ALCOHOL REPORTS

Monday, April 2, 2012

Alcohol Alert

The NIAAA Alcohol Alert is a quarterly bulletin that disseminates important research findings on a single aspect of alcohol abuse and alcoholism. Please click on the desired publication for full text. To order single copies of select Alcohol Alerts, see ordering Information .

News Release - Teen Alcohol and Illicit Drug Use and Abuse Examined in Study

A survey of a nationally representative sample of U.S. teenagers suggests that most cases of alcohol and drug abuse have their initial onset at this important period of development, according to a report published in the April issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, a JAMA Network publication.

Alcohol and drugs use patterns in adolescence are increasingly seen as indicators of later substance abuse, the authors write in their study background.

Joel Swendsen, Ph.D., of the University of Bordeaux, France, and colleagues examined the prevalence, age at onset and sociodemographic factors related to alcohol and illicit drug use and abuse by U.S. adolescents. Their cross-sectional survey included a nationally representative sample of 10,123 adolescents ages 13 to 18 years.

Their study results indicate that by late adolescence, 78.2 percent of teenagers reported having consumed alcohol; 47.1 percent having reached regular drinking levels of at least 12 drinks within a year; and 15.1 percent having met the criteria for lifetime abuse. The opportunity to use illicit drugs was reported by 81.4 percent of the oldest adolescents, drug use by 42.5 percent and drug abuse by 16.4 percent.

"Because the early onset of substance use is a significant predictor of substance use behavior and disorders in a lifespan, the public health implications of the current findings are far reaching," the authors note.

The median age at onset was 14 years old for regular alcohol use or abuse with or without dependence; 14 years old for drug abuse with dependence; and 15 years old for drug abuse without dependence.

The probability of each stage of alcohol and drug use increased with age, but the rates were almost always lowest for black and other racial/ethnic groups compared with white or Hispanic adolescents. > > > > Read More

Use and Abuse of Alcohol and Illicit Drugs in US Adolescents Results of the National Comorbidity Survey–Adolescent Supplement

Comprehensive descriptions of substance use and abuse trajectories have been lacking in nationally representative samples of adolescents.

To examine the prevalence, age at onset, and sociodemographic correlates of alcohol and illicit drug use and abuse among US adolescents.

Cross-sectional survey of adolescents using a modified version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview.

Combined household and school Nationally representative sample of 10 123 adolescents aged 13 to 18 years.

Lifetime estimates of alcohol and illicit substance use and DSM-IV diagnoses of abuse, with or without dependence.

By late adolescence, 78.2% of US adolescents had consumed alcohol, 47.1% had reached regular drinking levels defined by at least 12 drinks within a given year, and 15.1% met criteria for lifetime abuse. The opportunity to use illicit drugs was reported by 81.4% of the oldest adolescents, drug use by 42.5%, and drug abuse by 16.4%. The median age at onset was 14 years for alcohol abuse with or without dependence, 14 years for drug abuse with dependence, and 15 years for drug abuse without dependence. The associations observed by age, sex, and race/ethnicity often varied significantly by previous stage of use.

Alcohol and drug use is common in US adolescents, and the findings of this study indicate that most cases of abuse have their initial onset in this important period of development. Prevention and treatment efforts would benefit from careful attention to the correlates and risk factors that are specific to the stage of substance use in adolescents.

Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: Joel.Swendsen@u-bordeaux2.fr.

A Brief Intervention Reduces Hazardous and Harmful Drinking in Emergency Department Patients

Brief interventions have been shown to reduce alcohol use and improve outcomes in hazardous and harmful drinkers, but evidence to support their use in emergency department (ED) patients is limited. The use of research assessments in studies of brief interventions may contribute to uncertainty about their effectiveness. Therefore we seek to determine (1) if an emergency practitioner-performed Brief Negotiation Interview or a Brief Negotiation Interview with a booster reduces alcohol consumption compared with standard care; and (2) the impact of research assessments on drinking outcomes using a standard care-no-assessment group.

We randomized 889 adult ED patients with hazardous and harmful drinking. A total of 740 received an emergency practitioner–performed Brief Negotiation Interview (n=297), a Brief Negotiation Interview with a 1-month follow-up telephone booster (Brief Negotiation Interview with booster) (n=295), or standard care (n=148). We also included a standard care with no assessments (n=149) group to examine the effect of assessments on drinking outcomes. Primary outcomes analyzed with mixed-models procedures included past 7-day alcohol consumption and 28-day binge episodes at 6 and 12 months, collected by interactive voice response. Secondary outcomes included negative health behaviors and consequences collected by telephone surveys.

The reduction in mean number of drinks in the past 7 days from baseline to 6 and 12 months was significantly greater in the Brief Negotiation Interview with booster (from 20.4 [95% confidence interval {CI} 18.8 to 22.0] to 11.6 [95% CI 9.7 to 13.5] to 13.0 [95% CI 10.5 to 15.5]) and Brief Negotiation Interview (from 19.8 [95% CI 18.3 to 21.4] to 12.7 [95% CI 10.8 to 14.6] to 14.3 [95% CI 11.9 to 16.8]) than in standard care (from 20.9 [95% CI 18.7 to 23.2] to 14.2 [95% CI 11.2 to 17.1] to 17.6 [95% CI 14.1 to 21.2]). The reduction in 28-day binge episodes was also greater in the Brief Negotiation Interview with booster (from 7.5 [95% CI 6.8 to 8.2] to 4.4 [95% CI 3.6 to 5.2] to 4.7 [95% CI 3.9 to 5.6]) and Brief Negotiation Interview (from 7.2 [95% CI 6.5 to 7.9] to 4.8 [95% CI 4.0 to 5.6] to 5.1 [95% CI 4.2 to 5.9]) than in standard care (from 7.2 [95% CI 6.2 to 8.2] to 5.7 [95% CI 4.5 to 6.9] to 5.8 [95% CI 4.6 to 7.0]). The Brief Negotiation Interview with booster offered no significant benefit over the Brief Negotiation Interview alone. There were no differences in drinking outcomes between the standard care and standard care–no assessment groups. The reductions in rates of driving after drinking more than 3 drinks from baseline to 12 months were greater in the Brief Negotiation Interview (38% to 29%) and Brief Negotiation Interview with booster (39% to 31%) groups than in the standard care group (43% to 42%).

Emergency practitioner–performed brief interventions can reduce alcohol consumption and episodes of driving after drinking in hazardous and harmful drinkers. These results support the use of brief interventions in ED settings.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: gail.donofrio@yale.edu

The effect of intermittent alcohol vapor or pulsatile heroin on somatic and negative affective indices during spontaneous withdrawal in Wistar rats.

Once dependent on alcohol or opioids, negative affect may accompany withdrawal. Dependent individuals are hypothesized to “self-medicate” in order to cope with withdrawal, which promotes escalated alcohol and drug use.

The current study aimed to develop a reliable animal model to assess symptoms that occur during spontaneous alcohol and opioid withdrawal.

Dependence was induced using intermittent alcohol exposure or pulsatile heroin delivery and assessed for the presence of withdrawal symptoms during acute withdrawal by measuring somatic signs, behavior in the forced swim test (FST), and air-puff-induced 22-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs). Additional animals subjected to 8 weeks of alcohol vapor exposure were evaluated for altered somatic signs, operant alcohol self-administration, and 22-kHz USV production, as well as performance in the elevated plus maze (EPM).

During spontaneous withdrawal from pulsatile heroin or intermittent alcohol vapor, animals displayed increased somatic withdrawal signs, FST immobility, and 22-kHz USV production but did not show any behavioral change in the EPM unless the duration of alcohol exposure was extended to 4 weeks. Following 8 weeks of alcohol vapor exposure, animals displayed somatic withdrawal signs, escalated alcohol self-administration, and increased 22-kHz USVs.

These paradigms provide consistent methods to evaluate the behavioral ramifications, and neurobiological substrates, of alcohol and opioid dependence during spontaneous withdrawal. As immobility in the FST and percent open-arm time in the EPM were dissociable, with 22-kHz USVs paralleling immobility in the FST, assessment of air-puff-induced 22-kHz USVs could provide an ethologically valid alternative to the FST.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: b_walker@wsu.edu

A behavioral economic supplement to brief motivational interventions for college drinking

Basic behavioral and neurobiological research has demonstrated that deficiencies in naturally occurring substance-free rewards are both a cause and a consequence of substance abuse that are due in part to the systematic discounting of delayed substance-free rewards. Existing brief motivational interventions (BMIs) for alcohol abuse do not target this mechanism of change.

The goal of this uncontrolled pilot study was to evaluate a behavioral economic Substance-Free Activity Session (SFAS) to traditional alcohol BMIs.

Participants were 13 college freshmen who reported two or more heavy drinking episodes (>5/4 drinks in an occasion for men/women) in the past month. All participants completed a baseline assessment and a BMI that addressed alcohol use. In addition, participants received the SFAS, a 50-min individual session that attempts to increase engagement in constructive alternatives to drinking by enhancing the salience of delayed rewards (academic and career success) and the patterns of behavior (academic and extracurricular engagement) leading to these outcomes.

At the 1-month follow-up assessment, participants reported significant reductions in heavy drinking, and moderate to large effect size reductions in weekly drinking and peak blood alcohol levels.

The results of this pilot study provide preliminary support for the efficacy of this behavioral economic intervention session as a supplement to traditional alcohol BMIs.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: jgmurphy@memphis.edu

Impact of alcohol intake on total mortality and mortality from major causes in Japan: a pooled analysis of six large-scale cohort studies

Using common alcohol consumption categories, to conduct a pooled analysis of six ongoing large-scale cohort studies in Japan in order to produce concrete estimates of the quantitative contribution of alcohol consumption to all-cause and major causes of mortality in the Japanese population.

Of the 309 082 subjects, there were 35 801 deaths during 3 832 285 person-years of follow-up. Using a random-effect model, we conducted a meta-analysis of the HRs of each alcohol consumption category in each study, thereby obtaining pooled estimates for the risk of total and major causes of mortality due to alcohol consumption.

There was a J- or U-shaped association for the risk of total and major causes of mortality in men, and the risk of total and heart disease mortality in women. Compared with non-drinkers, there was a significantly lower risk for total mortality at an alcohol consumption level of <69 g/day, cancer mortality at <46 g/day, heart disease mortality at <69 g/day and cerebrovascular disease mortality at <46 g/day in men, and for total mortality at <23 g/day in women. In addition, mortality risk increased linearly with rising alcohol dose among drinkers. It was estimated that 5% of total mortality, 3% of cancer mortality, 2% of heart disease mortality and 9% of cerebrovascular disease mortality in men, but only 0–1% of these risks in women, could be prevented by reducing alcohol consumption to <46 g/day in men and <23 g/day in women.

Maintaining alcohol consumption below 46 g/day in men and 23 g/day in women appears to minimise the risks of mortality in the Japanese population.

Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: mailto:mnminoue@ncc.go.jp

Alcohol policy On the floor First in Scotland, then elsewhere, the price of getting drunk will rise

VISIT a British city centre on a Saturday night and a spectacle awaits: lurching revellers, rucked-up skirts and vomit-splashed pavements. Politicians portray this disorderly carousing as a blight on society. The proposed solution—already approved in principle in Scotland and at discussion stage in England—is to make alcohol more pricey. The British Isles have long been have been soaked in drink. Can a floor price sober them up?

Britain is a little drier than it was a few years ago. Drinking has fallen since 2004, breaking a five-decade upward trend. More people are teetotal, the number of underage drinkers has shrunk and consumption by 16- to 24-year-olds is ebbing faster than in the overall population.

But that still leaves a big group of heavy, troublesome drinkers. Bingeing—drinking at least twice the recommended daily limit—is rising. Alcohol was a factor in half of all violent offences in 2009-10, according to the British Crime Survey, and in more than 1m hospital admissions, twice as many as in 2002-03. Chronic liver disease, which has been falling in France, Italy and Spain, has risen in Britain since the 1970s.

This public-health nightmare partly reflects deeply ingrained culture. Britons drink almost as regularly as Mediterraneans but binge like Scandinavians (see chart). Women drink heavily in Britain, and more than they used to. But the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS), a think-tank, argues cost is another factor. It reckons alcohol is 44% more affordable than it was in 1980, because of rising disposable incomes, industry consolidation and supermarkets selling drink as a loss leader. > > > > Read More

Alcohol News - 14/2012

Reuters (Europe) - Europeans are world's heaviest drinkers: WHO report

People in Europe drink more alcohol than in any other part of the world, downing the equivalent of 12.5 litres of pure alcohol a year or almost three glasses of wine a day, according to report by the World Health Organisation and the European Commission.

The Copenhagen Post (Denmark) - Booze next in line for sin tax

Danes are set to raid the German border shops once again as government eyes new sin tax. After already being handed a sin tax on fat and bracing for a similar one on sugar, consumers could soon also be paying more to consume alcohol.

Deccan Chronicle (Sweden) - Alcohol consumption and diabetes 'associated'

For the study, subjects in a cohort in Sweden, some of whom had been exposed to a community intervention program to prevent diabetes, were evaluated 8-10 years after baseline for the presence of diabetes mellitus or impaired glucose metabolism ('pre-diabetes') in relation to a baseline report of alcohol consumption.

Alcohol and Alcoholism (Norway) - Dutch and Norwegian Support of Alcohol Policy Measures to Prevent Young People from Problematic Drinking: A Cross-National Comparison

To examine whether Dutch and Norwegian adults differ in their opinion on policy measures that may prevent young people from problematic drinking.

Alcohol and Alcoholism (Lithuania) - Alcohol-Related Injuries and Alcohol Control Policy in Lithuania: Effect of the Year of Sobriety, 2008

To evaluate the changes in mortality and the years of potential life lost (YPLL) due to alcohol-related injuries, as well as the impact of alcohol-related injuries on life expectancy during the period of the implementation of comprehensive alcohol control policy in Lithuania.

International Business Times - One Alcoholic Drink A Day: Breast Cancer Increased Plus 10 Other Reported Effects

One alcoholic drink per day increases the risk of breast cancer, according to new research. Epidemiologists attributed 2 percent of European and North American breast cancer cases to light drinking and 50,000 instances of breast cancer throughout the world to heavy drinking, according to the study.

CampaignLive (UK) - Govt threatens alcohol ad ban to protect young people

The Government has warned that it will consider a ban on alcohol advertising unless more action is taken to reduce young people's exposure to it.

Medscape - Even Light Alcohol Drinking Ups Breast Cancer Risk

Women should not exceed 1 drink of alcohol a day, concludes a new meta-analysis of 113 studies of light drinking and breast cancer. However, even such light drinking is a little risky, say the authors.

Newsday (UK) - Review targets alcohol in Britain's House

British lawmakers have been known to get rowdy during debates. They also have been known to fall down drunk during a vote, head-butt colleagues in a drunken brawl, and run up $80,000 tabs for food and drink.

News-Medical.net (France) - French researchers find alcohol’s self regard boosting properties

French researchers have confirmed the folklore that a glass in your hand will make you feel sexier, smarter and funnier, even when others disagree.

EurActiv (EU/UK) - Commission prefers higher alcohol tax to combat binge drinking

The European Commission is more favourable to raising taxes on alcohol over setting a minimum price level following intense debate in Britain over Prime Minister David Cameron's proposed crackdown on binge drinking, a Commission official told EurActiv.

Futurity: Research News - Alcohol images may prompt racial bias

Recent research by University of Missouri Professor of Psychological Sciences Bruce D. Bartholow has shown that consuming alcohol can lead to increased expression of racial bias. His latest study, conducted with colleague Elena Stepanova of Florida Gulf Coast University, shows that images can have the same effect, even when no alcohol is consumed.

PsychCentral.com - Alcohol, Marijuana Linked to Online Gambling

Gambling over the Internet is a common practice and with the spread of smart phones, an individual can gamble in practically any setting.

Newswise - Sedatives and Alcohol Increase Risk for Pain Medication Adverse Events

Adverse events associated with taking opioid pain medications increase in patients who concurrently use sedatives and alcohol. A study in The Journal of Pain, published by the American Pain Society, www.ampainsoc.org, advises physicians to use caution in prescribing sedatives for patients taking opioids, even if there is no history of substance abuse.

MarketWatch - No Kidding, Kids Are Actually Listening to Their Parents When It Comes to Talking About Underage Drinking

In recognition of Alcohol Awareness Month, The Century Council, the leading national not-for-profit funded by distillers dedicated to fighting drunk driving and underage drinking, released new survey results today which reveal that parents continue to be the leading influence on their kid's decisions to not drink alcohol. Additionally, the survey demonstrates when it comes to talking about underage drinking, kids are actually listening to their parents when they discuss this serious, important, and sometimes awkward topic.

Bloomberg (China) - China to Ban Public Purchases of ‘High-End’ Alcohol

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pledged to ban the use of public funds to buy cigarettes and “high- end” alcohol, warning that corruption may endanger the ruling Communist Party’s survival.

Ninemsn (Australia) - WA government ads link alcohol to cancer

A new government health campaign is warning West Australians that alcohol is in the same cancer-causing category as tobacco and asbestos.

ABC Online (Australia) - Call for mandatory alcohol education

Alcohol and drug education would become mandatory in West Australian schools under a strategy launched in Perth today.

MaltaToday (Malta) - Malta with lowest alcohol consumption rate in the EU

A report on alcohol consumption within the EU, compiled by the World Health Organsiation (WHO), Malta’s alcohol consumption stands at 8.1 litres per capita, which turns out to be the lowest in all the EU.

TheParliament.com (EU) - EU urged to tackle excessive alcohol consumption

EU lawmakers have been urged to follow the UK's example in helping people to "turn their back" on potentially harmful excessive binge drinking. The call by the European public health alliance (EPHA) comes in the wake of UK plans to impose minimum prices for alcohol.

Airport Business (EU) - ETRC Alcohol Code of Conduct signals commitment to responsible retailing

Several EU countries are currently considering the implementation of stricter conditions regarding the taxation, marketing, promotion and labelling of alcohol products to combat the harmful use of alcohol.

Government announce review of drinking guidelines

The Government will review the current drinking guidelines for the first time in 15 years, the Department of Health announced. The Government's response follows the recent House of Commons' Science and Technology Committee (STC) report, which declared the existing guidelines as "confusing" and called for further clarity.

Daily guidelines were advocated following 1995 research which suggested that moderate consumption could lower "bad" cholesterol and have a protective effect on coronary heart disease. The message remains contentious though, as this Science Daily post outlines.

Although daily guidelines might prevent people from assuming they could 'save their units up', critics highlighted that they "appeared to endorse daily drinking" and so increased possible interpretation of the advised amount by as much as 50%. Professor Ian Gilmore, from the Royal College of Physicians, stated that daily or near daily drinking can increase the risk of liver disease. > > > > Read More

Does alcohol consumption really affect symmetry perception? A three-armed placebo-controlled experimental study

A possible explanation for increased levels of attractiveness of faces when under the influence of alcohol is reduced ability to perceive bilateral asymmetry. This study tested the degree of preference by alcohol-dosed and non alcohol-dosed participants for symmetrical faces and their ability to detect facial symmetry, while controlling for other explanations.

Volunteers were recruited to a random allocation experiment with three conditions: alcoholic drink (alcohol dosed), non-alcoholic drink (placebo) and diluted orange cordial (control). Data on concentration, personality and demographics were collected. Dependent variables were symmetry preference and detection.

Laboratory, University of Roehampton.

101 participants, mainly students (41 alcohol-dosed, 40 placebo, 20 control).

Participants provided verbal responses to images of faces which were presented on a computer screen for 5 seconds each; the first task required a preference judgement and the second task consisted of a forced-choice response of whether a face was symmetrical or not. Levels of concentration, weight and level of alcohol-dose were measured, and demographics plus additional psychological and health information were collected using a computer based questionnaire.

In contrast to a previous investigation, there was no difference in symmetry preference between conditions (p = 0.846). In agreement with previous findings, participants who had not drunk alcohol were better at detecting whether a face was symmetrical or asymmetrical (p = 0.043). Measures of concentration did not differ between conditions (p = 0.214 to 0.438). Gender did not affect ability to detect symmetry in placebo or alcohol-dosed participants (p = 0.984, 0.499); however alcohol-dosed females were shown to demonstrate greater symmetry preference than alcohol-dosed males (p = 0.004).

People who are alcohol-dosed are subtly less able to perceive vertical, bilateral asymmetry in faces, with gender being a possible moderating factor.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: l.halsey@roehampton.ac.uk

The role of positive consequences of alcohol in the relation between sensation seeking and drinking

College students exhibit high levels of heavy drinking that are often associated with negative consequences, including unsafe sexual activity, injury, and legal trouble. The fact that students continue to drink despite these outcomes suggests they experience salient positive consequences. A known risk factor of drinking is the personality trait sensation seeking (SS), which may influence how a person interprets alcohol-related consequences and ultimately result in increased alcohol consumption.

In this study, we examined the relations between SS, positive and negative consequences, and drinking among college students. Participants were 206 undergraduates who reported recent heavy drinking (53% female, 65% white, and 26% African-American).

Students with higher levels of SS reported drinking more and also indicated experiencing more positive consequences as a result of their drinking than participants with lower levels of SS.

This relation between SS and drinking was mediated by positive consequences, suggesting that one reason why students with higher levels of SS drink more than other students is that they experience more positive consequences from drinking.

This could be due to increased social interactions typical of high SS students, resulting in a more positive appraisal of the drinking context.

These conclusions may inform college drinking prevention and intervention programs.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: jgmurphy@memphis.edu

Conceptualizing withdrawal-induced escalation of alcohol self-administration as a learned, plasticity-dependent process

This article represents one of five contributions focusing on the topic “Plasticity and neuroadaptive responses within the extended amygdala in response to chronic or excessive alcohol exposure” that were developed by awardees participating in the Young Investigator Award Symposium at the “Alcoholism and Stress: A Framework for Future Treatment Strategies” conference in Volterra, Italy on May 3–6, 2011 that was organized/chaired by Drs. Antonio Noronha and Fulton Crews and sponsored by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

This review discusses the dependence-induced neuroadaptations in affective systems that provide a basis for negative reinforcement learning and presents evidence demonstrating that escalated alcohol consumption during withdrawal is a learned, plasticity-dependent process.

The review concludes by identifying changes within extended amygdala dynorphin/kappa-opioid receptor systems that could serve as the foundation for the occurrence of negative reinforcement processes.

While some evidence contained herein may be specific to alcohol dependence-related learning and plasticity, much of the information will be of relevance to any addictive disorder involving negative reinforcement mechanisms.

Collectively, the information presented within this review provides a framework to assess the negative reinforcing effects of alcohol in a manner that distinguishes neuroadaptations produced by chronic alcohol exposure from the actual plasticity that is associated with negative reinforcement learning in dependent organisms.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: b_walker@wsu.edu

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Making sense of drinking: the role of techniques of neutralisation and counter-neutralisation in negotiating alcohol consumption

This article contributes to the understanding of how students neutralise potential feelings of guilt and stigmatisation regarding their alcohol consumption.

We report findings from two qualitative studies with students at a UK university. The aim of the research was to uncover the range and ways in which neutralisation and counter-neutralisation techniques are used by drinkers and abstainers/near-abstainers in managing their alcohol position.

Study 1 consisted of five focus groups with heavy drinkers and Study 2 comprised nine one-to-one interviews with abstainers and near-abstainers.

Analysis highlights the importance of alcohol consumption in students’ lifestyles, but also the potential identity conflicts experienced by all drinkers, regardless of the amount consumed.

Heavy drinkers primarily employ neutralisation techniques as a means to rationalise the negative impacts of their actions, whereas abstainers and near-abstainers mainly use counter-neutralisation techniques as a means to reinforce their commitment to lifestyles which run counter to mainstream student life expectations.

However, regardless of the amount of alcohol consumed, all participants employed neutralising and counter-neutralising arguments in some social situations.

The article discusses the usefulness of neutralisation theory to account for the adoption of risky health behaviours, such as excessive alcohol consumption, and the potential implications for public health interventions.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: m.piacentini@lancaster.ac.uk

Dimensions of impulsivity among heavy drinkers, smokers, and heavy drinking smokers: Singular and combined effects

Alcohol use and cigarette smoking commonly co-occur. The role impulsivity may play as a common underlying mechanism in alcohol use and cigarette smoking is of particular interest due to emerging evidence of it being a critical component across multiple forms of addiction.

Impulsivity can be examined through several constructs including, risky decision-making, response inhibition, and delay reward discounting. Impulsivity and each of these specific constructs play significant roles in the initiation of drug use, continued use despite negative consequences, and potential to relapse.

This study used three behavioral tasks to measure risky decision-making (Balloon Analog Risk Test; BART), response inhibition (Stop Signal Task; SST), and delay reward discounting (Delay Discounting Task; DDT).

This study advances research on impulsivity and substance use by parsing out the various components of impulsivity and examining them across three groups, heavy drinkers only (HD) (N = 107), smokers only (S) (N = 67), and heavy drinking smokers (HDS) (N = 213).

Participants completed questionnaires, interviews, and neurocognitive tasks including the SST, BART, and DDT. Analyses supported an additive effect of alcohol and nicotine use in delay reward discounting.

Heavy drinking smokers displayed steeper delay discounting of small rewards than did smokers only (p < .05) and heavy drinkers only (p < .05).

This additive effect of smoking and drinking was not observed for risky decision-making and response inhibition, suggesting specificity of the effects for delay reward discounting.

These findings indicate that those who both drink heavily and smoke cigarettes daily have increased delay reward discounting, than those in the S and HD groups.

Future studies should examine these constructs longitudinally, as well as incorporate genetic and/or a neuroimaging component to these group comparisons in order to ascertain the biological bases of these behavioral findings.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: lararay@psych.ucla.edu

A prospective study of stress and alcohol craving in heavy drinkers

Recent work has examined the relationship between stress and relapse to alcohol use in clinical populations. Few prospective studies, however, have examined stress as a precipitant of alcohol problems.

The present study is a longitudinal examination of the role of stress reactivity and alcohol craving in the etiology of alcohol problems in a sample of 41 (mean age = 20.8), heavy-drinking, young adults.

Participants completed a guided imagery exposure to stressful life events, followed by exposure to a neutral imagery control. Following the exposure, participants completed an alcohol cue exposure paradigm. Measures of negative mood (Profile of Mood States (POMS) depression/dejection scale), tension (POMS tension/anxiety scale) and alcohol craving (measured by the Alcohol Urge Questionnaire (AUQ)) were used as indicators of reactivity to stress and to alcohol cues. Polymorphisms of the corticotropin-releasing hormone binding protein (CRH-BP) gene and of the μ-opioid receptor (OPRM1) gene were examined as moderators of this relationship.

Results revealed that stress-induced negative mood predicted negative consequences of drinking (scores on the Drinker's Inventory of Consequences (DrInC-2R)), whereas stress and cue-induced alcohol craving did not predict alcohol use or problems.

Additionally, the CRH-BP genotype was found to moderate the relationship between stress-induced negative affect and the negative consequences of drinking.

The current study supports and extends laboratory research describing phenotypes of stress-induced alcohol craving.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: lararay@psych.ucla.edu

The effect of the OPRM1 and DRD4 polymorphisms on the relation between attentional bias and alcohol use in adolescence and young adulthood

The incentive sensitization theory posits that in the transition from sporadic to problematic alcohol use, the incentive value of alcohol increases (wanting) while its hedonic effects (liking) do not change or decreases. The effect of the OPRM1 c.118A>G polymorphism, associated with liking and wanting, and the DRD4-VNTR polymorphism, related to wanting, on the relation between attentional bias and alcohol use was investigated.

A total of 195 young adolescents (Study 1) and 86 young adult male heavy drinkers (Study 2) completed a visual probe test. Saliva samples were collected to test both polymorphisms.

In Study 1, attentional bias was positively associated with adolescent alcohol use only for OPRM1 G-allele carriers. In Study 2, attentional bias was positively associated with problem drinking for carriers of a DRD4 long allele.

It is tentatively proposed that an attentional bias for alcohol is related most strongly to liking and wanting in early adolescents, while in young adults, an attentional bias may reflect wanting. In addition, individual differences associated with two both genetic markers should be taken into account when examining the relation between attentional bias and alcohol use.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: Sarapieters@gmail.com

Dutch and Norwegian Support of Alcohol Policy Measures to Prevent Young People from Problematic Drinking: A Cross-National Comparison

To examine whether Dutch and Norwegian adults differ in their opinion on policy measures that may prevent young people from problematic drinking.

Data were derived from a web-based cross-sectional study. In this study, only Dutch and Norwegian adults (aged ≥24 years) were included (n_NL = 5023, n_NO= 1916). Opinions on policy items concerning restrictive and educational measures were examined together with alcohol consumption.

Differences between the opinions of the Dutch and Norwegians concerning the restrictive and educational measures were small. In both countries, the support for restrictive measures was predicted by female gender, higher age and less own alcohol consumption. For the educational measures, the explained variance in the Norwegian and Dutch sample was relatively low; this indicates that opinion was more strongly predicted by other factors.

This study indicates that, despite the differences between the Dutch and Norwegian alcohol policy, differences in opinion are small between Dutch and Norwegian respondents, especially regarding restrictive measures that may prevent young people from drinking.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: r.vdrsar@uvt.nl

FASD News - 14/2012

NEWS AND ARTICLES

KTUU.com (USA) - FASD Meeting: Alaska Native Leaders Tackle Fetal Alcohol Issue

Alaska state health officials say Native leaders are gathering in Anchorage to participate in a two-day meeting that will address fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

TbNewsWatch.com (USA) - Growing problem

While the number of babies born with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder appears to be decreasing, one FASD worker observes that more children are being born addicted to drugs.

New Zealand Herald (New Zealand) - Kids dying because of drinking – experts

Hundreds of children are injured, killed or abused every year by caregivers who have been drinking but agencies are failing to grasp the extent of the problem, experts say.

Stuff.co.nz (New Zealand) - Alcohol warnings to pregnant women

A plan to target pregnant women in warning labels on alcohol products may have already encountered a setback, with Dominion Breweries (DB) confirming they won't be complying for at least two years - when the rule is likely to become mandatory.

TVNZ (New Zealand) - Drinking while pregnant an underrated problem – experts

Women drinking while pregnant could be harming thousands of babies a year, according to new research findings released today.

MarketWatch - Michael W. Miller Responds to New Study on In Utero Alcohol Exposure, Urges Caution in Reading Data

A New Study Shows That Alcohol Has Truly Damaging Effects on the Developing Fetus, and Suggests That Alcohol May Actually Prove More Detrimental Than Cocaine and Other Narcotics -- But According to Scientist Michael W. Miller, This May Not Be Entirely Accurate.

my.hsj.org - Should pregnant women face child abuse charges?

Do you know someone who smokes or drinks while pregnant? Well substance abuse during pregnancy has been proven to have negative effects on and unborn baby ranging from birth defects and death.

GoDanRiver (USA) - School board decides to study fetal alcohol syndrome

The Rockingham School Board met Monday night and voted to join a partnership with the National Health Institute on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder.

RESEARCH

Alcoholism - Metabolic Biomarkers of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure in Human Embryonic Stem Cell–Derived Neural Lineages

EtOH exposure induces statistically significant changes to the metabolome profile of human embryoid bodies, neural progenitors, and neurons. Several of these metabolites are normally present in human serum, suggesting their usefulness as potential serum FASD biomarkers. These findings suggest the biochemical pathways that are affected by EtOH in the developing nervous system and delineate mechanisms of alcohol injury during human development.

Alcoholism - Opposing Actions of Ethanol and Nicotine on MicroRNAs are Mediated by Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors in Fetal Cerebral Cortical–Derived Neural Progenitor Cells

EtOH and nicotine exert mutually antagonistic, nAChR-mediated effects on teratogen-sensitive miRNAs in fetal NSCs. These data suggest that concurrent exposure to EtOH and nicotine disrupts miRNA regulatory networks that are important for NSC maturation.

Alcoholism - Delays in Auditory Processing Identified in Preschool Children with FASD

Both sensory and cognitive deficits have been associated with prenatal exposure to alcohol; however, very few studies have focused on sensory deficits in preschool-aged children. As sensory skills develop early, characterization of sensory deficits using novel imaging methods may reveal important neural markers of prenatal alcohol exposure.

Alcohol - Ontogenetic differences in ethanol's motivational properties during infancy

These results illustrate an ontogenetic change in the motivational properties of ethanol, with sensitivity to its appetitive properties declining and responsiveness to the aversive properties increasing with age during early infancy.

Alcohol - Recognized spontaneous abortion in mid-pregnancy and patterns of pregnancy alcohol use

Identifying fetal risk drinking in pregnant women is critical to increasing the effectiveness of interventions that reduce risk level alcohol consumption and protect from pregnancy loss.

Alcohol - Neonatal screening for prenatal alcohol exposure: Assessment of voluntary maternal participation in an open meconium screening program

We conclude that despite the potential benefits of such screening programs, maternal unwillingness to consent, likely due to fear, embarrassment, and guilt, may limit the effectiveness of meconium testing for population-based open screening, highlighting the need for public education and social marketing efforts for such programs to be of benefit.

Alcoholism - False-Positive Meconium Test Results for Fatty Acid Ethyl Esters Secondary to Delayed Sample Collection

Meconium analysis for fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) is a validated method for identifying heavy prenatal ethanol (EtOH) exposure. This study investigated whether delayed sample collection can result in false-positive test results for FAEEs because of collection of samples potentially contaminated with postnatally produced stool.

MATERIALS

Globe Pequot Press – Preggatinis. Mixology for the Mom-to-Be

Within these pages are 75 original Preggatini recipes highlighting fresh juices, herbs, and garnishes as well as ideas for Preggatini Parties—a modern spin on the humdrum baby shower.

The American College for Obstetriciansand Gynecologists – Women and alcohol

This web site it brought to you by The American College for Obstetriciansand Gynecologists (The College) (www.acog.org) with funding fromthe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities - Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Prevention Team (www.CDC.gov/ncbddd/fasd).

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Se Aspetti un Bambino, L´alcol puo attendere (Italy)

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Saturday, March 31, 2012

Alcohol policy – a risky business

Last Friday, the UK Government released its new Alcohol Strategy. It outlined plans to more strictly regulate late-night alcohol retail while signalling to the drinks industry that it should do more to tackle excessive consumption through voluntary agreements. However, it’s headline-grabbing provision was the introduction of minimum unit pricing to tackle binge drinking.

As I’ve argued elsewhere, minimum unit pricing represents a step change in policy approaches to alcohol by reframing it as ‘no ordinary commodity’. Champagne corks must be popping at the headquarters of the many alcohol health organisations who have long campaigned for just such a shift. Or perhaps not. Maybe they went for the Perrier … with a twist of lemon. Just this once. > > > > Read More

Aims

Monday, April 2, 2012

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Saturday, March 31, 2012