In vivo and in vitro ethanol exposure in prenatal rat brain: GABA_B receptor modulation on dopamine D₁ receptor and protein kinase A

Synapse 62:534-543, 2008


We have investigated the effects of prenatal ethanol exposure on GABA_B receptors (GABA_BRs), protein kinase A (PKA), and DA D₁ receptor (DAD₁R) expressions. GABA_B1R and GABA_B2R showed different age-dependent expressions in in vivo fetal rat forebrain from gestational days (GD) 15.5 to 21.5 upon 10% ethanol treatment to mother, with and without baclofen at a dose of 10 mg/kg body weight/day. The protein level changes could not be attributed to changes in the level of transcription since GABA_BR mRNA presented different expression patterns upon in vivo ethanol treatment.

Using in vitro cultivated cortical neurons from GD 17.5 fetuses, we also explored the modulatory effects of ethanol on PKA and DAD₁R through GABA_BRs, under 50 M baclofen and 100 M phaclofen administrations, with or without 100 mM of ethanol treatment in the culture media.

The results showed that 20 min ethanol treatment without baclofen or phaclofen had increasing effects on both the GABA_BRs. Further, baclofen and phaclofen administration significantly affected PKA and GABA_BR levels upon 20 min and 1 h ethanol treatment. In contrast, DAD₁R showed increasing effects upon ethanol treatment, which was modulated by GABA_BR's agonist baclofen and antagonist phaclofen.

Therefore the present study suggested that the GABA_BR activity could modulate ethanol's cellular effects, which possibly including PKA and DAD₁R activities, and may be an underlying cause of ethanol's effects.


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Request Reprint E-Mail: mokim@gsnu.ac.kr
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Value of ethyl glucuronide in plasma as a biomarker for recent alcohol consumption in the emergency room
Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access published online on May 25, 2008



This emergency department (ED) study compared the value of plasma ethyl glucuronide (EtG) testing with the information about alcohol consumption obtained using the standard alcohol biomarkers gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and carbohydrate-deficient transferring (CDT) and the AUDIT questionnaire.

Out of the 81 patients, 23 (28%) were positive (8 points) on the AUDIT questionnaire. Only 3 (4%) showed a detectable ethanol concentration (range 0.01–0.07 g/L) but 31 (38%) showed a detectable EtG (0.16–39.5 mg/L). In four patients, EtG was detectable in plasma for >48 h after estimated completed elimination of ethanol. EtG was not correlated with the long-term biomarkers %CDT or GGT, or the AUDIT results, but with the time since estimated completed ethanol elimination.

EtG testing in blood was found useful in the ED as a way to detect recent drinking, even in cases of a negative ethanol test, and to confirm abstinence from alcohol. This sensitive and specific short-term biomarker provides valuable additional information about individual drinking habits and might also be helpful to identify an alcohol hangover.

<sup>Read Full Abstract


Request Reprint E-Mail:</sup> tim.neumann@charite.de
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TheDrosophila homolog of jwa is required for ethanol tolerance
Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access published online on May 25, 2008

Alcohol abuse poses a serious public health problem, and repeated ingestion can produce tolerance, leading to dependence and addiction. However, the mechanisms underlying alcohol tolerance and addiction are not fully understood.

Drosophilae have been employed as a suitable model to study the molecular mechanisms underlying ethanol tolerance. JWA, a newly identified microtubule-binding protein, was shown to regulate cell stress responses, transportation of intracellular excitatory amino acids, and the MAPK signal transduction pathway. The JWA mouse homologue addicsin, was postulated to play a role in the development of morphine tolerance and dependence.

This study was designed to determine whether JWA participates in ethanol tolerance in Drosophila.

The djwa and the human jwa genes share a significant sequence similarity. Their genomic nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequence identities are 41.4% and 53.6%, respectively. In inebriation tests, the wild type w¹¹¹⁸ flies and the cDNA-djwa flies acquired ethanol tolerance after several exposures whereas the anti-djwa flies did not.

The JWA genes are evolutionarily conserved. The djwa function is required for acquiring ethanol tolerance in Drosophila. JWA is likely a novel molecule playing an important role in ethanol tolerance and drug addiction.

Our results present a new direction for research related to alcohol tolerance and addiction.

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Rerquest Reprint E-Mail: jwzhou@njmu.edu.cn

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Individual characteristics of the literally homeless, marginally housed, and impoverished in a US substance abuse treatment-seeking sample
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology May 27, 2008

Many researchers and clinicians believe that understanding substance use problems is key to understanding homelessness. This study’s purpose was to test, in a national sample of urban substance abuse treatment seekers, whether (1) income was related to amount of money spent on substances and (2) homeless chronic substance users had more severe psychosocial problems or histories than housed chronic substance users.

The literally homeless was not the poorest group, although these clients did spend the most money on substances. All four groups’ incomes were positively related to amount of money spent on drugs, but only the marginally housed’s income was related to money spent on alcohol. The literally homeless had the most severe alcohol, mental health, and social support problems. The literally homeless and marginally housed had similar incomes and human capital and the most severe cocaine problems. In general the housed poor and housed not poor fared better than the literally homeless and marginally housed groups.

Practitioners should continue to intervene with the homeless and consider working with the marginally housed’s social support systems. Future research should examine the marginally housed as an at-risk group for homelessness.

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Requiest Reprint E-Mail: kgarg@temple.edu
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Mind & body magazine
28 May 2008


Adding up your units

Do you know how strong your favourite drink is? A recent YouGov poll found that many people in England don't know the strength of common alcoholic drinks. For example:

• 77% of the people interviewed didn't know how many units are in a large glass of wine,
• 55% thought a large glass of wine contains two units - it contains three,
• 35% didn't know that an average pint of beer contains two units, and
• 58% didn't know that a double gin and tonic contains two units.

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Read Full Article
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Drugs and alcohol: Alcohol education - here's what we want

Teacher Cliff Evans tests out a dramatic new approach to alcohol education

Wednesday May 28, 2008
EducationGuardian.co.uk

In this programme, PSHE teacher Cliff Evans tests out a dramatic new approach to alcohol education.

Cliff asks his KS3 students what they wish they'd been taught a year earlier. This gives him plenty to think about as he plans a lesson that really meets their needs.

With expert help from specialist alcohol educator Gavin Bryce, Cliff re-examines his approach and then devises and tests out fresh material.

We discover what works for pupils, see how a mixed lesson explores a range of issues and watch as an experienced teacher grapples with new idea.

Watch the video now in Quicktime or RealPlayer or Windows Media Player.
. . . . . . .

Read Full Article

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Cellular and Behavioral Interactions of Gabapentin with Alcohol Dependence
The Journal of Neuroscience, May 28, 2008, 28(22):5762-5771




Gabapentin is a structural analog of GABA that has anticonvulsant properties. Despite the therapeutic efficacy of gabapentin, its molecular and cellular mechanisms of action are unclear. The GABAergic system in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) plays an important role in regulating voluntary ethanol intake.

Here, we investigated the effect of gabapentin on GABAergic transmission in CeA slices, on ethanol intake, and on an anxiety measure using animal models of ethanol dependence.

Gabapentin increased the amplitudes of evoked GABA receptor-mediated IPSCs (GABA-IPSCs) in CeA neurons from nondependent rats, but decreased their amplitudes in CeA of ethanol-dependent rats. Gabapentin effects were blocked in the presence of a specific GABA_B receptor antagonist. The sensitivity of the GABA-IPSCs to a GABA_B receptor antagonist and an agonist was decreased after chronic ethanol, suggesting that ethanol-induced neuroadaptations of GABA_B receptors associated with ethanol dependence may account for the differential effects of gabapentin after chronic ethanol. Systemic gabapentin reduced ethanol intake in dependent, but not in nondependent, rats and reversed the anxiogenic-like effects of ethanol abstinence using an acute dependence model. Gabapentin infused directly into the CeA also blocked dependence-induced elevation in operant ethanol responding.

Collectively, these findings show that gabapentin reverses behavioral measures of ethanol dependence and, in turn, dependence reverses the effects of gabapentin on CeA neurons, and suggest that gabapentin represents a potential medication for treatment of alcoholism.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: mroberto@scripps.edu
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Scientific Report 2007

Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders

Chairman's Overview

The faculty of the Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders consists of 6 faculty members with a common goal of understanding the function of the brain emotional systems and how these systems malfunction in disease. We focus on the neurobiological mechanisms involved in motivated and emotional behavior and how these mechanisms are altered with the development of addiction, stress, and eating disorders. We integrate and translate basic research findings across multiple domains, from molecular cell biology to neurocircuitry to clinical studies. The committee also forms the foundation for the Pearson Center for Alcoholism and Addiction Research, with the goal of developing novel medications for the treatment of addictive disorders. Here, I summarize what we are doing and the background that led to this work.
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News Release - NEW STUDY REVEALS BRAIN CELL MECHANISM OF ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE

05/27/2008

Findings support new possible treatment for alcohol abuse

Washington, DC May 27, 2008– A study released today reveals a cellular mechanism involved in alcohol dependence. The study, in the May 28 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience, shows that gabapentin, a drug used to treat chronic pain and epilepsy, reduces alcohol intake in alcohol-dependent rats by normalizing chemical communication between neurons, which is altered by chronic alcohol abuse.

The central amygdala, a part of the brain involved in emotions such as stress and fear, is important in regulating alcohol consumption. Most central amygdala neurons communicate via a chemical signal known as GABA, which is an inhibitory neurotransmitter. Alcohol dependence has been associated with the strengthening of inhibitory synapses in this brain region.

Gabapentin (known commercially as Neurontin) is structurally similar to GABA and increases GABA neurotransmission. In alcoholics, gabapentin has been shown to effectively treat alcohol withdrawal and reduce alcohol consumption and cravings following detoxification. However, how gabapentin acts in the brain to combat alcohol dependence has been unclear.
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Alcohol Consumption and the CAGE Questionnaire in Korean Adults: Results from the Second Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
J Korean Med Sci. 2008 Apr;23(2):199-206.


We evaluated alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems in Korean adults by evaluating alcohol consumption and responses to the CAGE questionnaire obtained from the second Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

The age-adjusted prevalence of males who consumed 0, 0.1-20, 20.1-40, or >40 g/day of alcohol were 28.0, 51.5, 12.5, and 8.0%, respectively; 26.9% of male drinkers were CAGE-positive (> or =2 affirmative responses to the CAGE). The age-adjusted prevalence of females who consumed 0, 0.1-10, 10.1-20, or >20 g/day of alcohol were 67.7, 26.6, 3.9, and 1.8%; 11.9% of female drinkers were CAGE-positive.

The risk factors for high alcohol consumption were old age, low education level, smoking, and drinking onset at young ages in male drinkers, whereas low education level and smoking in female drinkers.

The risk factors for a positive CAGE were young age, marriage, low education level, smoking, high amount of alcohol consumed on a single occasion, and high drinking frequency in male drinkers, whereas high household income, ex-smoking, high amount of alcohol consumed on a single occasion, and high drinking frequency in female drinkers.

Our results suggest that high alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems in Korean adults are not negligible and require intervention.


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Request Reprint E-Mail: oemdoc21@yahoo.co.kr
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Revised Alcohol Consumption Estimates from the
2003 Scottish Health Survey

This Statistics Publication Notice contains revised estimates on alcohol consumption from the 2003 Scottish Health Survey following the development of new alcohol unit conversion factors.

This publication covers the headline results. A more detailed publication on 24 June 2008 will update all of the analyses included in the 2003 Scottish Health Survey alcohol chapter for adults (Volume 2: Chapter 1) and one table from the children's report (Volume 3: Chapter 1) published in November 2005.

Read Full Publication (PDF)
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Spotlight on the National Association of Prevention on Alcohol and Addiction (ANPAA)

Who we are

Created in 1872, [ANPAA] has been an official French public organisation since 1880 and has held an educational label since 1974.

Our mission

Consumption of alcohol, tobacco and other psychoactive substances cause important health and social damages.

Our purpose is to promote a general policy of prevention of the risks of alcohol and other psychoactive substances notably:
by constant action towards public authorities and decision-makers,
by health education and by training all sectors of society,
by help, care and a medico-psycho-socio support
by monitoring the improvement and enforcement of legislation

ANPAA employs 1.400 medical doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers, social engineers, trainers and 1 000 elected volunteers in France. Teams work in about 100 localities coordinated on a regional level. We manage 130 outpatient centers and clinics, mostly located in the cities, that welcome about 50 000 patients.
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Modulation of brain response to emotional images by alcohol cues in alcohol-dependent patients
Addiction Biology OnlineEarly Articles 27 May 2008

Alcohol is often used to modulate mood states. Alcohol drinkers report that they use alcohol both to enhance positive affect and to reduce dysphoria, and alcohol-dependent patients specifically state reduction of negative affect as a primary reason for drinking.

The current study proposes that alcohol cues may reduce negative affect in alcoholics. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine brain activation in response to combination images that juxtaposed negative or positive International Affective Picture System (IAPS) images with an alcohol or non-alcohol-containing beverage.

We found that in the absence of the alcohol cue, alcoholics showed more activation to negative than to positive images and greater activation than controls to negative images. When the IAPS images were presented with the alcohol cue, there was a decreased difference in activation between the positive and negative images among the alcoholics, and a decreased difference in response to the negative images between controls and alcoholics.

Additionally, in the neutral-beverage conditions, anxiety ratings significantly predicted activation in the right parahippocampal gyrus but did not predict activation when the alcohol cues were presented.

In conclusion, the alcohol cues may have modulated cortical networks involved in the processing of emotional stimuli by eliciting a conditioned response in the alcoholics, but not in the controls, which may have decreased responsiveness to the negative images.

Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: gilmanj@mail.nih.gov

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Ministers fast-track binge drinking plan

May 23, 2008

The ministerial council on drugs strategy will fast-track the development of the federal government's $53.5 million national binge drinking strategy.

Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon made the announcement after the group met in Melbourne on Friday and said they agreed to tackle alcohol abuse urgently.

The national approach aims to reduce the incidence of alcohol-related violence and the impact of alcohol abuse on individuals, the community and the health system.
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Read Full Article
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Battle of the bulge targets drink labels

• Denis Campbell, health correspondent
• The Observer,
• Sunday May 25 2008

Alcoholic drinks should display the number of calories contained in them to help tackle the growing obesity crisis, say council leaders.

They want bottles of wine and cans of beer to carry labels to help drinkers who may not realise how many calories are in their favourite tipple.
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Read Full Article
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Health, United States, 2007

Health, United States, 2007, is the 31st annual report on the health status of the Nation prepared by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services for the President and Congress. In a chartbook and 151 detailed tables, it provides an annual picture of the health of the entire Nation. Trends are presented on health status and health care utilization, resources, and expenditures. This year’s report includes a focus on access to needed or recommended health care services.
. . . . . . .
Prevalence of risky behaviors among children and young adults remains at unacceptable levels. About 20% of adolescents age 16–17 years, and more than 40% of young adults age 18–25 years, reported binge alcohol use in 2005, and 20% of young adults age 18–25 years reported using illicit drugs in the past month (Table 66). The percentage of high school students who seriously considered suicide has declined since 1991, but the percentage who attempted suicide has remained stable (7%–9%) (Table 62).

Table 68. Alcohol consumption among adults 18 years of age and over, by selected characteristics: United States, 1997, 2005, and 2006

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BRAIN REGIONAL DIFFERENCES IN THE EFFECT OF ETHANOL ON GABA RELEASE FROM PRESYNAPTIC TERMINALS
Journal of Pharmacology And Experimental Therapeutics Fast Forward
First published on May 23, 2008

While ethanol has behavioral actions consistent with increased GABAergic function, attempts to demonstrate a direct enhancement of GABA-gated currents by ethanol have produced mixed results. Recent work has suggested that a part of the GABAergic profile of ethanol may result from enhanced GABA release from presynaptic terminals.

The present study examines the effect of ethanol on GABA release in several brain regions to assess the regional nature of ethanol-induced GABA release. Whole-cell voltage clamp recording of spontaneous inhibitory post-synaptic currents (sIPSCs) from mechanically dissociated neurons, and miniature inhibitory post-synaptic currents (mIPSCs) and paired-pulse ratio (PPR) from a slice preparation were used to quantify GABA release.

Ethanol produced a concentration-dependent increase in the frequency of sIPSCs recorded from mechanically dissociated cerebellar Purkinje neurons and mIPSCs from substantia nigra neurons without having an effect on sIPSCs recorded from lateral septal or cerebrocortical neurons. This regional difference in the effect of ethanol on GABA release was confirmed with PPR recording from brain slices.

These data indicate that ethanol can act on presynaptic terminals to increase GABA release in some brain regions while having little or no effect on GABA release in others. This regional difference is consistent with earlier in vivo studies in which ethanol affected neural activity and sensitivity to GABA in some, but not all, brain sites.

Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: hec@med.unc.edu
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The Search for Mechanisms of Change In Evidence-Bsaed Behavioral Teatments

4th Annual Pre-Conference Satellite Meeting on
Mechanisms of Behavior Change in Behavioral Treatment:
Today and Tomorrow

Saturday June 28, 2008
Annual Research Society on Alcoholism
Washington, D.C.

Jointly Sponsored by:
CASAA, Columbia University; Rutgers University Center of Alcohol Studies;
UCLA; Richard Longabaugh, Ed.D.; and NIAAA.

Speakers: Bruce Wampold, Ph.D.; David MacKinnon, Ph.D.; Danielle McCarthy, Ph.D.; Donald Saari, Ph.D.; Mark Willenbring, M.D. and more.

• A Contextual Perspective on Behavioral Interventions.
• A Critical Look at Constructs in Mechanisms of Behavior Change.
• New Directions and a Fresh Look at Mediation Modeling.
• Impulsivity, Self-Regulation and Self Control.
• Applying Mediation Modeling in Smoking Cessation.
• Dynamical Systems Modeling in Behavioral Science.
• Update on NIAAA Mechanisms of Behavior Change Initiative

Read Full Announcement
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European Alcohol Health Forum: Overview of commitments received as of 29-02-2008

Provision of advice and training for advertising industry on the voluntary self-regulatory codes in the area of alcohol advertising. Two voluntary regulations will be in the focus of the training: Firstly the various obligations to prevent commercial communication for alcoholic beverages from being misconstrued as promoting alcohol abuse or harmful consumption of alcoholic beverages. Secondly the regulations that prohibit commercial communication for alcoholic beverages from beeing misconstrued as beeing addressed at minors. The training covers the scope of the self-regulatory provisions in practice and their significance for a responsible behaviour when promoting alcoholic beverages.

Read Full Overview (PDF)
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TEACHER RESOURCES TEACHER RESOURCES TEACHER RESOURCES
	Science Edcation Programs at NIAAA (Flyer) Research studies reveal that 53% of our youth begin drinking in the 8th grade (14 years old). Other studies show that students who drink before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcoholism than those who started drinking at age 20 or later. The science classroom is an excellent environment to create awareness about this issue and, through the application of an inquiry-based approach, combat the problem.
	Do2Learn's FASD Teacher Toolbox Easy-to-use web resources that are useful in the classroom and at home for children with FASD grades pre-k to k-12. Practical Learning Strategies are explained using problem solving examples and forms, language learning tools, mathematics guides and manipulatives, and study tips for both homework and test taking. Education Resources that can be downloaded for use in the classroom include teacher Literacy Tools, Behavior Management Plans and Forms, Problem Solving visuals, printable math grids and charts, and alphabet and writing handouts. Instructional games like Word War, Go Fish Letters, and Sound Bingo are provided to teach specific skills like planning, letter recognition, boundaries, listening, and turn-taking. Check out the thousands of pages of free helpful visual communication cards, printable support material, and games that have been developed for FASD deficits at the Toolbox for Teachers on the popular, over 7 million hits a month, www.do2learn.com website.
CURRICULAR MATERIALS CURRICULAR MATERIALS CURRICULAR MATERIALS
	Better Safe Than Sorry-Preventing a Tragedy: A Science and Health Curriculum " This highly engaging, flexible (1-4 class periods), inquiry-based curriculum module was developed by researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill as well as teachers and other educational consultants. Materials and lessons are adapted for use in a middle school science classroom, aligned with the National Science Education Standards (NSES) and are based on current research relevant to a life-science curriculum. All kits are FREE and include guided teacher instructions for implementation, data tables and background materials, a video with guided lab instruction and background on FAS, a CD-ROM with all hardcopy materials and a post-assessment game, color transparencies, brochures, and ordering information for an accompanying hands-on experiment involving varying concentration levels of ethanol and the growth and development of brine shrimp. All components are available for current download, and will soon be made available for shipment through Carolina Biological Supply Company.
	“Understanding Alcohol: Investigations into Biology and Behavior” (online ordering ) A middle school curriculum supplement involving 6 hands-on, inquiry-based lessons that fit into the 5E’s Instructional Model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate), also aligned with NSES Content Standards. It includes web-based components that include simulations of intoxicated and sober mice (varying alcohol concentrations, time and genetics, calculations and impact on BAC levels as well as depictions of intoxicated drivers, requiring students to make observations and inferences. Finally, the last lesson is a highly-interdisciplinary piece that requires students to synthesize information from a variety of primary sources in developing a justification for positions on various legal and social issues related to the science of alcohol. All activities and lessons were field tested in a variety of educational settings, and all teacher background and overall science content was verified by experts at NIAAA. In order to access web ctivities, downloadable teacher materials, and technical information, go to http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements/nih3/alcohol/default.htm
	"My Brain My Body"-A Comprehensive Web-Based Curriculum Module "Click here to view a demonstration 5E's lesson and ordering information" My Brain My Body (www.mybrainmybody.com) is an educational tool for middle school students. It promotes discussions about the sensitive psychosocial issues of alcohol abuse and also increases and extends the scientific understanding of students. This series of online lessons, each approximately 45 minutes in duration, is supplemented by videos, overhead transparencies, live Internet polls, lab activities, and hardcopy classroom activities. ___________________________________________________________

National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism - June 4-5, 2008 - Agenda

118TH Meeting of the

NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM

June 4-5, 2008

Wednesday, June 4, 2008, 5:30 to 7:30 PM.

5635 Fishers Lane
Terrace Level Conference Room
Rockville, MD 20892

CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC
5:30 Review of Grant Applications
Dr. Abe Bautista

6:30 Merit Award Nominations
Dr. Ken Warren

Thursday, June 5, 2008, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.


OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

9:00	CALL TO ORDER AND INTRODUCTIONS	Dr. Ting-Kai Li
9:15	DIRECTOR'S REPORT/SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS	Dr. Ting-Kai Li
9:45	ALCOHOL AND INJURIES IN AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECITIVE: WHAT WE KNOW FROM EMERGENCY ROOM STUDIES	Dr. Cheryl Cherpitel
10:15	AGE OF ONSET AND BINGE DRINKING AMONG ADOLESCENTS	Dr. Victor Hesselbrock
10:45	BREAK
11:00	DSM-V CONFERENCE SERIES AND TASK FORCE REPORT	Dr. Darrel Regier Dr. David Kupfer
11:30	CONSIDERATION OF THE SEPTEMBER MINUTES FUTURE MEETINGS DATES	Dr. Abe Bautista
11:35	COUNCIL MEMBER ROUND TABLE	Council Members
12:05	EX-OFFICIO MEMBER AND LIAISON REPRESENTATIVE REPORTS, AND PUBLIC COMMENTS	Ex-Officio Member and Liaison Representatives
12:35	ADJOURNMENT/LUNCH
1:30	LIAISON REPRESENTATIVE INFORMAL MEETING INSTITUTE SENIOR STAFF	Round Table

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Online Course - Environmental Strategies for Prevention A Guide To Helping the Prevention Professional Work Effectively in the Community

Course description: This course is designed to introduce prevention professionals and concerned citizens to the prevention strategies that focus on altering and improving the environment by changing social norms or attitudes, controlling the availability of illicit drugs or alcohol or creating or strengthening enforcement of laws and regulations. This course is appropriate for everyone who has a role in prevention -- health and mental health professionals, social workers, and social service workers as well as community organizers, law enforcement and others.

Continuing Education Units
The following accrediting bodies offer continuing education credit hours for successful completion of this course:

• National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (4 CECH)
• National Association of Social Workers (4 CH)
• National Board for Certified Counselors (5 CH)
• NAADAC - The Association for Addiction Professionals (4 CH)

Start Course

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News Release - Committee to hold series of meetings in attempt to control flow of alcohol and drugs into Nunatsiavut

May 13, 2008

A special committee appointed by the Nunatsiavut Assembly to develop an action plan to deal with a variety of social issues will hold a series of meetings in coming weeks in attempt to control the flow of alcohol and drugs into Labrador Inuit communities.

The Alcohol and Drug Hearings Committee, which was established in 2006, met earlier this month to discuss and prioritize nearly 200 recommendations brought forward during ommunity hearings held in Labrador Inuit communities, North West River and Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
. . . . . . .

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Media Relase - Oral cancers linked to genes as well as lifestyle

25 May 2008

A major international study published today in Nature Genetics provides the strongest evidence to date that genetics play a role in oral cancers – and further emphasises the part alcohol plays in developing the disease.

Researchers have discovered that people's risk of developing cancers of the mouth, larynx, pharynx and oesophagus is related to genes which regulate how fast or slow your body breaks down alcohol.

It is already known that alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking and a diet lacking fruit and vegetables are risk factors for oral cancer
. . . . . . .

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Mouth cancer link to alcohol genes

25/05/2008

The risk of getting mouth cancer has been linked to genes and the rate at which they break down alcohol.

Hundreds of patients with cancers of the mouth, larynx and oesophagus in Europe and Central and South America, together with patients free of the disease, were studied by researchers at Aberdeen University.

Two genes involved in metabolising alcohol – a substance already known to be a risk factor for oral cancer – were focused on.

Those with a variant in the genes appeared to be less susceptible to the cancers because alcohol was broken down more quickly.
. . . . . .

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Recreational Boating Accidents and the Contribution of BUI

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) has the legal responsibility to collect, analyze, and publish recreational boating accident data and statistical information for the fifty states, five U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia. Boating accident statistics are compiled and used for many purposes, such as: identifying trends; characterizing accident causes; assessing the contributions of operator error, mechanical malfunctions, and environmental factors; and evaluating the possible benefits of government initiatives (e.g., boater education, legislation/regulation, and boat construction standards) to reduce the risks associated with recreational boating activity. Complete and accurate accident data are essential for these purposes. This summary of some recent research looks at recreational boating accidents and the contribution of boating under the influence

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Press Release - Banking on binge drinking

8/05/2008

While parents, the government and sports management groups are becoming increasingly vocal about the impact of alcoholism and teenage binge drinking, Coles and Woolworths are cashing in on Australia’s love affair with liquor by undertaking a spending spree to shore up their share of the alcohol sales market, according to the latest research from business information analysts IBISWorld.

And between them, the Woolworths Ltd and Coles Group – Australia's two retail giants – already control more than 45% of Australia's $6,938 million retail liquor sector.

“Whilst our per capita consumption of alcohol is gradually decreasing, take-home liquor sales are rising as a percentage of the overall market,” said IBISWorld General Manager (Australia), Mr Robert Bryant. “Continuing industry deregulation, price wars, a perception of convenience and consumer concerns about drink driving are fuelling this change, and it's a trend we forecast will continue in years to come.”
. . . . . . .

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Multiple ADH genes are associated with upper aerodigestive cancers
Nature Genetics Published online: 25 May 200

Alcohol is an important risk factor for upper aerodigestive cancers and is principally metabolized by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) enzymes.

We have investigated six ADH genetic variants in over 3,800 aerodigestive cancer cases and 5,200 controls from three individual studies.

Gene variants rs1229984 (ADH1B) and rs1573496 (ADH7) were significantly protective against aerodigestive cancer in each individual study and overall (P = 10^{- 10} and 10^{- 9}, respectively). These effects became more apparent with increasing alcohol consumption (P for trend = 0.0002 and 0.065, respectively).

Both gene effects were independent of each other, implying that multiple ADH genes may be involved in upper aerodigestive cancer etiology.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: Brennan@iarc.fr
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Alcohol Factors in Suicide Mortality Rates in Manitoba
Can J Psychiatry 2008;53(4):243–251


To identify alcohol-related factors that influence mortality rates from suicide.

We examined the impact of per capita consumption of total alcohol, spirits, beer, and wine; unemployment rate; and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) membership rate on total, male and female suicide mortality rates in Manitoba during 1976 to 1997. Time series analyses with autoregressive integrated moving average modelling were applied to total, male and female suicide rates. The analyses performed included total alcohol consumption, spirits consumption, beer consumption, and wine consumption. Missing AA membership data were interpolated with cubic splines.

Total alcohol consumption, and consumption of beer, spirits, and wine individually, were significantly and positively related to female suicide mortality rates. Spirits and wine were positively related to total and male mortality rates. AA membership rates were negatively related to total and female suicide rates. Unemployment rates were positively related to male and total suicide rates.

The data confirm the important relations between per capita consumption measures and suicide mortality rates. Additionally, the results for AA membership rates are consistent with the hypothesis that AA membership and alcohol abuse treatment can exert beneficial effects observable at the population level.


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Expenditures on Mental Health and Addictions for Canadian Provinces in 2003/04
Can J Psychiatry 2008;53(5):306–313

To measure total public and private expenditures on mental health in each province.

Total spending on mental health was $6.6 billion, of which $5.5 billion was from public sources. Nationally, the largest portion of expenditures was for hospitals, followed by community mental health expenses and pharmaceuticals. This varied by province. Public mental health spending was 6% of total public spending on health, while total mental health spending was 5% of total health spending.

Canadian public mental health spending is lower than most developed countries, and a little below the minimum acceptable amount (5%) stated by the European Mental Health Economics Network.

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WHO adopts Swedish alcohol resolution

Published: 25 May 08

The World Heath Organisation (WHO) has adopted a Sweden-backed global alcohol resolution at its annual World Health Assembly which was concluded in Geneva on Saturday.

The resolution means that the WHO will develop a global strategy as part of its battle against health problems such as smoking and obesity.

The WHO, in a press release summarizing the results of the assembly, recognized that work needed to be intensified to "curb the harmful use of alcohol" which is the fifth leading risk factor for death and disability in the world.

Sweden has pushed hard for the development of a global strategy and has received the backing of its Scandinavian neighbours in lobbying for the adoption of a 'Swedish' view on alcohol policy.

The resolution brought by Sweden and the other Nordic countries at the World Health Assembly in 2007 failed in the face of opposition from Cuba, a significant alcohol producer.

The resolution was this year presented by Rwanda with the support of several other African countries. Sweden had underlined its express support for the resolution.
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