Safe, sensible, social: the national alcohol strategy

5 June 2007

The government's new alcohol strategy ensures laws and licensing powers tackling alcohol-fuelled crime and disorder are used properly.

The new alcohol strategy also sharpens the focus on that minority of drinkers who cause the most harm - to themselves, their communities and their families.

At the heart of this document is the desire to reduce the health damage, violence and anti-social behaviour associated with alcohol misuse, while ensuring that the majority of the population can continue to enjoy alcohol safely and responsibly.

Problem drinkers

The country's problem drinkers are most likely to be:

• 18-24 year old binge drinkers
• drinkers under age 18
• adult drinkers who don't realise their habits are damaging their health

Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker said everyone has a personal responsibility to drink in a safe, sensible and social way.

'Most people in this country do drink safely and responsibly, but the evidence of the damage caused by those who don't is plain to see. Alcohol abuse still costs us £20 billion a year in crime and damage to health,' Mr Coaker said.

Key actions

Key actions in the strategy include:

• sharpened criminal justice for drunken behaviour
• a review of NHS spending on alcohol-related health issues
• more help for those who want to drink less
• tougher enforcement of underage drinking laws
• public consultation on alcohol pricing and promotion
• compulsory local alcohol strategies

Keep an eye on how much you drink

Public Health Minister Caroline Flint said, 'Many people don't keep an eye on the amount of alcohol they drink, so they don't realise the damage they're doing to their health.'

Young People's Minister Parmjit Dhanda agreed, and said the problem disproportionately affected young drinkers.

'The evidence we've looked at suggests young people are drinking at a younger age and in greater quantities than before,' Mr Dhanda said.

This new strategy will help them and their parents make informed decisions about when they're mature enough to drink, and will let them know how much alcohol is safe to consume.

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Breaking the grip of our booze culture

By Philip Johnston, Home Affairs Editor

Last Updated: 6:15am BST 06/06/2007

''We want to make clear that it is no longer acceptable for someone to go out, get legless and vomit over people,'' Lady Scotland, the Home Office minister, said yesterday. It is difficult to imagine a time when such behaviour was ever acceptable; but we knew what she meant.

Lady Scotland was launching the latest stage of the Government's ''alcohol strategy'' aimed at making us drink less or, at least, more responsibly. Ministers have set themselves a pretty ambitious target which is radically to alter the ''booze culture'' that appears to have a greater grip on Britain than any other country.

Sceptics would suggest this approach sits oddly with the more flexible pub opening hours introduced 18 months ago but the Government claims this is part of the strategy.

As well as targeting the usual suspects - youngsters under 18 getting hold of alcohol and binge drinkers aged 18-24 - the Government also has older people in its sights. Caroline Flint, the public health minister, denied this was ''a crackdown on middle-class wine drinkers'' but bottles of fine claret will by next year be carrying health warnings.

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Read Full Article

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Psychiatric Distress in Incarcerated Women With Recent Cocaine and Alcohol Abuse
Women's Health Issues Article in Press 4 June 2007





This study aimed to determine how preincarceration abuse of alcohol and cocaine affected current psychiatric distress among female jail detainees held for 10–14 days.

Psychiatric distress is highest (and similar) among women in the high cocaine groups, regardless of alcohol use, and psychiatric distress is lowest among those who used both substances infrequently. Characteristics of psychiatric distress differed based on level of alcohol use, but only when cocaine use was low. High alcohol and cocaine use alone and together also predict the likelihood of psychiatric distress reaching a diagnosable level of severity.

High cocaine, alcohol, or combined use is related to higher levels of psychiatric distress among incarcerated women in this jail. Women should be screened at the time of incarceration, and women who have alcohol and other drug problems should receive treatment that includes mental health services.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-mail: velasquez@mail.utexas.edu

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Treatment Needs and Completion of Community-Based Aftercare Among Substance-Abusing Women Offenders
Women's Health Issues Article in Press, 4 June 2007




This paper explores the correlates of treatment needs among a sample of women offenders with substance-abuse problems and the relationship between their treatment needs and other background characteristics with completion of community-based treatment after parole.

Greater treatment needs were associated with unstable housing before incarceration, a history of sexual or physical abuse, mental health problems, alcohol or drug dependence, and first arrest at age <19; lower treatment needs were associated with having been mandated to prison-based treatment (versus volunteering).

Mental health problems and earlier age at first arrest predicted treatment noncompletion. Drug dependence was associated with higher treatment needs and a greater likelihood of treatment completion, whereas African American and Hispanic ethnicity were both associated with lower treatment needs (compared with Whites) and a lower likelihood of treatment completion.

Interventions are needed to engage substance-abusing women offenders in community treatment after parole to address their treatment needs, improve their retention in treatment, and reduce the likelihood of recidivism

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Reprint Request E-mail: grella@ucla.edu

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National Drug Council publishes report on how resources are and could be allocated to treatment services

5 June 2007

A report published today reviews the published literature and research on resource allocation principles and methods in health care. The research was conducted by Siggins Miller on behalf of the Australian National Council on Drugs, the principal advisory body to the Australian Government on drug and alcohol issues.

The report titled “Allocation of Resources to Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug and Alcohol Services” reflects a variety of approaches to questions of policy and strategy. For example:

• Should government fund or subsidise certain services? Issues of safety, efficacy, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness are relevant here, and analytic tools have been developed to address them.
• What is the best way to allocate available resources across different geographical regions (a critical question for Australia)? The literature on this aspect of resource allocation approaches is relatively well developed for general health services, but relatively undeveloped for ATOD services.
• What is the most effective way to allocate funds to specific services within a region or a state?

The report deals with the following topics:

• Principles of resource allocation
• Deciding which interventions will be supported
• Allocating resources across regions, and existing methods for allocating resources to regions
• Allocating resources within regions
• Resource allocation to alcohol and drug services
• Indicators of need for ATOD-specific services
• Developing local systems of effective treatment
• Options for developing a resource allocation formula for ATOD services in Australia.

Read Full Media Release

Download Full Report (PDF)

Source: Daily Dose
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Fetal Alcohol Spectrum
Disorder (FASD)
Frequently Asked Questions

• What is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder?
• How do you get FASD?
• Can FASD be cured?
• What's different about the way people with FASD may behave?
• How much drinking by the biological mother can cause FASD?
• How do you know if you have FASD?
• How many people have FASD?
• Can biological fathers cause FASD?
• Does drinking during breastfeeding cause FASD?
• Prevention of FASD
• Where can I go for help?

Download Publication Version (PDF)

Contributor: Peggy Seo Oba
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Alcohol Weekly News & Analysis

June 5, 2007

1. R.I.P. Spykes
2. A-B expands into Hard Liquor
3. Diageo’s Latest Scam
4. Energy Drink Switcharoo
5. Industry Holds its Ground in Two States

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Socio-cognitive Habilitation Using the Math Interactive Learning Experience Program for Alcohol-Affected Children
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research (OnlineEarly Articles). 5 June 2007


Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) has been recognized as a disabling condition with a significant impact on the neurobehavioral functioning of affected individuals, including cognition, behavior, and academic functioning, but little research has been performed on targeted interventions for these children.

A socio-cognitive habilitative program focused on improving behavior and math functioning in children 3 to 10 years of age was developed and evaluated.

Satisfaction with workshops was very high, with over 90% agreeing that trainers were knowledgeable and materials easy to understand and helpful. Significant gains in knowledge were found for information provided in the instructional groups.

At posttesting, caregivers reported fewer problem behaviors on the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist, Internalizing Problem Behavior, Externalizing Problem Behavior, and Total Problem Behavior summary scales.

After 5 months, both groups of children demonstrated gains in math knowledge but significantly higher gains were found in the group receiving direct math instruction. The math treatment group was also more likely to demonstrate a gain of over 1 standard deviation on any of the 4 math outcome measures used.

These findings suggest that parents of children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FAS(D)) benefit from instruction in understanding their child's alcohol-related neurological damage and strategies to provide positive behavioral supports and that targeted psychoeducational programs may be able to remediate some of the math deficits associated with prenatal alcohol exposure.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-mail: jkabl01@emory.edu

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Effects of a Moderate Evening Alcohol Dose. I: Sleepiness
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research (OnlineEarly Articles). 5 June 2007



Few studies examining alcohol's effects consider prior sleep/wake history and circadian timing. We examined introspective and physiological sleepiness on nights with and without moderate alcohol consumption in well-rested young adults at a known circadian phase.

All sleepiness and sedation measures increased with time awake. Only SSS and BAES sedation measures showed higher levels of sleepiness and sedation after alcohol compared with placebo. The mean circadian phase was the same for assessments at both conditions.

Alcohol did not increase physiological sleepiness compared with placebo nor was residual sedation evident under these conditions.

We conclude that the effects on sleepiness of a moderate dose of alcohol are masked when sleep–wake homeostatic and circadian timing influences promote high levels of sleepiness.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-mail: tracy.rupp@amedd.army.mil

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Effects of a Moderate Evening Alcohol Dose. II: Performance
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research (OnlineEarly Articles). 5 June 2007



This second of a pair of papers investigates the effects of a moderate dose of alcohol and staying up late on driving simulation performance and simple visual reaction time (RT) at a known circadian phase in well-rested young adults.

Driving simulation performance deteriorated with extended waking and with alcohol; driving was most impaired at the peak alcohol level. The PVT, less complex than the driving simulation, did not show effects of alcohol, a finding consistent with previous literature that disruptive effects of low alcohol concentrations increase with task complexity.

Overall, simulated driving performance is significantly impaired late at night when even a moderate dose of alcohol is consumed.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-mail: tracy.rupp@amedd.army.mil
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Mandated College Students: Sleeper Effects of an In-Person Personal Feedback Intervention
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research (OnlineEarly Articles). 5 June 2007


It is known that brief interventions for mandated college students decrease alcohol use and/or related problems in the short term. However, none of the existing studies has followed students' past 6 months.

Therefore, we compared the long-term efficacy of 2 brief substance use feedback interventions for mandated college students.

Long-term follow-up data revealed that students, at the aggregate level, decreased their peak blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels, number of drinks per week, and number of alcohol-related problems at 15 months postintervention compared with their baseline levels.

With the exception of peak BAC, the observed long-term reduction was mainly due to the positive change among students who received the BMI intervention. Students in the BMI intervention showed significantly lower levels of alcohol-related problems at 15 months than those in the WF intervention.

The BMI intervention more effectively reduced within-individual alcohol-related problems during the initial 4 months, and more successfully curbed the subsequent increase in alcohol use frequency and number of drinks per week during the 11 months between the 2 follow-up assessments.

The results suggest that brief substance use interventions reduce the riskiest type of alcohol use (e.g., peak BAC) among mandated college students over the long term, and that sleeper effects of in-person personal feedback interventions (PFIs) exist. In-person PFIs in the context of a motivational interview may be more efficacious in the long term than written feedback-only interventions for mandated students.

Future studies comparing interventions for college students should extend follow-up for longer periods of time.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-mail: hewhite@rci.rutgers.edu

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Randomized-Controlled Trial of a Telephone and Mail Intervention for Alcohol Use Disorders: Three-Month Drinking Outcomes
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research (OnlineEarly Articles). 5 June 2007

Alcohol screening, brief intervention, and referral to specialized treatment (ASBIR) reduce drinking and related harms. Unanswered questions are how to manage nondependent patients with poor response to brief interventions, how to manage dependent patients who do not obtain treatment, and how to ensure population-wide delivery of ASBIR. Telephone-administered counseling may provide answers.

We conducted a 12-month randomized controlled trial of a telephone and mail intervention for non-treatment–seeking primary care patients with alcohol use disorders.

Following systematic screening, a six-session telephone and mail intervention is more effective than a pamphlet in reducing drinking at 3 months for non-treatment–seeking men with alcohol abuse and dependence.

An intervention effect of the enrollment procedures may have obscured further intervention effectiveness.

Telephone counseling shows promise for non-treatment–seeking primary care patients with alcohol use disorders.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-mail: rlbrown@wisc.edu

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Avoidance of Alcohol-Related Stimuli in Alcohol-Dependent Inpatients
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research (OnlineEarly Articles). 5 June 2007


Previous research has shown an attentional bias toward drug-related stimuli in heavy social drinkers. Attentional orientation to drug-related cues may lead to increased craving and preoccupation with the drug and impaired ability to focus attention on nondrug-related activities, resulting in renewed drug taking or relapse from drug abstinence.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether alcohol-dependent inpatients would differ in their selective attention toward alcohol-related stimuli in comparison with a group of social drinking controls.

The alcoholic inpatients showed a bias away from the alcohol-related stimuli, scored higher on alcohol outcome expectancies, and on anxiety measures (both state and trait). They also presented with more negative mood compared with the control group. Craving was higher in the alcoholic group for the factor "loss of control over drinking."

Alcoholic inpatients undergoing treatment based on the 12-step treatment of Alcoholics Anonymous (Minnesota model), which includes counseling, and intensive group, individual, and family psychotherapy, show an avoidance for drug-related stimuli and a perception of loss of control over drinking. We suggest that their increased perception of loss of control over drinking produces the avoidance from the drug-related stimuli.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-mail: t.duka@sussex.ac.uk

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Effects of Selective Opioid Receptor Antagonists on Alcohol-Induced and Nicotine-Induced Antinociception
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research (OnlineEarly Articles). 5 June 2007

Despite synergistic increases in risks of various cancers, the incidence of concomitant smoking and drinking remains high. An additive or synergistic analgesic effect of combined alcohol and nicotine may contribute to their coabuse.

Recently, we provided evidence that doses of alcohol and nicotine that are ineffective in inducing an antinociceptive effect alone, when combined, can induce such an effect. Moreover, this antinociceptive effect could be attenuated by pretreatment with the nonselective opioid antagonist naloxone.

The purpose of this study was to determine the role of selective opioid receptor subtypes (μ, δ, and κ) in mediating the antinociceptive effects of alcohol, nicotine, and their combination.

The data suggest the utility of all 3 opioid antagonists in blocking the effects of alcohol, nicotine, or their combination in spinally mediated antinociception. Although the supraspinally mediated antinociception was also attenuated by the opioid antagonists, further investigation of combination doses of these antagonists in fully blocking the supraspinal effects or attenuating voluntary alcohol and nicotine intake is warranted.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-mail: ytizabi@howard.edu

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Sweden defends state alcohol monopoly



5th June 2007

Sweden's government said on Tuesday that it would defend its state alcohol monopoly and tax policy after a European court ruled a Swedish ban on individuals importing alcohol was illegal.

"Swedish alcohol policy stands firm," Public Health Minister Maria Larsson said in a statement.

According to Larsson, a ruling by the EU court in November stating that goods imported to Sweden are to be taxed according to Swedish regulations was of greater importance in maintaining the country's restrictive alcohol policy.
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Read Full Article
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Rehab services must not be starved of funds

June 6, 2007

A MEASURE of a government is its behaviour towards the less fortunate in society.

How its resources are channelled to help the homeless, the addicted, the mentally afflicted and the economically disadvantaged is the yardstick of compassion.

In times of prosperity such as these, it is too easy to neglect those who have fallen by the wayside.

Which makes all the more disturbing a report in The Age this week detailing the strain under which Victoria's alcohol and drug rehabilitation services are trying to operate. A discussion paper by the Department of Human Services reveals that the services are under pressure on several fronts: increasing rates of binge drinking, a crisis in methadone treatment and a strong rise in young people seeking treatment. In the past year there has been a 12 per cent increase in young people entering treatment. Despite these facts, there is to be no additional funding in line with the increased strain put on the services. Any improvements are to be made "within existing resources". This is hardly acceptable.

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Read Full Article
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Crackdown on middle class wine drinkers


June 5, 2007

Richard Ford, David Rose and Patrick Foster

Middle-class wine drinkers will be the focus of government plans to make drunkenness as socially unacceptable as smoking, The Times has learnt.

Under the plans published today, a fresh audit is to be conducted by the Government into the overall costs of alcohol abuse to society and the National Health Service.

“We want to target older drinkers, those that are maybe drinking one or two bottles of wine at home each evening,” a Whitehall source said. “They do not realise the damage they are doing to their health and that they risk developing liver disease. We are not talking here about the traditional wino.”

The assault on Middle England’s drinking habits is part of a three-strand approach, which will also target underage drinking and heavy alcohol consumption among those aged 18-24.
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Read Full Article

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8.2m Britons battling a drink problem


By Philip Johnston, Home Affairs editor

Last Updated: 3:20pm BST 05/06/2007

Analysis: 'It's no longer acceptable to get legless' Wine lovers targeted to cut binge drinking Ecstasy alert Supermarkets selling cheap beer and wine will be targeted by the Government’s new alcohol strategy, which was announced as it emerged that one in six Britons is suffering from a drink problem. Low prices and special promotions are one reason for a big rise in problem drinking, ministers believe. The move comes as the Government published figures showing there are 8.2m people - about one six of the adult population - who drink to excess. This is classified as regular drinking of eight units a day for men or six for women. A unit is half a pint of beer or a small glass of wine. . . . . . . Read Full Article ________________________________________________________________________

Religiosity and Teen Drug Use Reconsidered - A Social Capital Perspective

American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Volume 32, Issue 6, Supplement 1, June 2007, Pages S182-S194

Although religiosity has often been shown to have a deterrent effect on teen drug use, noteworthy theoretic gaps and contradictory findings have left important questions unanswered.

Levels of teen drug use for three different components of faith-based social capital—exposure to and internalization of religious norms, integration within religious networks, and trust in religious phenomena—are explored with respect to high school seniors’ use of alcohol, marijuana, and other illicit drugs during the year prior to the survey.

Among religiosity variables, integration within congregational networks (i.e., worship service attendance) exhibits the most consistent negative association with youth drug use. Theistic trust is not associated with teen drug use, but secular trust and civic participation in secular organizations are associated with less drug use.

Elements of both religious and secular social capital are associated with lower reported drug use, thereby suggesting that multiple avenues for the prevention of teen drug use might be pursued. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-mail: bartkowski@soc.msstate.edu

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Neighborhood Income and Income Distribution and the Use of Cigarettes, Alcohol, and Marijuana

American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Volume 32, Issue 6, Supplement 1, June 2007, Pages S195-S202

Evidence about the relationship between contextual variables and substance use is conflicting.

Relationships between neighborhood income and income distribution and the prevalence and frequency of substance use in 59 New York City (NYC) neighborhoods were assessed while accounting for individual income and other socio-demographic variables.

In ecologic assessment, neighborhoods with both the highest income and the highest income maldistribution had the highest prevalence of drinking alcohol (69.0%) and of smoking marijuana (10.5%) but not of cigarette use; there was no clear ecologic association between neighborhood income, income distribution, and cigarette use.

In multilevel multivariable models adjusting for individual income, age, race, sex, and education, high neighborhood median income and maldistributed neighborhood income were both significantly associated with a greater likelihood of alcohol and marijuana use but not of cigarette use. Both high neighborhood income and maldistributed income also were associated with greater frequency of alcohol use among current alcohol drinkers.

These observations suggest that neighborhood income and income distribution may play more important roles in determining population use of alcohol and marijuana than individual income, and that determinants of substance use may vary by potential for drug dependence. Further research should investigate specific pathways that may explain the relationship between neighborhood characteristics and use of different substances.

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Reprint Request E-mail: sgalea@umich.edu
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Heart Health: Women Who Drink a Little May Lower Heart-Attack Risk

Vital Signs

By NICHOLAS BAKALAR

Published: June 5, 2007

Women who drink moderate amounts of alcohol may reduce their risk for nonfatal heart attack, provided that they do not become drunk, according to a recent study.
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Read Full Article

Drinking: adults' behaviour and knowledge (UK)

28 November 2006

Results from questions on drinking behaviour and knowledge, included in the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Omnibus surveys. Includes text, data and tables on alcohol consumption, knowledge of units of alcohol and daily benchmarks and where people buy alcohol. The report also looks at change since 2004.

Download Full Report (PDF)
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General Household Survey 2005 Smoking & drinking among adults (UK)

November 2006

Questions about drinking alcohol were included in the General Household Survey every two years from 1978 to 1998. Following the review of the GHS, the questions about drinking in the last seven days form part of the continuous survey, and have been included every year from 2000 onwards. Questions continuing the long-running series designed to measure average weekly alcohol consumption were included from 2000 to 2002 and again in 2005. Before 1988 questions about drinking were asked only of those aged 18 and over, but since then respondents aged 16 and 17 have answered the questions using a selfcompletion questionnaire.

This report presents information on trends in alcohol consumption, and on the association between consumption and characteristics of individuals such as sex, age, socio-economic position, and ethnic group.

Download Full Report (PDF)
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English 'booze culture' targeted



Tuesday, 5 June 2007

Ministers want to change the "English drinking culture" and the willingness to accept drunkenness and anti-social behaviour as a "normal" part of life.

The strategy seeks to promote sensible attitudes to alcohol, as the estimated bill from drink-related health, crime and disorder problems reaches £20bn.

Home Office minister Vernon Coaker said he wanted to change the view it was "acceptable to drink to get drunk".

As well as binge-drinkers, it will also target older people who drink at home.

Read Full Article

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Older drinkers at home among groups targeted in new strategy


Sarah Boseley and Alan Travis
Tuesday June 5, 2007
The Guardian

A new government alcohol strategy, unveiled today, will target for the first time not only under-age and binge-drinking youths but the middle-aged who regularly drink over the limit at home and end up with health problems.

The strategy, launched jointly by the Home Office and the Department of Health, will aim for a cultural shift to make excessive drinking as unacceptable as drink-driving has become.

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Read Full Article

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Safe. Sensible. Social.


The next steps in the National Alcohol Strategy reviews progress since the publication of the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England (2004) and outlines further national and local action to achieve long-term reductions in alcohol-related ill health and crime.

Next steps in the national alcohol strategy:

• sharpened criminal justice for drunken behaviour;

• a review of NHS alcohol spending;

• more help for people who want to drink less;

• toughened enforcement of underage sales;

• trusted guidance for parents and young people;

• public information campaigns to promote a new ‘sensible drinking’ culture;

• public consultation on alcohol pricing and promotion; and

• local alcohol strategies.

Download Safe. Sensible. Social. The next steps in the National Alcohol Strategy (PDF)
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Parents eye safeguards for children in need Legislators pass bill to offer guardianship when kids with fetal alcohol disorders become adults

By Bonnie Miller Rubin
Tribune staff reporter
Published June 1, 2007

Janis Groner's daughter is only 13, but Groner already worries about what will happen five years from now, when her child is no longer a minor.

For any parent, the transition of a child to adulthood is frightening, but Groner's daughter has fetal alcohol syndrome, and though she may not show obvious signs of a disability, she has cognitive deficits with potentially lifelong implications.

"We've worked so hard to teach her skills and to keep her safe," said the Wheaton mother, who adopted her daughter from the state when the girl was 10 months old. "I'd sure hate to see all those efforts go down the drain."

That's why Groner and other parents of kids with fetal alcohol syndrome and related disorders are drumming up support for state legislation that would give them the same opportunity for guardianship as parents of children with cerebral palsy, autism and other developmental disabilities.

. . . . . . Read Full Article

Contributor: Peggy Seo Oba

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Substance use in a population-based clinic sample of people with first-episode psychosis
The British Journal of Psychiatry (2007) 190: 515-520.

To characterise substance and alcohol use in an epidemiologically representative treatment sample of people experiencing a first psychotic episode in south Cambridgeshire.

Substance use among people with first-episode psychosis was twice that of the general population and was more common in men than women. Cannabis abuse was reported in 51% of patients (n=62) and alcohol abuse in 43% (n=53). More than half (n=68, 55%) had used Class A drugs, and 38% (n=43) reported polysubstance abuse. Age at first use of cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy and amphetamine was significantly associated with age at first psychotic symptom.

Substance misuse is present in the majority of people with first-episode psychosis and has major implications for management. The association between age at first substance use and first psychotic symptoms has public health implications.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-mail: jhb32@cam.ac.uk

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Recent News

• Publisher W. W. Norton recently released The Science of Addiction: From Neurobiology to Treatment by Dr. Carlton K. Erickson. The book is intended for counselors, social workers, psychologists, and others interested in the latest addiction research.

• The new Betty Ford Institute appointed Dr. Erickson to its nine-member Executive Council. The Institute serves as a think-tank for new ideas in the addiction treatment, research, and education fields.

• Dr. R. Adron Harris has been invited to serve a four-year term on the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The Council supports, conducts, and encourages research studies and related activities in this field.

• Honors & Awards
• Undergraduates Lindsay McCracken (Mihic Lab) and Mandy McCracken (Harris Lab) participated in the 8th annual Brain Bowl, a "Jeopardy!"-style game hosted by the Center for Biomedical Neuroscience at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio to promote careers in neuroscience. The McCrackens helped UT Austin secure its first win in the event, ending Baylor University's five-year winning streak.

• Congratulations to our most recent graduates:
• Dr. Guohong Cui (Morikawa Lab), April 6, 2007
• Differential Regulation of Ca2+ Signals in Dopamine Neurons: A Potential Mechanism for Neuroadaptive Changes Underlying Drug Addiction
• Mark Harnett (Morikawa Lab) won a $1,000 David Bruton, Jr. Graduate Fellowship, established by The University of Texas System Board of Regents for UT Austin graduate students.

The Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research is an organized research unit of the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin. Established in 1999, the Center was made possible by a donation from M. June and J. Virgil Waggoner and matching funds from UT Austin.

The mission of the Waggoner Center is to develop solutions for the prevention and cure of alcoholism and related illnesses.
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PUBLIC CALL FOR INPUT

Understanding Patterns of Violence

Dear friends and colleagues,

As part of our efforts to explore the role of alcohol in society, ICAP is commissioning three background papers to increase understanding of an association between alcohol and violence. Two background papers will explore the factors that affect patterns of violence at both the societal and individual levels, as well as how these two levels influence one another and intersect. A third paper will explore how positive cultural shifts occur in societies over time.

To this end, we would like to invite interested parties to share their expertise on cultural shifts relevant to, or associated with, alcohol and/ or violence.

In particular, we would welcome your input on the following:

• How do cultural shifts determine the manner in which societies develop over time?

• What are some key dynamics and strategies – either positive or negative – that contribute to these cultural shifts?

• Are you aware of any cross-cultural or international examples where positive cultural shifts have occurred?

• How can microcosms of societies where some patterns of drinking and some patterns of violence intersect, reflect shifting cultural patterns? How do these microcosms influence long-term societal change in wider society? Examples of microcosms may include drinking establishments, sporting events, military, athletic teams, prisons, college campuses, rural communities, workplaces etc.

• How might these underlying strategies contributing to positive cultural shifts be replicated or adapted to prevent alcohol-related violence?

. . . . . .READ FULL CALL FOR INPUT LETTER (PDF)
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News: National Treatment Agency launches Treatment Outcomes Profile
16-05-2007

The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse has launched a new instrument for monitoring treatment outcomes - the Treatment Outcomes Profile (TOP).

This is designed to to be used at the start of treatment and in care plan reviews and reported through the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS). It will improve clinical practice and performance monitoring by providing a focus on the effectiveness of drug treatment and nationally comparable data.

Download Treatment Outcomes Profile (PDF)
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UNDER THE INFLUENCE


INSIGHT is a unique Australian television program – a discussion forum focussing on a single issue with the participation of a studio audience.

ARCHIVES - May 15, 2007

Imagine a drug that costs the Australian economy about $7.6 billion every year in crime, health problems and lost productivity. A drug that kills between 3,000 and 4,000 of us annually. And a drug that governments across the country are now making much easier to get around the clock. The drug is alcohol - for many of us our drug of choice. But with more and more 24-hour licences being issued, there's increasing concern we may be making booze too readily available.

Read May 15 Broadcast Transcript
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Pregnancy and alcohol – a dangerous cocktail says a new BMA report (issued Monday 04 Jun 2007)


Learning and physical disabilities and behavioural problems are part of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders [FASD]. These lifelong conditions can drastically impact on the lives of the individual and those around them. A new BMA report published today (Monday 4 June 2007) says the reality is that these conditions are completely preventable by not drinking any alcohol during pregnancy.

The report, ‘Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders¹’, highlights how difficult it can be to detect FASD and how healthcare professionals need more guidance to help them diagnose and treat children suffering from the disorder.

The government in England has just revised its guidance and now advises pregnant women or women trying to conceive to avoid drinking alcohol. But if they do choose to drink, to minimise the risk to the baby, they should not consume more than one to two units of alcohol once or twice a week. However, the BMA report says this can be misinterpreted, as individuals may not clearly understand how many units correspond to what they are drinking. The alcoholic strengths of different beers and wines, and the considerable variation of standard measures used in bars and restaurants and in the home, can make it difficult for women to tell how many units they are consuming.
. . . . . .

Read Full News Release
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Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders - a guide for healthcare professionals (British Medical Association)

June 2007

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are a series of completely preventable mental and physical birth defects resulting from maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy. FASD are lifelong conditions that can significantly impact on the life of the individual and those around them as illustrated by the case studies included within this report.

This report focuses on the adverse health impacts of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, and in particular the problem of FASD. It continues the work of the Board on alcohol and public health which has resulted in a number of publications including 'Binge drinking' (2005), 'Adolescent health' (2003), 'Alcohol and young people' (1999), 'Alcohol: guidelines on sensible drinking' (1995), and 'The BMA guide to alcohol and accidents' (1989).

The report aims to raise awareness of FASD by examining the incidence, cause and outcomes of the range of disorders associated with alcohol consumption during pregnancy. It further outlines the responsibilities of healthcare professionals and the wider medical community in managing and reducing the incidence of these disorders. This report is intended for healthcare professionals and relevant bodies with strategic or operational responsibility for public health and health promotion.

Download the report (PDF)
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DRINK & DRUGS NEWS
4 June 2007






In this issue

News Round-up
£2m pledged for harm reduction
• Spread of BBVs needs policy change, says Turning Point
• Support materials follow TOP
• Scots report decline in teenage drink and drug use
• Housing authorities urged to removebarriers
• Alliance thanks departing activists
• Regional events for Tackling Drugs Day
•Baroness Massey visits RAP scheme

Features
Cover story
When the diamorphine dried up
Plymouth User Forum talk to DDN about the real impact of the diamorphine shortage on local service users who were rebuilding their lives and stability on a script.

Quest for evidence
Roger Howard, chief executive of the new UK Drug Policy Commission, tells DDN how they will use the next three years to build an evidence base for drugs policy.

Want to be a better manager?
Trevor Boutall recalls his shock at realising that the title of manager did not come with a set of skills attached – and gives tips for improving management skills.

Could buying from Afghan opium farmers address the shortage – or would it create moreproblems than it solves? Prof Neil McKeganey considers the risks.

Regulars
Letters and comment
Education or prevention?, Reasons for anonymity; Language is important; drug workers’ motives; paper-free world for GPs.

Post-its from Practice
Dr Chris Ford laments the poor state of inpatient alcohol detoxification.

Background briefing
Prof David Clark continues his look at what treatment could look like if it were based on the best science possible (part 4).

Q&A
Advice for Amy on confidentiality during relapse.
Jobs, courses, conferences, tenders

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Opinion: Ross Fitzgerald: Alcohol abuse is destroying youth, so let's de-glamorise it

June 04, 2007

We need the zeal shown by the anti-smoking lobby to tackle the problem of unhealthy drinking

AS a nation we have never been more health conscious, yet we seem to be ignoring all the warnings about alcohol abuse.

Alcohol, our most widely used drug, is still ravaging the young, destroying indigenous communities, damaging the mentally ill and destroying lives, unabated. Perhaps some of the same zeal that has been applied to the anti-smoking cause could be enlisted in a concerted fight against alcohol abuse and misuse.

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Read Full Article
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Budget funnels $21m to alcohol diversion centres (AU)

Monday, June 4, 2007

The Queensland Government will commit $21 million in tomorrow's Budget to tackling the alcohol-crime cycle in Indigenous communities.

The money will be used over four years to improve services in alcohol diversion centres.

It will also allow Cell Watch programs in Cairns, Mt Isa, Rockhampton and Brisbane to operate 24 hours a day.

The Queensland coroner is currently investigating the death of a 36-year-old man at a diversionary centre in Townsville last month.

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The DASIS Report: Adults Aged 65 or Older in Substance Abuse Treatment, 2005

• Adults aged 65 to 69 made up the largest part of the substance abuse treatment population aged 65 or older, increasing from 56 percent of older adults in treatment in 1995 to 59 percent in 2005
  
  
• In each year from 1995 to 2005, alcohol was the most frequently reported primary substance of abuse for admissions aged 65 or older
  
  
• Between 1995 and 2005, primary opiate admissions increased from 6.6 to 10.5 percent of admissions aged 65 or older

Read Full Report (PDF)
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TRANSLATION AND ADAPTATION OF THE ALCOHOL USE DISORDERS IDENTIFICATION TEST (AUDIT) FROM ENGLISH LANGUAGE TO SINGHALA LANGUAGE IN SRI LANKA 2007


This dossier contains a summary of the procedure that was followed in translation, adaptation and validation of the interview version of the AUDIT 10-item questionnaire from the original English to the Singhala, which is the language of the Singhalese ethnic group in Sri Lanka.

This product is the result of the first stage of the research project, named “Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Hazardous Drinking and Alcohol Use Disorders among Married Men”, which was conducted as arequirement for the Doctorate in the Community Medicine in Sri Lanka. The final thesis was presented and accepted by the Post Graduate Institute of Medicine of the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2006.

Download Full Report (PDF)

Contributor: Prasantha De Silva
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