Associations between daily pain severity and concurrent alcohol craving among women in early recovery following alcohol treatment

BACKGROUND: Rates of alcohol use disorder (AUD) for women are rising, and women remain more likely to experience serious alcohol-related harms and consequences compared to men. Pain may complicate AUD, as it often co-occurs with alcohol use. However, relations between pain and alcohol craving, an important predictor of return to alcohol use, are underexplored, particularly among women with AUD. PURPOSE: =44.1, 90.3% White). Additionally, we sought to understand any differences in pain-alcohol craving associations by type of pain (joint/muscle vs. headache pain). METHODS: Data were drawn from a randomized controlled trial testing the efficacy of a lifestyle physical activity intervention for improving alcohol abstinence. Participants completed three, 10-day periods of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) during the first 90 days post-treatment to report pain severity (headache and joint/muscle pain) and alcohol craving. RESULTS: =.03, p = .036). CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight pain as a relevant factor in AUD recovery for women and suggest that pain management may be an important consideration for AUD treatment programs.