Emotional disturbances are a central characteristic of many mental disorders, including alcohol addiction.

In this study we aimed to investigate the emotion disregulation among alcohol use disorders and to compare the emotion regulation difficulties with type 1 and type 2 alcoholism.

Thirty-three treatment-seeking AUD individuals were recruited from addiction division of psychiatry department of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University. Patients who agreed to participate in the study and completed detoxification treatment were enrolled to the study. After describing the study and obtaining informed consent, participants were assessed with demographic questionnaires (including questions such as age, gender, income status, duration of alcohol use, amount of alcohol use, duration of abstinence were given to participants) followed by the semi-structured interview. Emotion regulation was assessed with the difficulties in emotion regulation scale.

Of the patients, 93.9% were male. The average age of participants was 41.21 ± 12.8 years. Of the participants, 60.6% were type 1 and 39.4% of type 2. There was statistically significant difference between type 1 and type 2 alcoholism in terms of emotion regulation. Type 2 alcoholism has more emotional regulation difficulties than type 1 alcoholism. This finding may be consistent with earlier onset of having more impulsive drinking pattern in type 2.

In conclusion alcohol use disorders are thought to be associated with emotion dysregulation. Emotion regulation difficulties, was higher in type 2 than type 1. Emotional regulation strategies should be considered in the interventions and may be evaluated as a new prognostic criteria.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.