol use and anxiety outcomes suggests that moderate drinkers may have some shared characteristic that favours treatment response.