Harmen Beurmanjer

102 Chapter 7 of influence in the results in general. Furthermore, future studies should test whether our findings also generalize to other countries. Conclusion This thesis shows that GUD is a complex syndrome that largely adheres to general SUD characteristics. Patients with GUD often display severe substance use problems, with comorbid substance use, high anxiety levels, cognitive impairment and problems across all areas of life, despite a relatively young age. The frequent presence of high anxiety, cognitive impairment and limited illness insight might contribute to high levels of drop-out and relapse. Detoxification with pharmaceutical GHB seems the safest method currently available to taper patients with GUD. Baclofen requires further study, but seems a promising part of relapse management for patients with GUD and should be studied further in this regard.