Alcohol News - 40/2010

The foreigner (Norway) - Holiday children suffer from drunk parents
The number of Norwegian children suffering on holidays to sunny southern Europe because of drunken parents is on the increase. A third of adults say they drink more than three units of alcohol a day.
http://theforeigner.no/pages/news/holiday-children-suffer-from-drunk-parents/

The Economic Times (Finland) - Finland all out to ban smoking
Finland will push tobacco sales under the counter in shops as a new law comes into effect in stages, starting Friday. The Nordic nation, one of the first to ban tobacco adverts, is the first to target an end to smoking through legal means.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international-business/Finland-all-out-to-ban-smoking/articleshow/6668905.cms

Helsinkin Sanomat (Finland) - Prime Minister supports curbs on alcohol advertising
Prime Minister Mari Kiviniemi (Centre) is calling for restrictions on the advertising of alcoholic beverages. Kiviniemi has come out in favour of an initiative signed by more than half of Finland’s 200 Members of Parliament calling for legislation that would limit alcohol advertising to the dissemination of product information; appeals to the emotions would be banned.
http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Prime+Minister+supports+curbs+on+alcohol+advertising+/1135260471108

YLE News (Finland) - Finns Bring Home Less Booze and Tobacco
Finns travelling abroad are bringing both less alcohol and tobacco home with them. A survey by the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira) shows that between January and August of this year, personal imports of alcoholic drink were down by 6% and of tobacco product by 20% from the same period of 2009.
http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2010/09/finns_bring_home_less_booze_and_tobacco_2018629.html

Helium - Factors that influence people to drink alcohol
There are many factors that influence people to drink alcohol. Drinking to be sociable is one influence. This seems to be one reason people will give in reaction to the question - Why do you drink?
http://www.helium.com/items/1972450-factors-that-influence-people-to-drink-alcohol

Daily News & Analysis - ‘25% of liver failures occur due to alcohol consumption’
"Nearly 1,200 liver transplants are needed every year in Gujarat. Nearly two lakh people die of terminal liver disease and cancer every year in India, out of which, some 25,000 can be saved through transplants," said Dr AS Soin, addressing a gathering in the city on Sunday.
http://www.dnaindia.com/health/report_25pct-of-liver-failures-occur-due-to-alcohol-consumption_1447313

BusinessWeek (USA) - Pediatricians Want to Restrict Ads for Tobacco, Booze, Viagra
The American Academy of Pediatrics doesn't want children exposed to tobacco ads at all, and wants to limit their exposure to alcohol marketing and advertisements for erectile dysfunction drugs and other prescription medications.
http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/643556.html

UPI.com (USA) - Americans are drinking more alcohol
Caucasians, Hispanics and African-Americans all report drinking more during the period of 1992 to 2002, U.S. researchers say.
http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2010/10/01/Americans-are-drinking-more-alcohol/UPI-21171285910438/

msnbc.com (USA) - Booze tax could make us all healthier
Increasing the tax on alcohol could have a slew of public health benefits, according to a new study. Boosting the price of booze could decrease the incidence of alcohol-related deaths and car crashes, reduce the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and lower violence and crime, the researchers say.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39342283/ns/health-addictions/

Herald Scotland (Scotland) - Plan to ban off-licences selling alcohol to under-21s is defeated
Plans to allow councils to ban off-licences from selling to under-21s in areas where drunk youngsters cause trouble have been defeated at Holyrood.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/politics/plan-to-ban-off-licences-selling-alcohol-to-under-21s-is-defeated-1.1058271

SOS Children (Namibia) - President’s shock at Namibia’s levels of drink and drug abuse
Namibia’s president has called for urgent action on drink and drug abuse, saying he is “disturbed” by the country’s rate of alcohol and drug abuse.
http://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/charity-news/president2019s-shock-at-namibia2019s-levels-of-drink-and-drug-abuse

New Zealand Herald (New Zealand) - TVNZ to stop alcohol adverts during family movies
Family First is welcoming a commitment from TVNZ to remove alcohol advertising during family movies.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10677343

Telegraph.co.uk (Scotland) - Minimum alcohol price would give £700m to businesses instead of Government
A "price-fixing" system has been suggested as a way to stop supermarkets selling alcohol at rock bottom prices, which has been criticised for encouraging binge drinking.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/8028583/Minimum-alcohol-price-would-give-700m-to-businesses-instead-of-Government.html

Washington Post (USA) - California group says Virginia ABC effort driven by alcohol industry
California-based Marin Institute, which describes itself as a watchdog of the alcohol industry, is out with a new report urging states that control the sale of liquor not to dismantle their spirits regulations.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/virginiapolitics/2010/09/california_group_says_virginia.html

Austrian Independent (Austria) - One in four students may be alcoholics, doctors warn
Around 25 per cent of university and college students could be alcoholics, according to a new study.
http://austrianindependent.com/news/General_News/2010-09-30/4746/One_in_four_students_may_be_alcoholics,_doctors_warn

Institute for Fiscal Studies (UK) – The impact of introducing a Minimum Price on Alcohol in Britain
On 2nd September 2010 the Scottish Health Secretary, Nicola Sturgeon, proposed a minimum price per unit of alcohol set at 45p.1 Minimum pricing was part of a wider Alcohol Bill in front of the Scottish Parliament2 and was the first time a figure had been set. However, minimum pricing was recently defeated at the committee stage and may not now be introduced, though the minority SNP Government still supports the measure.
http://www.ifs.org.uk/bns/bn109.pdf


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SAMHSA is announcing the release of Leading Change: A Plan for SAMHSA's Roles and Actions 2011–2014—a detailed plan for achieving the goals of the Agency's eight new strategic initiatives. These initiatives are designed to enhance the Agency's effectiveness by focusing its talents and resources on the key elements of its mission—reducing the impact of substance abuse and mental illness in America's communities.
 
SAMHSA's eight strategic initiatives are critical for enhancing its overall capacity to provide effective behavioral health services and information for a wide spectrum of needs, and the Agency is actively soliciting comments and ideas from outside experts and the general public on all elements of the plan and suggestions for improving it.
 
"SAMHSA is seeking both public support and suggestions on this effort so that we can do everything we can to really make a difference in improving the Nation's behavioral health care system," said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, J.D. Please comment online or attend SAMHSA's Open House on Friday, October 8, 2010.



1.  Read the Plan for Achieving SAMHSA's Eight Strategic Initiatives

2.  Submit Your Comments Online

OR

Comment in Person at SAMHSA's Open House—RSVP Here

When:October 8, 2010  |  9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Eastern Time

Where:Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Sugarloaf Conference Room
1 Choke Cherry Road
Rockville, MD  20857

Lack of association between SNPs in the NEUROD2 gene and alcohol dependence in a German patient sample

Results of a human post mortem study performed by our own group have suggested that the transcription factor NEUROD2, which plays a role in neuronal development, as well as in the development of anxiety and risk behavior in mice, might be a susceptibility factor for addictive disorders.

Therefore the aim of the present study was to analyze a possible relation between genetic variants in the NEUROD2 gene and alcohol dependence in a sample of the Munich Gene Bank of Alcoholism (MGBA).

We performed single SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) and haplotype studies in 430 alcohol-dependent patients and 365 healthy controls with four SNPs covering the gene region of NEUROD2.

Neither single SNP nor haplotype analysis could detect significant associations with alcohol dependence. Additionally we could not detect any relation of the analyzed genetic variants to Cloninger's Type 1/2 or Babor's Type A/B classification, to the age of onset or to the amount of alcohol intake.

Our results do not provide evidence for an involvement of NEUROD2 polymorphisms in the pathophysiology of alcohol dependence.

Further association studies are needed to confirm our findings.


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Request Reprint E-Mail: Peter.Zill@med.uni-muenchen.de  

The college and noncollege experience: a review of the factors that influence drinking behavior in young adulthood.

INCREASINGLY AVAILABLE DATA on the lifetime patterns of alcohol consumption in the United States have made apparent that drinking increases rapidly during the teen years to reach lifetime peaks during young adulthood (ages 18-24) and that the prevalence of heavy drinking and frank alcohol dependence--as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994)--peaks in this same age range (Dawson et al., 2004; Naimi et al., 2003). A substantial number of individuals in this late-teen/early-20s age group are enrolled in college; the 2003 U.S. census estimates the number to be nearly 17 million young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 (38.9% of all young adults; Shin, 2005). These college students often drink at high levels and experience many associated adverse consequences. As a result, it has become more common to directly compare drinking levels in college students with their noncollege counterparts to assess whether college attendance itself might be escalating drinking.

If one examines the college population in isolation, there are certainly reasons to be attentive to college-specific influences. Hingson et al. (2009) extrapolated from a number of data sources that, among 18- to 24-year-olds, college drinking contributes to roughly 1,825 student deaths, 599,000 injuries, and 97,000 instances of sexual assault or date rape each year, and the numbers have been increasing annually. The patterns of heavy drinking typically associated with these adverse consequences are strongly related to college-specific factors, such as the presence of a fraternity/sorority system, athletics, dorm living, and spring-break trips (Lee et al., 2006; Presley et al., 2002). Most alarming, perhaps, is that roughly 38% of college students meet criteria for either alcohol abuse (31.6%) or alcohol dependence (6.3%) according to the DSM-IV (Knight et al., 2002). 

Recent data reveal, however, that noncollege peers also display high rates of risky behaviors. The 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) indicates that both college students and their noncollege peers consume alcohol at similarly heavy rates (Chen et al., 2004), that rates of alcohol abuse and dependence are roughly equivalent for college and noncollege individuals, and that the development of alcohol-use disorders among young adults is more related to their living situation (e.g., at home with parents, on campus, off campus) than to college status itself (Dawson et al., 2004). Spikes in heavy drinking among 18- to 24-year-olds are possibly a function of developmental processes occurring in this transitional period, sometimes called "emerging adulthood" (Arnett, 2005). During this period of role instability, college attendance is only one of the major life options; young adults also may move away from home (without attending college), begin full-time jobs, take time off to "find themselves," or join the armed forces. To ascertain the specific influences of the college experience on alcohol consumption above and beyond the broader role of emerging adulthood, researchers must disentangle these various influences.

Identifying those influences that are particular to college attendance is complicated, however, by a definition of college attendance that is not universally shared by researchers. On close examination, it becomes clear that conceptualizations of college status are inconsistent, and, in some cases, the criteria used to classify an individual as a college student are ambiguous. Furthermore, some studies treat a substantial group of individuals who are in some sense "part time," or who move frequently between college and noncollege status, as "atypical" and therefore exclude them from analyses. As a result, conclusions about how the college (vs. noncollege) experience affects drinking remain elusive.

The current review elaborates and documents recurrent themes that have emerged in studies comparing drinking behavior among college students and their age-matched nonstudent peers. In comparing studies, we paid particular attention to both overlapping and divergent conceptualizations of both college and noncollege status. In addition, we reviewed methodological differences that influence how individuals are categorized as a college student or a noncollege peer, or excluded from analyses. Finally, we reviewed the conclusion that college status affects drinking outcomes, such as frequency, quantity, and risk for future alcohol-use disorders.

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The College and Noncollege Experience: A Review of the Factors That Influence Drinking Behavior in Young Adulthood

To place college drinking within its larger developmental context, we reviewed studies that compare drinking behavior among college students with that of their age-matched non-student peers.

Among the recurrent themes identified across these studies, we particularly noted discrepancies in the conceptualization and operationalization of both college status and noncollege status. These discrepancies, and other methodological variations, were then examined because they influence conclusions about drinking outcomes.

Eighteen studies directly comparing college students with nonstudents were reviewed. 

College students drank more than noncollege peers and, in general, drank more frequently than did noncollege peers, although these differences were likely the result of factors other than college attendance itself.

Younger people drank more than older peers in both groups. College students also tended to be more at risk for alcohol-related problems, including alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence, again likely the result of factors other than college attendance per se. 

This review highlights the lack of consensus in the conceptualization and operationalization of college and noncollege status across studies, as well as the importance of variables such as living situation, age, full-time and part-time status, and type of college, which may be more directly related to variations in alcohol consumption than is college status itself.

Future investigations of college drinking should place this phenomenon within the larger context of developmental processes associated with this time of life.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: goldman@cas.usf.edu. 

Developmental cascades: Linking adolescent substance use, affiliation with substance use promoting peers, and academic achievement to adult substance use disorders

Using a high-risk community sample (N = 405), the current study examined developmental cascades among substance use, affiliation with substance use promoting peers, and academic achievement over an 18-year period and tested whether these pathways mediated the influence of parental alcoholism on adult alcohol and drug use disorders.

Results showed that the influence of parental alcoholism on adult drug disorders was mediated by developmental cascades across all three domains, whereas the influence of parental alcoholism on adult alcohol disorders was mediated through affiliation with substance use promoting peers and persistence in binge drinking.

Adolescent drug use had more implications for adult outcomes than did adolescent alcohol use, which was less likely to spill over into other domains of functioning.

Findings indicated that adolescent risk factors had indirect rather than unique effects on adult substance use disorders, suggesting that adolescent risk is not immutable and is largely mediated by later influences.



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Request Reprint E-Mail:  moira.haller@asu.edu. 

Substance use changes and social role transitions: Proximal developmental effects on ongoing trajectories from late adolescence through early adulthood

Substance use changes rapidly during late adolescence and early adulthood. This time in the life course is also dense with social role changes, as role changes provide dynamic context for individual developmental change.

Using nationally representative, multiwave longitudinal data from age 18 to 28, we examine proximal links between changes in social roles and changes in substance use during the transition to adulthood.

We find that changes in family roles, such as marriage, divorce, and parenthood, have clear and consistent associations with changes in substance use.

With some notable exceptions, changes in school and work roles have weaker effects on changes in substance use compared to family roles.

Changes in socializing (i.e., nights out for fun and recreation) and in religiosity were found to mediate the relationship of social role transitions to substance use.

Two time-invariant covariates, socioeconomic background and heavy adolescent substance use, predicted social role status, but did not moderate associations, as within-person links between social roles and substance use were largely equivalent across groups.

This paper adds to the cascading effects literature by considering how, within individuals, more proximal variations in school, work, and family roles relate to variations in substance use, and which roles appear to be most influential in precipitating changes in substance use during the transition to adulthood.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: jus25@psu.edu 

Testing a developmental cascade model of adolescent substance use trajectories and young adult adjustment

Developmental models highlight the impact of early risk factors on both the onset and growth of substance use, yet few studies have systematically examined the indirect effects of risk factors across several domains, and at multiple developmental time points, on trajectories of substance use and adult adjustment outcomes (e.g., educational attainment, mental health problems, criminal behavior).

The current study used data from a community epidemiologically defined sample of 678 urban, primarily African American youth, followed from first grade through young adulthood (age 21) to test a developmental cascade model of substance use and young adult adjustment outcomes.

Drawing upon transactional developmental theories and using growth mixture modeling procedures, we found evidence for a developmental progression from behavioral risk to adjustment problems in the peer context, culminating in a high-risk trajectory of alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use during adolescence.

Substance use trajectory membership was associated with adjustment in adulthood. These findings highlight the developmental significance of early individual and interpersonal risk factors on subsequent risk for substance use and, in turn, young adult adjustment outcomes.



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Request Reprint E-Mail:  slynne@jhsph.edu.

Cerebral Palsy and Alcohol Consumption during Pregnancy: Is There a Connection?

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a clinically identifiable diagnosis, consisting of pre- and/or postnatal growth retardation (below the third percentile), characteristic facial features, including a thin upper lip, indistinct philtrum and short palpebral fissures (two standard deviations below normal for age), and neurobehavioral abnormalities (Abel, 1998; Jones et al., 1973; Plant, 1987; Sokol et al., 2003).

Although FAS is the leading known cause of mental retardation in the USA (Abel and Sokol, 1986), brain injury involving milder forms of cognitive dysfunction, and more subtle and complex patterns of neurological impairment, occur in ∼30–40% of children born to heavy drinkers, with or without the classic diagnostic features of FAS (Koren et al., 2003; Mattson et al., 1997). 

These neurodevelopmental disorders and other wide-ranging physical and behavioral problems occurring in conjunction with or in the absence of classic FAS features, are now subsumed under the broader umbrella term, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). 

Many of these alcohol-related neurological impairments, e.g. hypotonia, clumsiness, unsteady gait, fine motor impairment, poor eye-hand coordination (Abel, 1998; Aronson et al., 1985; Barr et al., 1990; Jones et al., 1973; Marcus, 1987), stiff muscles and muscle spasms characterized as ‘spasticity’ (Beattie et al., 1983) are also hallmarks of cerebral palsy(CP; Lin, 2003). Despite these commonalities, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and  > > > >

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Request Reprint E-Mail:  eabel@wayne.edu  

Brain neuropeptide Y and corticotropin-releasing hormone in mediating stress and anxiety

Neuropeptides such as neuropeptide Y (NPY) and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) have been implicated not only in acute regulation of stress/anxiety-related behaviors, but adaptations and changes in these neuropeptide systems may also participate in the regulation of behavior and endocrine responses during chronic stress. NPY is an endogenous anxiolytic neuropeptide, while CRH has anxiogenic properties upon central administration.

Changes in these neuropeptide systems may contribute to disease states and give us indications for putative treatment targets for stress/anxiety disorders as well as alcohol/drug dependence.

In this review, we briefly present these two systems and review their involvement in mediating the responses to acute and chronic stressors, as well as their possible roles in the development and progression of stress/anxiety disorders.

We suggest that neuropeptides may be attractive in treatment development for stress/anxiety disorders, as well as for alcohol/drug dependence, based on their specificity and activity following exposure to external challenges, i.e. stressors, and their differential adaptations during transition from an acute to a chronic stress exposure state.


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

Light-to-moderate alcohol consumption and risk of sudden cardiac death in women

Moderate alcohol intake is associated with lower risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), but the association with sudden cardiac death (SCD) is less clear. In men, heavy alcohol consumption may increase risk of SCD, whereas light-to-moderate alcohol intake may lower risk. There are no parallel data among women.

 

The purpose of this study was to assess the association between alcohol intake and risk of SCD among women and to investigate how this risk compared to other forms of CHD.

 

We conducted a prospective cohort study among 85,067 women from the Nurses' Health Study who were free of chronic disease at baseline. Alcohol intake was assessed every 4 years through questionnaires. Primary endpoints included SCD, fatal CHD, and nonfatal myocardial infarction.

 

We found a U-shaped association between alcohol intake and risk of SCD, with the lowest risk among women who drank 5.0–14.9 g/day of alcohol (P for quadratic trend = 0.02). Compared to abstainers, the multivariate relative risk (95% confidence interval) for SCD was 0.79 (0.55–1.14) for former drinkers, 0.77 (0.57-1.06) for 0.1–4.9 g/day, 0.64 (0.43–0.95) for 5.0–14.9 g/day, 0.68 (0.38–1.23) for 15.0–29.9 g/day, and 1.15 (0.70–1.87) for ≥30.0 g/day. In contrast, the relationship of alcohol intake and nonfatal and fatal CHD was more linear (P for linear trend <.001).

 

In this cohort of women, the relationship between light-to-moderate alcohol intake and SCD is U-shaped, with a nadir at 5.0–14.9 g/day. Low levels of alcohol intake do not raise the risk of SCD and may lower risk in women.

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News Release - Alcohol consumers are becoming the norm, UT Southwestern analysis finds

More people are drinking than 20 years ago, according to a UT Southwestern Medical Center analysis of national alcohol consumption patterns. Gathered from more than 85,000 respondents, the data suggests that a variety of factors, including social, economic and ethnic influences and pressures, are involved in the increase.

“The reasons for the uptick vary and may involve complex sociodemographic changes in the population, but the findings are clear: More people are consuming alcohol now than in the early 1990s,” said Dr. Raul Caetano , dean of the Southwestern School of Health Professions and lead author of the paper available online and in the October issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.   > > > >

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Can stand-alone computer-based interventions reduce alcohol consumption? A systematic rev

To determine the effects of computer-based interventions aimed at reducing alcohol consumption in adult populations.

The review was undertaken following standard Cochrane and PRISMA guidance for systematic reviews. The literature was searched until December 2008, with no restrictions on language. Randomised trials with parallel comparator groups were identified in the form of published and unpublished data. Two authors independently screened abstracts and papers for inclusion. Data extraction and bias assessment was undertaken by one author and checked by a second author. Studies that measured total alcohol consumption and frequency of binge drinking episodes were eligible for inclusion in meta-analyses. A random-effects model was used to pool mean differences.

Twenty-four studies were included in the review (19 combined in meta-analyses). The meta-analyses suggested that computer-based interventions were more effective than minimally active comparator groups (e.g. assessment-only) at reducing alcohol consumed per week in student and non-student populations. However, most studies used the mean to summarise skewed data, which could be misleading in small samples. A sensitivity analysis of those studies that used suitable measures of central tendency found there was no difference between intervention and minimally active comparator groups in alcohol consumed per week by students. Few studies investigated non-student populations or compared interventions with active comparator groups.

Computer-based interventions may reduce alcohol consumption compared with assessment only the conclusion remains tentative because of methodological weaknesses in the studies.

Future research should consider that the distribution of alcohol consumption data is likely to be skewed and that appropriate measures of central tendency are reported.


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Request Reprint E-Mail: z.khadjesari@ucl.ac.uk   

Response to commentaries

Paul Meehl, a brilliant human, major figure in psychological science and occasional mentor in my formative
years in training commented more than once on back and-forth arguments, regardless of their intellectual merit. He ‘suggested’ one convey ones perspective, listened to the counterpoint(s) and then go off to ponder the merits of each position. This, rather than continued debate (usually at louder volume, or with more vociferous
comment) he mused, would generate rational development
in any arena. Occasionally I have had the will and wisdom to follow this dictum and this would seem an apt opportunity.    > > > >

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Commentary on Grabowski (2010): Our map should correspond with the territory

Having recently chaired a policy study group in theWhite House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), which concluded unanimously that a merger of the US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism would benefit research and public health [1], I was cheered to see Grabowski [2] come to the same conclusion. Both of us are echoing an earlier recommendation from the Institute of Medicine [3]. In this commentary, I supplement Grabowski’s case for a combined institute with some historical evidence on the changing face of substance use in
the United States. Because support of the proposed merger is often attributed to being the inbuilt bias of ‘NIDA people’, let me aver for the record that I have never applied for a grant from NIDA, nor served on any NIDA committee. Indeed, I have in fact been extensively funded by and involved in the operations of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) for many years (e.g. study section member, research portfolio advisor, center grant advisory board member and reviewer).   


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Commentary on Grabowski (2010): A dissenting view from one who has known both NIDA and NIAAA

There may be pros and cons associated with retaining or changing the present structure of separate institutes for alcoholism and drug addiction at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), but the position paper by Dr John Grabowski [1] is unhelpful to a consideration of the issues. His piece includes attacks on the accomplishments of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) [relative to the National Institute on Drug Addiction (NIDA)], as well as some major and minor historical inaccuracies and personal criticism of two past directors of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and current staff at the Institute.  > > > >


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Commentary on Grabowski (2010): ‘The Name Game’

Dr Grabowski’s [1] provocative article supports the integration of the National Institutes on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the National Institute on Drug Addiction (NIDA) and even proposes a name for this new agency. My response is both on  of caution and trepidation. I suspect that there are more factors in this complex matter that must be considered, and I fear that the arguments for the National Institute on Substance Use Disorders (NISUD) focus mainly upon the disorders and addiction side of NIDA and NIAAA at the serious
diminution of environmental and other social forces that continue to impact significantly substance use and abuse.   > > > > 


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Commentary on Grabowski (2010): NISUD—progress, backlash or sidetrack?

In his paper, Grabowski [1] argues that the organization
of US alcohol and drug research in separate National Institutes of Health (NIH) institutes is obsolete. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the National Institute on Drug Addiction (NIDA) have different historical origins, different roles in
policy development and research agendas. Currently, however, the situation is characterized by overlapping scientific methods, research questions and projects. Competing training programs drain insufficient resources. Cost–benefit and cost-effectiveness considerations would favor joint organization. One should build an integrated organization logically and possibly save costs needed for research activities. There is a potential for ‘stunning synergy’. 
  > > > > 


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Personal, family and social functioning among older couples concordant and discordant for high-risk alcohol consumption

This study compares the personal, family and social functioning of older husbands and wives concordant or discordant for high-risk alcohol consumption and identifies predictors of changes in concordance and high-risk consumption.

Three groups of couples were identified at baseline and followed 10 years later: (i) concordant couples in which husbands and wives engaged in low-risk alcohol consumption (n = 54); (ii) concordant couples in which husbands and wives engaged in high-risk alcohol consumption (n = 38); and (iii) discordant couples in which one partner engaged in high-risk alcohol consumption and the other partner did not (n = 75). At each follow-up, husbands and wives completed an inventory that assessed their personal, family and social functioning.

Compared to the low-risk concordant group, husbands and wives in the high-risk concordant group were more likely to rely on tension-reduction coping, reported more friend approval of drinking, and were less involved in religious activities; however, they did not differ in the quality of the spousal relationship.

The frequency of alcohol consumption declined among husbands in discordant couples, but not among husbands in concordant couples.

Predictors of high-risk drinking included tension-reduction coping, friend approval of drinking and, for husbands, their wives' level of drinking.

High-risk and discordant alcohol consumption do not seem to be linked to decrements in family functioning among older couples in long-term stable marriages. The predictors of heavy alcohol consumption among older husbands and wives identify points of intervention that may help to reduce their high-risk drinking.


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Request Reprint E-Mail:  rmoos@stanford.edu 

Impulsivity-related brain volume deficits in schizophrenia-addiction comorbidity

Despite a high prevalence of schizophrenia patients with comorbid substance abuse, little is known about possible impacts on the brain. 

Hence, our goal was to determine whether addicted and non-addicted schizophrenic patients suffer from different brain deficits. We were especially interested to determine if grey matter volumes were affected by impulsivity. 

We hypothesized that (comorbid) substance abuse would be associated with enhanced impulsivity and that this enhanced impulsivity would be related to grey matter volume deficits in prefrontal areas.

We employed a voxel-based morphometry approach as well as neuropsychological assessment of executive functions and trait impulsivity in 51 participants (age range 23–55). The schizophrenia group comprised 24 patients (12 patients with paranoid schizophrenia and 12 with additional comorbid substance use disorders). The comparison group comprised 27 non-schizophrenic individuals, matched by age and education (14 healthy individuals and 13 patients with substance use disorders).

Total grey matter volume deficits were found in all patient groups as compared with healthy controls but were largest (∼8%) in both addicted groups. While grey matter volume losses in lateral orbitofrontal and temporal regions were affected by schizophrenia, volume decreases of the medial orbitofrontal, anterior cingulate and frontopolar cortex were associated with addiction. 

Compared with non-addicted schizophrenics, comorbid patients showed significant volume decreases in anterior cingulate, frontopolar and superior parietal regions.

Additionally, they showed an increased non-planning impulsivity that was negatively related to grey matter volumes in the same regions, except for parietal ones.

The present study indicates severe grey matter volume and functional executive deficits in schizophrenia, which were only partially exacerbated by comorbid addiction. However, the relationship between non-planning impulsivity and anterior cingulate and frontopolar grey matter volumes points to a specific structure–function relationship that seems to be impaired in schizophrenia-addiction comorbidity. 

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Request Reprint E-Mail:  boris.schiffer@uni-due.de 

Early Release of Selected Estimates Based on Data From the January-March 2010 National Health Interview Survey

9. Alcohol consumption 

• Figure 9.1. Percentage of adults aged 18 years and over who had five or more drinks in 1 day at least once in the past year: United States, 1997-March 2010
• Figure 9.2. Percentage of adults aged 18 years and over who had five or more drinks in 1 day at least once in the past year, by age group and sex: United States, January-March 2010
• Figure 9.3. Age-sex-adjusted percentage of adults aged 18 years and over who had five or more drinks in 1 day at least once in the past year, by race/ethnicity: United States, January-March 2010
• Data tables for Figures 9.1-9.3
• 
  

PDF Version

First European Conference on FASD

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: Growing Awareness in Europe

Wednesday through Friday, November 3 to 5, 2010

The aim of this conference is to bring together European researchers, public health workers, and FAS-related NGOs for the first time in order to share knowledge and promote collaborations. Presentations will cover latest developments worldwide, with an emphasis on European experience:

* Latest research on FASD in Europe

* Public health and preventions

* Diagnosis and intervention

* Consequences for justice and politics

Conference Website

The Next Step Towards a Better Life

Describes the stages of recovery from alcohol and drug abuse and what to expect after leaving detoxification services. Offers guidance in adjusting to sobriety just after detox and through long-term recovery; discusses legal issues; and lists resources.


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Substance Abuse Treatment for Persons With Co-Occurring Disorders

Quick Guide for Mental Health Professionals Based on TIP 42

Guides mental health professionals in the management of clients with co-occurring disorders. Discusses intake/screening and assessment; lists five guiding principles, and describes models and techniques for working effectively with clients. 


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Incorporating Alcohol Pharmacotherapies Into Medical Practice

KAP Keys for Clinicians Based on TIP 49

 

Provides clinicians with quick reference information about three FDA-approved medications to help patients achieve abstinence from alcohol: acamprosate, disulfiram, and naltrexone (oral and extended-release). Includes patient management tips.


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Incorporating Alcohol Pharmacotherapies Into Medical Practice

Quick Guide for Physicians Based on TIP 49

Guides physicians in the use of medications to help patients achieve abstinence from alcohol. Describes how the medications work, whom they benefit, and side effects for three FDA-approved medications: acamprosate, disulfiram, and naltrexone.


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Incorporating Alcohol Pharmacotherapies Into Medical Practice

Quick Guide for Counselors Based on TIP 49

Guides counselors in the use of medications to help clients achieve abstinence from alcohol. Describes how the medications work, whom they benefit, and side effects for three FDA-approved medications: acamprosate, disulfiram, and naltrexone. 

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