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Heavy Drinking (heavy + drinking)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	87%
Psychology	6%
Life Sciences	3%
2 Other Domains	4%

Kinds of Heavy Drinking

day heavy drinking

Terms modified by Heavy Drinking

heavy drinking day

Selected Abstracts

Alcohol expectancies in convicted rapists and child molesters

CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 2 2001
Anu S. Aromäki PhD
Background Previous findings suggest that cognitive factors and expectancies related to drinking can mediate subjective sexual arousal as well as aggression in men. Our aim was to investigate the drinking habits and alcohol-related expectancies that might predispose men to sexually aggress in two groups of sexual offenders. Method Men convicted of rape (n = 10) were compared with men convicted of child molesting (n = 10) and with control subjects (n = 31). Current drinking habits (while not in prison) were assessed by self-report, and the extent of alcohol abuse was mapped by the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST; Selzer, 1971). Cognitive expectancies related to alcohol use were explored by the standard Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (AEQ; Brown et al., 1980). Results The majority of the men who committed rape (70%) but only a third of the men convicted of child molesting were diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder. Alcohol abuse was common in men convicted of both rape and child molesting and the men convicted of rape expected significantly more positive effects from drinking than the control group. Both sex offender groups were the only groups to express significant alcohol-related cognitive expectancies linked to arousal and aggression. Expectancy patterns were directly linked to the antisocial personality characteristics. Conclusion Alcohol abuse is common in men who commit both rape and child molesting. Heavy drinking and the anticipation of alcohol effects such as sexual enhancement, arousal and aggression may facilitate sexual aggression in offenders with antisocial personality disorder. Copyright © 2001 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source]

Policy implications of the widespread practice of ,pre-drinking' or ,pre-gaming' before going to public drinking establishments,are current prevention strategies backfiring?

ADDICTION, Issue 1 2009
Samantha Wells
ABSTRACT Aim To describe the research, policy and prevention implications of pre-drinking or pre-gaming; that is, planned heavy drinking prior to going to a public drinking establishment. Methods The authors describe the phenomenon of pre-drinking, motivations for pre-drinking and its associated risks using available research literature, media and popular internet vehicles. Results Heavy drinking prior to going out has emerged as a common and celebrated practice among young adults around the world. Apparent motivations are: (i) to avoid paying for high priced drinks at commercial drinking establishments; (ii) to achieve drunkenness and enhance and extend the night out; and (iii) to socialize with friends, reduce social anxiety or enhance male group bonding before going out. Limited existing research on pre-drinking suggests that it is associated with heavy drinking and harmful consequences. We argue that policies focused upon reducing drinking in licensed premises may have the unintended consequence of displacing drinking to pre-drinking environments, possibly resulting in greater harms. Conclusions Effective policy and prevention for drinking in licensed premises requires a comprehensive approach that takes into account the entire drinking occasion (not just drinking that occurs in the licensed environment), as well as the ,determined drunkenness' goal of some young people. [source]

HUMAN STUDY: Heavy drinking relates to positive valence ratings of alcohol cues

ADDICTION BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2009
Carmen Pulido
ABSTRACT A positive family history of alcohol use disorders (FH) is a robust predictor of personal alcohol abuse and dependence. Exposure to problem-drinking models is one mechanism through which family history influences alcohol-related cognitions and drinking patterns. Similarly, exposure to alcohol advertisements is associated with alcohol involvement and the relationship between affective response to alcohol cues and drinking behavior has not been well established. In addition, the collective contribution that FH, exposure to different types of problem-drinking models (e.g. parents, peers) and personal alcohol use have on appraisal of alcohol-related stimuli has not been evaluated with a large sample. We investigated the independent effects of FH, exposure to problem-drinking models and personal alcohol use on valence ratings of alcohol pictures in a college sample. College students (n = 227) completed measures of personal drinking and substance use, exposure to problem-drinking models, FH and ratings on affective valence of 60 alcohol pictures. Greater exposure to non-familial problem-drinkers predicted greater drinking among college students (, = 0.17, P < 0.01). However, personal drinking was the only predictor of valence ratings of alcohol pictures (, = ,0.53, P < 0.001). Personal drinking level predicted valence ratings of alcohol cues over and above FH, exposure to problem-drinking models and demographic characteristics. This suggests that positive affective responses to alcohol pictures are more a function of personal experience (i.e. repeated heavy alcohol use) than vicarious learning. [source]

Blood Glucose Level, Alcohol Heavy Drinking, and Alcohol Craving During Treatment for Alcohol Dependence: Results From the Combined Pharmacotherapies and Behavioral Interventions for Alcohol Dependence (COMBINE) Study

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 9 2009
Lorenzo Leggio
Background:, Heavy drinking may increase blood glucose levels. Moreover, in alcohol-dependent subjects, glucose may play a putative role in alcohol preference. Methods:, This study investigated the relationship between blood glucose levels and both alcohol heavy drinking and craving in alcohol-dependent subjects participating in the COMBINE Study. The primary objective was to evaluate the relationship between baseline (pretreatment) glucose levels and percentage of heavy drinking day (PHDD) during treatment. The secondary objective was to evaluate the relationship between glucose levels, baseline PHDD, and craving measured by the Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS). Results:, This analysis consisted of 1,324 participants. Baseline glucose levels were significantly and positively associated with PHDD during treatment [F(1, 1225) = 5.21, p = 0.023], after controlling for baseline PHDD [F(1, 1225) = 36.25, p < 0.0001], gender [F (1, 1225) = 3.33, p = 0.07], and body mass index (BMI) [F(1, 1225) = 0.31, p = 0.58]. Higher glucose levels at baseline were associated with a higher percentage of PHDD at pretreatment [F(1, 1304) = 5.96, p = 0.015], after controlling for gender [F(1, 1304) = 0.29, p = 0.59] and BMI [F(1, 1304) = 0.90, p = 0.34]. Glucose was not significantly associated with the OCDS total score [F(1, 1304) = 0.12, p = 0.73], the OCDS Obsessive subscale [F(1, 1304) = 0.35, p = 0.56], or the OCDS Compulsive subscale [F(1, 1304) = 1.19, p = 0.28] scores, after controlling for gender and BMI. Discussion:, A link between pretreatment glucose levels and heavy drinking during treatment was found, suggesting a role of glucose in predicting heavy alcohol consumption. Although caution is needed in the interpretation of these results, elevated glucose and heavy drinking may be affected by a common mechanism and manipulations affecting glucose regulation may influence alcohol consumption. [source]

Immunoglobulin-E Reactivity to a Glycosylated Food Allergen (Peanuts) Due to Interference With Cross-Reactive Carbohydrate Determinants in Heavy Drinkers

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 8 2009
C. Vidal
Background:, N-glycans in plant and invertebrate glycoproteins can induce extensive IgE cross-reactivity therefore limiting the specificity of in vitro allergy tests. IgE sensitization to N-glycans (cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants, CCDs) may be increased in heavy drinkers, who therefore show IgE reactivity to aeroallergens, latex, and Hymenoptera venoms. The peanut, a CCD-bearing allergen, is the leading cause of severe food allergic reactions in many populations. Aim of the study:, To investigate the potential interference of CCDs with determinations of IgE to peanuts in heavy drinkers. Methods:, We determined IgE to peanuts and IgE to a CCD marker (MUXF3, the N-glycan from bromelain) in 41 heavy drinkers admitted to the hospital and 54 healthy controls. None of the participants reported symptoms of peanut allergy. In cases with positive (,0.35 kU/l) IgE to peanuts, we performed inhibition assays with a neoglycoprotein consisting of MUXF3 molecules coupled to bovine serum albumin (MUXF3 -BSA) and a similar neoglycoprotein lacking xylose and fucose (MM-BSA). In the same cases, we screened for IgE to a panel of recombinant nonglycosylated peanut allergens. SDS-PAGE immunoblotting and inhibition assays were performed in selected cases. Results:, The prevalence of positive IgE to peanuts was 22 and 3.7% in heavy drinkers and healthy controls, respectively (p < 0.001). Peanut-IgE positivity was closely related to the presence of IgE to CCDs. In most (8/9) heavy drinkers with positive IgE to peanuts, reactivity was inhibited by preincubation with MUXF3 -BSA, but not with MM-BSA. IgE binding to multiple bands on immunoblotting studies was also inhibited by MUXF3 -BSA preincubation. IgE to nonglycosylated recombinant peanut allergens was uniformly negative. Conclusion:, Heavy drinking is associated with clinically asymptomatic IgE reactivity to peanuts, a relevant food allergen, in relation to CCD interference. [source]

Are we becoming more alike?

DRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 5 2008
2004 national household surveys, Comparison of substance use in Australia, the United States as seen in the 199
Abstract Introduction. This paper reports the results of the 1995, 1998, 2001 and 2004 Australian and US household surveys, with emphasis on changes since 2001. Design and Methods. The US survey data were recalculated to match age groups in the Australian data. Statistically significant changes are reported. Differences in prevalence of use by gender within age group were tested for significance. Results. The past-year use of ,any illicit drug', cannabis, cocaine, tranquillisers and injecting drugs decreased between 2001 and 2004 in Australia, but remained stable for all these drugs except ecstasy between 2002 and 2004 in the United States. The use of hallucinogens decreased in both countries. Alcohol and use of many illicit drugs by teenage girls in both countries increased to rates similar to or higher than boys, and teens in both countries reported binge and heavy drinking in the past month. Australians in their 20s had the highest rates of use, but in the United States, past-year use of many drugs was highest among teenagers. Discussion. More treatment services are needed, particularly for people dependent upon non-opiate drugs. The changes in acceptability of use of different drugs and their perceived availability are related to changes in prevalence rates. Even with the similarities in levels of use, there are differences in patterns of use and preferences for certain drugs in each country, and geographic proximity to drug sources is a factor. [source]

Hazardous alcohol consumption and other barriers to antiviral treatment among hepatitis C positive people receiving opioid maintenance treatment

DRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 3 2007
BIANCA WATSON
Abstract Amongst people on opioid maintenance treatment (OMT), chronic hepatitis C (HCV) is common but infrequently treated. Numerous barriers, including misuse of alcohol may limit efforts at anti-viral treatment. The aim of this study was to define barriers, including alcohol misuse, to the effective treatment of HCV amongst OMT recipients. Ninety-four OMT patients completed the 3-item Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C). A semi-structured interview was used in 53 subjects to assess alcohol use in detail, psychological health, discrimination and access to HCV treatment. Feasibility of brief intervention for alcohol misuse was assessed. Of the screening participants, 73% reported they were HCV positive. Of the detailed interview participants, 26% reported no drinking in the past month, but 53% scored 8 or more on AUDIT and 42% exceeded NHMRC drinking guidelines. Twenty subjects received brief intervention and among 17 re-interviewed at one month, alcohol consumption fell by 3.1 g/day (p = 0.003). Severe or extremely severe depression, stress and anxiety were found in 57%, 51% and 40% of interviewees respectively. Episodic heavy drinking, mental health problems, perceived discrimination, limited knowledge concerning HCV were all common and uptake of HCV treatment was poor. Brief intervention for alcohol use problems was acceptable to OMT patients, and warrants further study. [source]

Implementation of brief alcohol intervention in primary health care: do nurses' and general practitioners' attitudes, skills and knowledge change?

DRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 6 2005
MAURI AALTO
Abstract Brief alcohol intervention reduces heavy drinking, but its implementation has been challenging. The purpose was to evaluate self-reported changes in attitudes, skills and knowledge regarding brief intervention among nurses and general practitioners (GPs) during an implementation project. A questionnaire survey was used before and after the implementation to all nurses and GPs working at the time in the seven primary health-care centres of the city of Tampere, Finland. Several positive changes indicate an increased amount of knowledge regarding brief intervention among the professionals during the implementation. This was found especially among the nurses. The success in increasing the knowledge can also be seen in a decrease of training needs. Instead, attitudes and skills among the professionals did not seem to develop positively. Increasing motivational skills especially seems to be the future challenge. [source]

Initial, habitual and compulsive alcohol use is characterized by a shift of cue processing from ventral to dorsal striatum

ADDICTION, Issue 10 2010
Sabine Vollstädt-Klein
ABSTRACT Aims During the development of drug addiction, initial hedonic effects decrease when substance use becomes habitual and ultimately compulsive. Animal research suggests that these changes are represented by a transition from prefrontal cortical control to subcortical striatal control and within the striatum from ventral to dorsal domains of the striatum, but only limited evidence exists in humans. In this study we address this hypothesis in the context of alcohol dependence. Design, setting and participants Non-abstinent heavy social drinkers (n = 21, 5.0 ± 1.5 drinks/day, 13 of them were alcohol-dependent according to DSM-IV) and light social drinkers (n = 10, 0.4 ± 0.4 drinks/day) were examined. Measurements We used a cue-reactivity functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) design during which pictures of alcoholic beverages and neutral control stimuli were presented. Findings In the dorsal striatum heavy drinkers showed significant higher activations compared to light drinkers, whereas light social drinkers showed higher cue-induced fMRI activations in the ventral striatum and in prefrontal areas compared to heavy social drinkers [region of interest analyses, P < 0.05 false discovery rate (FDR)-corrected]. Correspondingly, ventral striatal activation in heavy drinkers correlated negatively with obsessive-compulsive craving, and furthermore we found a positive association between cue-induced activation in the dorsal striatum and obsessive-compulsive craving in all participants. Conclusions In line with our hypothesis we found higher cue-induced activation of the ventral striatum in social compared to heavy drinkers, and higher dorsal striatal activation in heavy drinkers. Increased prefrontal activation may indicate that social drinkers activate cortical control when viewing alcohol cues, which may prevent the development of heavy drinking or alcohol dependence. Our results suggest differentiating treatment research depending on whether alcohol use is hedonic or compulsive. [source]

Deliberate induction of alcohol tolerance: empirical introduction to a novel health risk

ADDICTION, Issue 10 2010
Julia A. Martinez
ABSTRACT Aims Alcohol tolerance is a hallmark indicator of alcohol dependence. Even so, the allure of peers' admiration for having the ability to drink heavily may lead some adolescents and young adults to practice, or ,train', to increase their tolerance (particularly at US colleges, where heavy drinking is highly prevalent and central to the social culture). This is a potential health hazard that has not been documented empirically. Thus, we initiated a study of tolerance ,training' and its association to risky and heavy drinking. Design, setting and participants A cross-sectional online survey of 990 college student life-time drinkers at a large Midwestern US university. Findings Of the sample, 9.9% (n = 97) reported deliberately ,training' to increase tolerance. On average, they reported increasing from approximately seven to 10 US standard drinks in a night prior to ,training' to 12,15 drinks at the end of ,training,' over approximately 2,3 weeks' duration. Although the proportion of frequent binge drinking among ,non-trainers' (34.4%) was similar to national rates, ,trainers' were much more likely to be frequent bingers (76.3%; OR = 6.15). Conclusions A number of students report deliberately inducing alcohol tolerance, probably directly increasing the risk for alcohol poisoning and other acute harms and/or dependence. This phenomenon might additionally be applicable to other populations, and deserves further study and attention as a potential personal and public health risk. Prevention efforts might aim to reduce the perceived importance of heavy-drinking abilities. [source]

Should symptom frequency be factored into scalar measures of alcohol use disorder severity?

ADDICTION, Issue 9 2010
Deborah A. Dawson
ABSTRACT Aims To evaluate whether weighting counts of alcohol use disorder (AUD) criteria or symptoms by their frequency of occurrence improves their association with correlates of AUD. Design and participants Data were collected in personal interviews with a representative sample of US adults interviewed in 1991,92. Analyses were conducted among past-year drinkers (12+ drinks, n = 18 352) and individuals with past-year DSM-IV AUD (n = 2770). Measurements Thirty-one symptom item indicators, whose frequency of occurrence was measured in eight categories, were used to create unweighted and frequency-weighted counts of DSM-IV past-year AUD symptoms and criteria. Correlates included density of familial alcoholism and past-year volume of ethanol intake, frequency of intoxication and utilization of alcohol treatment. Findings Although the AUD correlates were associated strongly and positively with the frequency of AUD symptom occurrence, weighting for symptom frequency did not strengthen their association consistently with AUD severity scores. Improved performance of the weighted scores was observed primarily among AUD correlates linked closely with the frequency of heavy drinking and among individuals with AUD. Criterion counts were correlated nearly as strongly as symptom counts with the AUD correlates. Conclusions Frequency weighting may add somewhat to the validity of AUD severity measures, especially those that are intended for use among individuals with AUD, e.g. in clinical settings. For studying the etiology and course of AUD in the general population, an equally effective and less time-consuming alternative to obtaining symptom frequency may be the use of unweighted criterion counts accompanied by independent measures of frequency of heavy drinking. [source]

US state alcohol sales compared to survey data, 1993,2006

ADDICTION, Issue 9 2010
David E. Nelson
ABSTRACT Aims Assess long-term trends of the correlation between alcohol sales data and survey data. Design Analyses of state alcohol consumption data from the US Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System based on sales, tax receipts or alcohol shipments. Cross-sectional, state annual estimates of alcohol-related measures for adults from the US Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System using telephone surveys. Setting United States. Participants State alcohol tax authorities, alcohol vendors, alcohol industry (sales data) and randomly selected adults aged , 18 years 1993,2006 (survey data). Measurements State-level per capita annual alcohol consumption estimates from sales data. Self-reported alcohol consumption, current drinking, heavy drinking, binge drinking and alcohol-impaired driving from surveys. Correlation coefficients were calculated using linear regression models. Findings State survey estimates of consumption accounted for a median of 22% to 32% of state sales data across years. Nevertheless, state consumption estimates from both sources were strongly correlated with annual r-values ranging from 0.55,0.71. State sales data had moderate-to-strong correlations with survey estimates of current drinking, heavy drinking and binge drinking (range of r-values across years: 0.57,0.65; 0.33,0.70 and 0.45,0.61, respectively), but a weaker correlation with alcohol-impaired driving (range of r-values: 0.24,0.56). There were no trends in the magnitude of correlation coefficients. Conclusions Although state surveys substantially underestimated alcohol consumption, the consistency of the strength of the association between sales consumption and survey data for most alcohol measures suggest both data sources continue to provide valuable information. These findings support and extend the distribution of consumption model and single distribution theory, suggesting that both sales and survey data are useful for monitoring population changes in alcohol use. [source]

Individual, partner and relationship factors associated with non-medical use of prescription drugs

ADDICTION, Issue 8 2010
Gregory G. Homish
ABSTRACT Aims The objective of the current report was to examine individual, partner and relationship factors (e.g. relationship satisfaction) associated with the non-medical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD) in a community sample of married adults. Design The current report used two waves of data from an ongoing study of couples who were recruited at the time they applied for their marriage license and are now in the 10th year of follow-up. Logistic regression models examined the relation between individual, partner and relationship factors and NMUPD. Participants This report is based on 273 couples. Measurements Participants completed questionnaires that assessed prescription drug use, alcohol use, other substance use, depression, marital satisfaction and socio-demographic factors. Findings Among wives, there was evidence that a partner's prescription drug use and relationship factors were associated with increased risk for NMUPD. There was some evidence suggesting that it was the increased access or availability, and not the partner's use per se, that was related to the NMUPD. These results persisted after controlling for other illicit drug use, heavy drinking, depressive symptomatology and socio-demographic factors. Among men, neither partner use nor relationship factors were associated with NMUPD after considering the impact of individual-level risk factors. Conclusion Prevention and intervention efforts directed at reducing the risk for NMUPD should consider the influence of partner and relationship factors in addition to individual-level risk factors. [source]

Predictors of hangover during a week of heavy drinking on holiday

ADDICTION, Issue 3 2010
Morten Hesse
ABSTRACT Aims To investigate predictors of hangover during a week of heavy drinking in young adults. Design Observational prospective study. Methods A total of 112 young Danish tourists were interviewed on three occasions during their holiday. They completed the Acute Hangover Scale and answered questions about their alcohol consumption and rest duration. The incidence of hangover was analysed as the proportion of heavy drinkers (i.e. those reporting drinking more than 12 standard units of alcohol during the night before) scoring above the 90th percentile of light drinkers (i.e. those who had consumed fewer than seven standard units the night before). We estimated the course and predictors of hangover using random effects regression. Results The incidence of hangover was 68% after drinking more than 12 standard units in the whole sample. The severity of hangover increased significantly during a week of heavy drinking and there was a time × number of drinks interaction, indicating that the impact of alcohol consumed on hangover became more pronounced later in the week. Levels of drinking before the holiday did not predict hangover. Conclusions Hangovers after heavy drinking during holidays appear to be related both to amount drunk and time into the holiday. [source]

A dose,response perspective on college drinking and related problems

ADDICTION, Issue 2 2010
Paul J. Gruenewald
ABSTRACT Aims In order to examine the degree to which heavy drinking contributes to risks for problems among college drinkers this paper develops and tests a dose,response model of alcohol use that relates frequencies of drinking specific quantities of alcohol to the incidence of drinking problems. Methods A mathematical model was developed that enabled estimation of dose,response relationships between drinking quantities and drinking problems using self-report data from 8698 college drinkers across 14 campuses in California, USA. The model assumes that drinking risks are a direct monotone function of the amount consumed per day and additive across drinking days. Drinking problems accumulate across drinking occasions and are the basis for cumulative reports of drinking problems reported by college drinkers. Results Statistical analyses using the model showed that drinking problems were related to every drinking level, but increased fivefold at three drinks and more gradually thereafter. Problems were associated most strongly with occasions on which three drinks were consumed, and more than half of all reported problems were related to occasions on which four or fewer drinks were consumed. There were some important differences in dose,responsiveness between men and women and between different groups of ,light', ,moderate' and ,heavier' drinkers. Conclusion Many problems among college students are associated with drinking relatively small amounts of alcohol (two to four drinks). Programs to reduce college drinking problems should emphasize risks associated with low drinking levels. [source]

Ethnic differences in drinking outcomes following a brief alcohol intervention in the trauma care setting

ADDICTION, Issue 1 2010
Craig A. Field
ABSTRACT Background Evidence suggests that brief interventions in the trauma care setting reduce drinking, subsequent injury and driving under the influence (DUI) arrest. However, evidence on the effectiveness of these interventions in ethnic minority groups is lacking. The current study evaluates the efficacy of brief intervention among whites, blacks and Hispanics in the United States. Methods We conducted a two-group parallel randomized trial comparing brief motivational intervention (BMI) and treatment as usual with assessment (TAU+) to evaluate treatment differences in drinking patterns by ethnicity. Patients were recruited from a level 1 urban trauma center over a 2-year period. The study included 1493 trauma patients, including 668 whites, 288 blacks and 537 Hispanics. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to evaluate ethnic differences in drinking outcomes including volume per week, maximum amount consumed in 1 day, percentage days abstinent and percentage days heavy drinking at 6- and 12-month follow-up. Analyses controlled for age, gender, employment status, marital status, prior alcohol treatment, type of injury and injury severity. Special emphasis was given to potential ethnic differences by testing the interaction between ethnicity and BMI. Results At 6- and 12-month follow-up, BMI significantly reduced maximum amount consumed in 1 day (P < 0.001; P < 0.001, respectively) and percentage days heavy drinking (P < 0.05; P < 0.05, respectively) among Hispanics. Hispanics in the BMI group also reduced average volume per week at 12-month follow-up (,2 = 6.8, df = 1, P < 0.01). In addition, Hispanics in TAU+ reduced maximum amount consumed at 6- and 12-month follow-up (P < 0.001; P < 0.001) and volume per week at 12-month follow-up (P < 0.001). Whites and blacks in both BMI and TAU+ reduced volume per week and percentage days heavy drinking at 12-month follow-up (P < 0.001; P < 0.01, respectively) and decreased maximum amount at 6- (P < 0.001) and 12-month follow-up (P < 0.001). All three ethnic groups In both BMI and TAU+ reduced volume per week at 6-month follow-up (P < 0.001) and percentage days abstinent at 6- (P < 0.001) and 12-month follow-up (P < 0.001). Conclusions All three ethnic groups evidenced reductions in drinking at 6- and 12-month follow-up independent of treatment assignment. Among Hispanics, BMI reduced alcohol intake significantly as measured by average volume per week, percentage days heavy drinking and maximum amount consumed in 1 day. [source]

Alcohol control policies and alcohol consumption by youth: a multi-national study

ADDICTION, Issue 11 2009
Mallie J. Paschall
ABSTRACT Aims The study examined relationships between alcohol control policies and adolescent alcohol use in 26 countries. Design Cross-sectional analyses of alcohol policy ratings based on the Alcohol Policy Index (API), per capita consumption and national adolescent survey data. Setting Data are from 26 countries. Participants Adolescents (aged 15,17 years) who participated in the 2003 European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) or national secondary school surveys in Spain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Measurements Alcohol control policy ratings based on the API; prevalence of alcohol use, heavy drinking and first drink by age 13 based on national secondary school surveys; per capita alcohol consumption for each country in 2003. Analysis Correlational and linear regression analyses were conducted to examine relationships between alcohol control policy ratings and past 30-day prevalence of adolescent alcohol use, heavy drinking and having first drink by age 13. Per capita consumption of alcohol was included as a covariate in regression analyses. Findings More comprehensive API ratings and alcohol availability and advertising control ratings were related inversely to the past 30-day prevalence of alcohol use and prevalence rates for drinking three to five times and six or more times in the past 30 days. Alcohol advertising control was also related inversely to the prevalence of past 30-day heavy drinking and having first drink by age 13. Most of the relationships between API, alcohol availability and advertising control and drinking prevalence rates were attenuated and no longer statistically significant when controlling for per capita consumption in regression analyses, suggesting that alcohol use in the general population may confound or mediate observed relationships between alcohol control policies and youth alcohol consumption. Several of the inverse relationships remained statistically significant when controlling for per capita consumption. Conclusions More comprehensive and stringent alcohol control policies, particularly policies affecting alcohol availability and marketing, are associated with lower prevalence and frequency of adolescent alcohol consumption and age of first alcohol use. [source]

Preventing heavy alcohol use in adolescents (PAS): cluster randomized trial of a parent and student intervention offered separately and simultaneously

ADDICTION, Issue 10 2009
Ina M. Koning
ABSTRACT Aims To evaluate the effectiveness of two preventive interventions to reduce heavy drinking in first- and second-year high school students. Design and setting Cluster randomized controlled trial using four conditions for comparing two active interventions with a control group from 152 classes of 19 high schools in the Netherlands. Participants A total of 3490 first-year high school students (mean 12.68 years, SD = 0.51) and their parents. Intervention conditions (i) Parent intervention (modelled on the Swedish Örebro Prevention Program) aimed at encouraging parental rule-setting concerning their children's alcohol consumption; (ii) student intervention consisting of four digital lessons based on the principles of the theory of planned behaviour and social cognitive theory; (iii) interventions 1 and 2 combined; and (iv) the regular curriculum as control condition. Main outcome measures Incidence of (heavy) weekly alcohol use and frequency of monthly drinking at 10 and 22 months after baseline measurement. Findings A total of 2937 students were eligible for analyses in this study. At first follow-up, only the combined student,parent intervention showed substantial and statistically significant effects on heavy weekly drinking, weekly drinking and frequency of drinking. At second follow-up these results were replicated, except for the effects of the combined intervention on heavy weekly drinking. These findings were consistent across intention-to-treat and completers-only analyses. Conclusions Results suggest that adolescents as well as their parents should be targeted in order to delay the onset of drinking, preferably prior to onset of weekly drinking. [source]

Gender and alcohol consumption: patterns from the multinational GENACIS project

ADDICTION, Issue 9 2009
Richard W. Wilsnack
ABSTRACT Aims To evaluate multinational patterns of gender- and age-specific alcohol consumption. Design and participants Large general-population surveys of men's and women's drinking behavior (n's > 900) in 35 countries in 1997,2007 used a standardized questionnaire (25 countries) or measures comparable to those in the standardized questionnaire. Measurements Data from men and women in three age groups (18,34, 35,49, 50,65) showed the prevalence of drinkers, former drinkers, and lifetime abstainers; and the prevalence of high-frequency, high-volume, and heavy episodic drinking among current drinkers. Analyses examined gender ratios for prevalence rates and the direction of changes in prevalence rates across age groups. Findings Drinking per se and high-volume drinking were consistently more prevalent among men than among women, but lifetime abstention from alcohol was consistently more prevalent among women. Among respondents who had ever been drinkers, women in all age groups were consistently more likely to have stopped drinking than men were. Among drinkers, the prevalence of high-frequency drinking was consistently greatest in the oldest age group, particularly among men. Unexpectedly, the prevalence of drinking per se did not decline consistently with increasing age, and declines in high-volume and heavy episodic drinking with increasing age were more typical in Europe and English-speaking countries. Conclusions As expected, men still exceed women in drinking and high-volume drinking, although gender ratios vary. Better explanations are needed for why more women than men quit drinking, and why aging does not consistently reduce drinking and heavy drinking outside Europe and English-speaking countries. [source]

Anxiety and depression among abstainers and low-level alcohol consumers.

ADDICTION, Issue 9 2009
The Nord-Trøndelag Health Study
ABSTRACT Aims The aim of this study was to examine the levels of anxiety and depression among individuals consuming low levels of alcohol. Design Prospective and cross-sectional population-based study. Setting and participants This study employed data from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Survey (HUNT-2, n = 38 930). Measurements Alcohol consumption was measured by self-report of usual alcohol consumption during a 2-week period. Low-level alcohol consumption was defined as self-reported abstainers and non-abstainers currently consuming no alcohol. Anxiety and depression were measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Rating Scale. Potential explanatory variables included somatic illness and symptoms, health-related behaviour, socio-economic status and social activity. In a subsample (n = 20 337), we also looked at the impact of previous heavy drinking among abstainers ('sick-quitting'). Findings A U-shaped association between alcohol consumption and the risk of anxiety and depression was found. Abstention was related to increased odds for both case-level anxiety [1.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.19,1.52] and depression (1.52, 95% CI 1.30,1.77). This association was accounted for partly by adjustments for socio-economic status, social network, somatic illness, age (depression only), gender (anxiety only) and ,sick-quitting'. We also identified significant differences between participants who label themselves as abstainers compared to those who report no usual alcohol consumption, but who do not label themselves as abstainers. Conclusions The risk of case-level anxiety and depression is elevated in individuals with low alcohol consumption compared to those with moderate consumption. Individuals who label themselves as abstainers are at particularly increased risk. This increased risk cannot fully be explained by somatic illness, social activity or ,sick-quitting'. [source]

Diverse alcohol drinking patterns in 20 African countries

ADDICTION, Issue 7 2009
Thomas Clausen
ABSTRACT Aims This paper describes drinking patterns in 20 African countries, exploring the extent of abstention, heavy occasional drinking and daily light drinking and how these aspects of drinking are inter-related. Design and participants Data were collected as part of the World Health Survey in 2002,04 and comprise national representative data sets from 20 African countries. A cross-sectional survey of 77 165 adults aged 18 years and older were undertaken by face-to-face interviews in respondent households. Measures Drinking behaviour was assessed in terms of life-time abstention and the following measures over the 7 days immediately preceding interview: high consumption (15 or more drinks); heavy drinking occasions (five or more standard units at at least one session) and daily light drinking (one or two drinks daily). Findings In four countries (Comoros, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal), virtually all respondents were life-time abstainers. The prevalence of current drinkers (previous week) did not exceed one-third in any country. Among current drinkers the prevalence of heavy drinking varied between 7% and 77% and the prevalence of daily light drinkers varied between 0% and 21%. Overall drinking patterns varied significantly between and within the examined African countries. Conclusions African drinking patterns are diverse, and although life-time abstinence dominates in African countries, a single typical pattern of drinking for the African continent, such as the alleged ,all-or-none' pattern, was not observed. [source]

Binge drinking and depressive symptoms: a 5-year population-based cohort study

ADDICTION, Issue 7 2009
Tapio Paljärvi
ABSTRACT Background Only few prospective population studies have been able so far to investigate depression and drinking patterns in detail. Therefore, little is known about what aspect of alcohol consumption best predicts symptoms of depression in the general population. Participants and design In this prospective population-based two-wave cohort study, a cohort of alcohol-drinking men and women (n = 15 926) were followed-up after 5 years. A postal questionnaire was sent in 1998 (response proportion 40%) and again in 2003 (response proportion 80% of the baseline participants) to Finnish adults aged 20,54 years at baseline. Measurements Alcohol consumption was measured by average intake (g/week) and by measures of binge drinking (intoxications, hangovers and alcohol-induced pass-outs). Depressive symptoms were assessed with the 21-item Beck Depression Inventory. In addition, information from hospital discharge register for depression and alcohol abuse were linked to the data. Findings This study found a positive association between baseline binge drinking and depressive symptoms 5 years later. Adjustment for several possible confounders attenuated the observed relationships only slightly, suggesting that binge drinking contributes independently to the occurrence of depressive symptoms. Binge drinking was related to symptoms of depression independently of average intake. Conclusions This study supports the hypothesis that heavy drinking, and in particular a binge pattern involving intoxications, hangovers or pass-outs, produces depressive symptoms in the general population. The frequency of hangovers was the best predictor for depressive symptoms. [source]

Ethyl glucuronide in hair.

ADDICTION, Issue 6 2009
A sensitive, specific marker of chronic heavy drinking
ABSTRACT Aims This study aims to define a cut-off concentration for ethyl glucuronide in hair to determine if there was a history of heavy drinking. Settings Pavia, Italy. Participants We analysed hair samples from 98 volunteers among teetotallers, social drinkers and heavy drinkers, whose ethanol daily intake (EDI) was estimated by means of a written questionnaire. Measurements Ethyl glucuronide hair concentration (HEtG) was measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (lower limit of quantification: 3 pg/mg) using a fully validated method. Findings The HEtG level providing the best compromise between sensitivity (0.92) and specificity (0.96) at detecting an EDI of 60 g or higher during the last 3 months was 27 pg/mg. None of the factors examined among those known to affect ethanol metabolism and/or the diagnostic power of other markers of ethanol use or hair analyses, including age, gender, body mass index, tobacco smoke, prevalent beverage, hair colour, cosmetic treatments and hygienic habits was found to influence marker performance significantly. However, the slight differences in HEtG performance observed for some factors (e.g. body mass index, smoke and hair treatments) require further studies on larger groups of individuals in order to assess their influence more precisely. Conclusions Our results confirm further that HEtG is a sensitive and specific marker of chronic heavy drinking. [source]

Drinking patterns, dependency and life-time drinking history in alcohol-related liver disease

ADDICTION, Issue 4 2009
Jennifer Hatton
ABSTRACT Aims To examine the hypothesis that increases in UK liver deaths are a result of episodic or binge drinking as opposed to regular harmful drinking. Design A prospective survey of consecutive in-patients and out-patients. Setting The liver unit of a teaching hospital in the South of England. Participants A total of 234 consecutive in-patients and out-patients between October 2007 and March 2008. Measurements Face-to-face interviews, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, 7-day drinking diary, Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire, Lifetime Drinking History and liver assessment. Findings Of the 234 subjects, 106 had alcohol as a major contributing factor (alcoholic liver disease: ALD), 80 of whom had evidence of cirrhosis or progressive fibrosis. Of these subjects, 57 (71%) drank on a daily basis; only 10 subjects (13%) drank on fewer than 4 days of the week,of these, five had stopped drinking recently and four had cut down. In ALD patients two life-time drinking patterns accounted for 82% of subjects, increasing from youth (51%), and a variable drinking pattern (31%). ALD patients had significantly more drinking days and units/drinking day than non-ALD patients from the age of 20 years onwards. Conclusions Increases in UK liver deaths are a result of daily or near-daily heavy drinking, not episodic or binge drinking, and this regular drinking pattern is often discernable at an early age. [source]

Facilitating involvement in Alcoholics Anonymous during out-patient treatment: a randomized clinical trial

ADDICTION, Issue 3 2009
Kimberly S. Walitzer
ABSTRACT Aim This study evaluated two strategies to facilitate involvement in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA),a 12-Step-based directive approach and a motivational enhancement approach,during skills-focused individual treatment. Design Randomized controlled trial with assessments at baseline, end of treatment and 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after treatment. Participants, setting and intervention A total of 169 alcoholic out-patients (57 women) assigned randomly to one of three conditions: a directive approach to facilitating AA, a motivational enhancement approach to facilitating AA or treatment as usual, with no special emphasis on AA. Measurements Self-report of AA meeting attendance and involvement, alcohol consumption (percentage of days abstinent, percentage of days heavy drinking) and negative alcohol consequences. Findings Participants exposed to the 12-Step directive condition for facilitating AA involvement reported more AA meeting attendance, more evidence of active involvement in AA and a higher percentage of days abstinent relative to participants in the treatment-as-usual comparison group. Evidence also suggested that the effect of the directive strategy on abstinent days was mediated partially through AA involvement. The motivational enhancement approach to facilitating AA had no effect on outcome measures. Conclusions These results suggest that treatment providers can use a 12-Step-based directive approach to effectively facilitate involvement in AA and thereby improve client outcome. [source]

Effects of beverage alcohol price and tax levels on drinking: a meta-analysis of 1003 estimates from 112 studies

ADDICTION, Issue 2 2009
Alexander C. Wagenaar
ABSTRACT Aims We conducted a systematic review of studies examining relationships between measures of beverage alcohol tax or price levels and alcohol sales or self-reported drinking. A total of 112 studies of alcohol tax or price effects were found, containing1003 estimates of the tax/price,consumption relationship. Design Studies included analyses of alternative outcome measures, varying subgroups of the population, several statistical models, and using different units of analysis. Multiple estimates were coded from each study, along with numerous study characteristics. Using reported estimates, standard errors, t -ratios, sample sizes and other statistics, we calculated the partial correlation for the relationship between alcohol price or tax and sales or drinking measures for each major model or subgroup reported within each study. Random-effects models were used to combine studies for inverse variance weighted overall estimates of the magnitude and significance of the relationship between alcohol tax/price and drinking. Findings Simple means of reported elasticities are ,0.46 for beer, ,0.69 for wine and ,0.80 for spirits. Meta-analytical results document the highly significant relationships (P < 0.001) between alcohol tax or price measures and indices of sales or consumption of alcohol (aggregate-level r = ,0.17 for beer, ,0.30 for wine, ,0.29 for spirits and ,0.44 for total alcohol). Price/tax also affects heavy drinking significantly (mean reported elasticity = ,0.28, individual-level r = ,0.01, P < 0.01), but the magnitude of effect is smaller than effects on overall drinking. Conclusions A large literature establishes that beverage alcohol prices and taxes are related inversely to drinking. Effects are large compared to other prevention policies and programs. Public policies that raise prices of alcohol are an effective means to reduce drinking. [source]

Policy implications of the widespread practice of ,pre-drinking' or ,pre-gaming' before going to public drinking establishments,are current prevention strategies backfiring?

Age,period,cohort modelling of alcohol volume and heavy drinking days in the US National Alcohol Surveys: divergence in younger and older adult trends

ADDICTION, Issue 1 2009
William C. Kerr
ABSTRACT Aims The decomposition of trends in alcohol volume and heavy drinking days into age, period, cohort and demographic effects offers an important perspective on the dynamics of change in alcohol use patterns in the United States. Design The present study utilizes data from six National Alcohol Surveys conducted over the 26-year period between 1979 and 2005. Setting United States. Measurements Alcohol volume and the number of days when five or more and eight or more drinks were consumed were derived from overall and beverage-specific graduated frequency questions. Results Trend analyses show that while mean values of drinking measures have continued to decline for those aged 26 and older, there has been a substantial increase in both alcohol volume and 5+ days among those aged 18,25 years. Age,period,cohort models indicate a potential positive cohort effect among those born after 1975. However, an alternative interpretation of an age,cohort interaction where drinking falls off more steeply in the late 20s than was the case in the oldest surveys cannot be ruled out. For women only, the 1956,60 birth cohort appears to drink more heavily than those born just before or after. Models also indicate the importance of income, ethnicity, education and marital status in determining these alcohol measures. Conclusions Increased heavy drinking among young adults in recent surveys presents a significant challenge for alcohol policy and may indicate a sustained increase in future US alcohol consumption. [source]

The impact of alcohol use on depressive symptoms in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients,

ADDICTION, Issue 9 2008
Lynn E. Sullivan
ABSTRACT Aims To examine the impact of alcohol use on depressive symptoms in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. Design Data were collected at 6-month intervals and analyzed to evaluate the association between alcohol dependence and consumption on depressive symptoms using longitudinal mixed-effects regression models controlling for specified covariates. Measurements The two independent variables were current alcohol dependence assessed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) and past month consumption (heavy versus not heavy drinking) using a validated calendar-based method. The primary outcome was depressive symptoms as measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Participants HIV-infected adults with current or past alcohol problems. Findings Alcohol dependence and heavy alcohol use were significantly associated with higher CES-D scores in unadjusted models. In adjusted analyses, the association of current alcohol dependence persisted [mean difference in CES-D was 3.49 for dependence versus non-dependence; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.76,5.22]; however, the effect of heavy drinking was no longer statistically significant (mean difference in CES-D was 1.04 for heavy versus not heavy drinking; 95% CI: ,0.24,2.32). Conclusions Alcohol use is associated with more depressive symptoms in HIV-infected patients with alcohol problems. This association remains significant after adjusting for potential confounders only when alcohol use meets the criteria for alcohol dependence. [source]

Alcohol consumption patterns and risk factors among childhood cancer survivors compared to siblings and general population peers

ADDICTION, Issue 7 2008
E. Anne Lown
ABSTRACT Aims This study describes alcohol consumption among adult survivors of pediatric cancer compared to sibling controls and a national sample of healthy peers. Risk factors for heavy drinking among survivors are described. Design, setting and participants Cross-sectional data were utilized from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study including adult survivors of pediatric cancer (n = 10 398) and a sibling cohort (n = 3034). Comparison data were drawn from the National Alcohol Survey (n = 4774). Measurement Alcohol consumption, demographic, cancer diagnosis, treatment and psychosocial factors were measured. Findings Compared to peers, survivors were slightly less likely to be risky [adjusted odds ratio (ORadj) = 0.9; confidence interval (CI) 0.8,1.0] and heavy drinkers (ORadj = 0.8; CI 0.7,0.9) and more likely to be current drinkers. Compared to siblings, survivors were less likely to be current, risky and heavy drinkers. Risk factors for survivors' heavy drinking included being age 18,21 years (ORadj = 2.0; 95% CI 1.5,2.6), male (ORadj = 2.1; 95% CI 1.8,2.6), having high school education or less (ORadj = 3.4; 95% CI 2.7,4.4) and drinking initiation before age 14 (ORadj = 6.9; 95% CI 4.4,10.8). Among survivors, symptoms of depression, anxiety or somatization, fair or poor self-assessed health, activity limitations and anxiety about cancer were associated with heavy drinking. Cognitively compromising treatment, brain tumors and older age at diagnosis were protective. Conclusions Adult survivors of childhood cancer show only a modest reduction in alcohol consumption compared to peers despite their more vulnerable health status. Distress and poorer health are associated with survivor heavy drinking. Screening for alcohol consumption should be instituted in long-term follow-up care and interventions among survivors and siblings should be established to reduce risk for early drinking. [source]