Alcohol News - 27/2010

Daily Mail (UK) - Parents' drinking scares 30 per cent of children according to new survey

CNN (USA) - Study: Underage drinking trips to ER spike in July 4 weekend

Radio New Zealand (New Zealand) - Parents offering alcohol to under-18s could be fined

Hindustan Times - Difficult childhood linked to drinking

BBC News (UK) - Survey shows parents buy alcohol for their teenagers

Herald Scotland (Scotland) - Plans to ban below-cost alcohol sales unveiled

WalesOnline (Wales) - Drink-related admissions level off at 54,000

Private Healthcare UK - Drinking while pregnant 'damages sons' sperm quality'

allvoices (UK) - Over half the England population are using harmful levels of Alcohol and or Drugs
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BusinessWeek - Teen Girls Becoming More Open to Drugs, Alcohol

BBC News (UK) - Doctors call for an end to loyalty points for alcohol

Baltic Reports (Estonia) - Pevkur: Estonian beer must be weakened

Irish Times (Ireland) - Alcohol prices 67% above EU average

NewsTime (Russia) - Russia to ban drinking and driving completely


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Event-related oscillations in the parietal cortex of adult alcohol-preferring (P) and alcohol-nonpreferring rats (NP)

The selectively bred alcohol-preferring (P) and -nonpreferring (NP) lines were developed from Wistar rats to model high and low voluntary alcohol consumption and have been demonstrated to exhibit many of the characteristics of human alcohol dependence.

Electrophysiologic studies have shown P rats exhibit more electroencephalographic fast frequency activity and reduced P3 amplitude in the parietal cortex than NP rats, findings that are more common in alcohol-dependent individuals.

Event-related oscillations (EROs) have been suggested to be good endophenotypes associated with ethanol dependence in clinical studies. Recently EROs have also been demonstrated to occur in rodents in response to stimuli that are similar to that used in human clinical studies.

The objective of the present study was to characterize EROs in adult P and NP rats.

A time-frequency representation method was used to determine delta, theta, and alpha/beta ERO energy and the degree of phase variation in the parietal cortex of adult P and NP rats.

The present results suggest that the decrease in P3 amplitudes previously shown in P rats were not associated with changes in ERO energy but were significantly associated with decreases in evoked delta and alpha/beta phase locking.

These studies demonstrate ERO measures may also be good endophenotypes in animal models of alcoholism.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: cindye@scripps.edu

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EU Alcohol Policy Conference

The Director-General for Health and Consumers Paola Testori Coggi addressed the participants of the 4th European Alcohol Policy Conference, organized by Eurocare (European Alcohol Policy Alliance) on 21-22 June 2010 in Brussels. This conference series is a key event in the field of alcohol policy taking place every two years.

Speaking as part of the welcoming session, Ms Testori drew attention to the impact of harmful alcohol consumption on the European population, particularly on young people, and the EU actions in response to this. She set out the following headline statistics: 23 million Europeans are estimated to be dependent on alcohol every year; alcohol causes nearly 200,000 deaths annually in the EU, a figure which includes around 50,000 deaths from alcohol caused cancers; every second driver who dies in a single-vehicle traffic crash is under the influence of alcohol; alcohol is responsible for 25% of all deaths of young men in the 15-24 age group.

Read More > > >


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Shock poster aimed at pregnant women

Health officials in Treviso [ Veneto] have launched a shock poster campaign featuring an image of a foetus in a cocktail glass in an attempt to discourage pregnant women from drinking alcohol. The image, showing the foetus curled up in a glass of campari spritz, carries the slogan, “Mamma beve, bimbo beve” [“If the mother drinks, the baby drinks”] and was the inspiration of the Fabrica advertising agency, which numbers Benetton among its clients.

Read More > > > >


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First Progress Report on the Implementation of the EU Alcohol Strategy

The first EU Alcohol Strategy was adopted by the European Commission in October 2006 in response to the growing recognition of the health impact of harmful and hazardous alcohol consumption in the EU. The Strategy was endorsed by the other EU institutions indicating that a broad consensus has been achieved in the EU on the approach to tackle alcohol related harm. This is the first report to review progress against strategy implementation.


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The Beer & Wholesomeness Report

Recent headlines would have us believe that red wine drinkers enjoy good health, while those who choose beer are at risk of exactly the opposite.

However a closer look at the nutritional content of beer tells a very different story. Beer, when drunk in moderation is one of the healthiest alcoholic drinks around, known down the ages as ‘liquid bread’. > > > >


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Investing in alcohol treatment - reducing costs and improving lives

One of the key challenges for local commissioners is developing a range of alcohol services for those who have problems with alcohol or who are at risk of developing problems.

The report finds that there was a 24% increase in the number of dependent drinkers between 2000 and 2007, with the current figure now standing at 1.6 million dependent drinkers in England.

Key questions to consider when developing services are:

• How should demand be assessed and services planned?
• What is the best model for local services?
• Which care pathways should commissioners prioritise?
• How should vulnerable groups be supported?
• How do we measure success?

This paper sets out Alcohol Concern's views on these questions, based upon our experience over 10 years of providing consultancy and training to regional bodies, PCTs and local authorities. The primary audience for the report is alcohol treatment commissioners, but we also want to offer a vision of treatment to service managers and others involved in service planning and provision.

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S100B and homocysteine in the acute alcohol withdrawal syndrome

Elevations of serum homocysteine levels are a consistent finding in alcohol addiction. Serum S100B levels are altered in different neuropsychiatric disorders but not well investigated in alcohol withdrawal syndromes.

Because of the close connection of S100B to ACTH and glutamate secretion that both are involved in neurodegeneration and symptoms of alcoholism the relationship of S100B and homocysteine to acute withdrawal variables has been examined.

A total of 22 male and 9 female inpatients (mean age 46.9 ± 9.7 years) with an ICD-10 diagnosis of alcohol addiction without relevant affective comorbidity were examined on admission and after 24, 48, and 120 h during withdrawal. S100B and homocysteine levels in serum were collected, and severity of withdrawal symptoms (AWS-scale), applied withdrawal medication, initial serum ethanol levels and duration of addiction were recorded.

Serum S100B and homocysteine levels declined significantly (P < .05) over time. Both levels declined with withdrawal syndrome severity. Females showed a trend to a more intense decline in serum S100B levels compared to males at day 5 (P = .06). Homocysteine levels displayed a negative relationship to applied amount of clomethiazole (P < .05) and correlated with age of onset of addiction. No withdrawal seizures were recorded during the trial. As it is known for homocysteine, S100B revealed to decline rapidly over withdrawal treatment in alcoholism. This effect is more pronounced in female patients. S100B could be of relevance in the neurobiology of alcohol withdrawal syndromes. It may be indirectly related to the level of stress level or glutamatergic activity during alcohol withdrawal.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: dwedeki1@gwdg.de


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Australia's health 2010

Australia's health 2010 is the 12th biennial health report of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. It's the nation's premier source of statistics and informed commentary on: determinants of health and keys to prevention; diseases and injury; how health varies across population groups; health across the life stages; health services, expenditure and workforce; the health sector's performance.

pg. 90 Alcohol use, risk of harm and health status

This section reports against the 2001 NHMRC alcohol consumption guidelines as these were the guidelines in place when the data were collected. The guidelines were expressed in terms of short-term and long-term risk of harm (injury, ill health and death).

In 2007, an estimated 17.1% of Australians aged 14 years and older had not consumed alcohol in the previous 12 months (AIHW 2008b), and so are not assessed for risk here. The majority of Australians (60.8%) had drunk at levels considered low risk for harm in the short and long term, and 8.6% had drunk at levels considered risky or high risk for both short- and long-term harm.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, people who drank at high-risk levels in 2007, both in the short and long term, were more likely than other drinkers to assess their own health as fair or poor (AIHW 2008b).

People who abstained from alcohol consumption were more likely to report their health as fair or poor compared with risky or low-risk drinkers. It is important to note that other factors such as age and socioeconomic status may also affect self-assessment of health status.

Risky drinkers also appeared to have poorer mental health: a higher proportion of those who drank at levels considered to be high risk in the short term reported that they had a mental health illness (13.2%) compared with low-risk drinkers (10.2%) or the whole population aged 14 years and over (10.8%) (AIHW 2008b). The survey also showed that high-risk (15.3%) and risky (11.0%) drinkers were more likely than low-risk drinkers (8.5%) to experience high or very high levels of psychological distress.

The relationship between mental health and alcohol consumption is not in one direction. In some cases, mental health issues may have preceded or prompted alcohol use, while for others the alcohol use may have occurred first.


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Read Section 3 Determinants: keys to prevention (PDF)
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Why Do Adolescents Drink? Motivational Patterns Related to Alcohol Consumption and Alcohol-Related Problems

The present study was designed to investigate motivational patterns for drinking alcohol and their relation about alcohol consumption and problems related to alcohol consumption.

Data were collected by semistructured interviews and questionnaires, containing questions about reasons for drinking, alcohol consumption, and problems related to alcohol consumption during the years 2001, 2004, and 2005. Three independent population samples from two different counties of central Sweden were included. A total of 11,167 adolescents participated. Data on reasons for drinking were analyzed by factor analysis to extract components explaining drinking motives. Relationships between motivational patterns and alcohol use were examined with correlation analysis.

Three drinking motives emerged (social-enhancement, coping, and dominance motives) and related to alcohol consumption and problems related to alcohol consumption.

Limitations of the study are noted and discussed.


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Request Reprint E-Mail: erika.comasco@neuro.uu.se


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What Aspects of Human Alcohol Use Disorders Can Be Modeled Using Selectively Bred Rat Lines?

The use of selective breeding to produce animal models for the study of alcohol abuse and alcoholism represents one of the major advances in the field of alcohol research.

Rats selectively bred for alcohol preference and alcohol nonpreference have been useful to both preclinical and clinical investigators in the alcohol research community for studying the behavioral, neurobiological, and molecular basis of alcohol drinking, for identifying the genes that may contribute to the development of alcohol abuse and alcoholism, and for evaluating the utility of drugs aimed at reducing alcohol intake and preventing alcohol relapse.

Rats selectively bred for alcohol preference (alcohol preferring or “P” line) have enhanced responsiveness to the low dose reinforcing effects of alcohol, less aversion to moderate/high doses of alcohol, and are able to develop tolerance to the aversive effects of alcohol more rapidly and to maintain tolerance longer than rats selectively bred for alcohol nonpreference (alcohol nonpreferring or “NP” line).

The increased potency of low-dose alcohol as a reinforcer for P rats might be expected to foster and maintain alcohol drinking. Weaker aversion to the pharmacological effects of moderate/high doses of alcohol in the P line would allow P rats to drink more alcohol than NP rats before the postingestional effects become aversive.

Rapid induction of tolerance to the aversive effects of alcohol with repeated bouts of voluntary alcohol drinking, as well as persistence of alcohol tolerance in rats of the P line might serve to maintain alcohol drinking.

These are powerful mechanisms that may serve to promote and maintain a high alcohol drinking behavior. Although these rat lines have been used to address several characteristics of excessive alcohol consumption in humans, they have not yet been used to model several aspects of human alcohol use disorders.

New applications of these selectively bred rat lines are discussed which may further our understanding of the factors contributing to alcohol abuse and alcoholism.


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Request Reprint E-Mail: jcfroehl@iupui.edu.


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The Fast Alcohol Screening Test (FAST) is as Good as the AUDIT to Screen Alcohol Use Disorders

This study was aimed at assessing the psychometric qualities of the fast alcohol screening test (FAST), and at comparing these qualities to those of the alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT) in three samples of Brazilian adults: (i) subjects attended at an emergency department (530); (ii) patients from a psychosocial care center (40); and (iii) university students (429).

The structured clinical interview for diagnosis (SCID)-IV was used as gold standard.

The FAST demonstrated high test–retest and interrater reliability coefficients, as well as high predictive and concurrent validity values.

The results attest the validity and reliability of the Brazilian version of the FAST for the screening of indicators of alcohol abuse and dependence.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: jcrippa@fmrp.usp.br


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Neuromodulation of Decision-Making in the Addictive Brain

Noninvasive brain stimulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation can modify decision-making behaviors in healthy subjects.

The same type of noninvasive brain stimulation can suppress drug craving in substance user patients, who often display impaired decision-making behaviors.

We discuss the implications of these studies for the cognitive neurosciences and their translational applications to the treatment of addictions.

We propose a neurocognitive model that can account for our findings and suggests a promising therapeutic role of brain stimulation in the treatment of substance abuse and addictive behavior disorders.


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Request Reprint E-Mail: sfecteau@bidmc.harvard.edu


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Subjective Responses to Alcohol Consumption as Endophenotypes: Advancing Behavioral Genetics in Etiological and Treatment Models of Alcoholism

Individual differences in subjective responses to alcohol consumption represent genetically mediated biobehavioral mechanisms of alcoholism risk (i.e., endophenotype).

The objective of this review is three-fold:

(1) to provide a critical review the literature on subjective response to alcohol and to discuss the rationale for its conceptualization as an endophenotype for alcoholism;

(2) to examine the literature on the neurobiological substrates and associated genetic factors subserving individual differences in subjective response to alcohol; and

(3) to discuss the treatment implications of this approach and to propose a framework for conceptualizing, and systematically integrating, endophenotypes into alcoholism treatment.

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

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Impact of prenatal alcohol consumption on placenta-associated syndromes

The biology of placental and fetal development suggests that alcohol may play a significant role in increasing the risk of feto-infant morbidity and mortality, but study results are inconsistent and the mechanism remains poorly defined. Previous studies have not examined the risk of placenta-associated syndromes (PASs: defined as the occurrence of either placental abruption, placenta previa, preeclampsia, small for gestational age, preterm, or stillbirth) as a unique entity.

Therefore, we sought to examine the relationship between prenatal alcohol use and the risk of PAS among singleton births in the Missouri maternally linked data files covering the period 1989–2005. Logistic regression with adjustment for intracluster correlation was used to generate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Compared with nondrinkers, drinkers were more likely to be smokers, 35 years of age or older, black, and multiparous. Drinkers had an increased risk of PAS (OR=1.26, 95% CI=1.22,1.31) when compared with their nondrinking counterparts. The risk of PAS was progressively amplified with increasing prenatal alcohol consumption (P for trend <.01). Women who reported consuming five or more alcoholic drinks per week had more than twofold increased risk of PASs, whereas women in the lowest drinking category (one to two drinks per week) had only a slight increased risk of PAS (OR=1.09, 95% CI=1.05, 1.14).

Enhanced understanding of the mechanism by which prenatal alcohol consumption leads to PAS may aid in the development of more targeted interventions designed to prevent adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Screening women for alcohol use may assist providers in protecting developing fetuses from the potential dangers of prenatal alcohol use.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: hamisu.salihu@gmail.com

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Distribution of ADH1B, ALDH2, CYP2E1*6, and CYP2E1*7B genotypes in Turkish population

The most well-known metabolic pathways from ethanol to acetaldehyde include alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and the microsomal ethanol oxidizing system that involves cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1). Acetaldehyde is further oxidized to acetate by aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). The genetic variation of ADH1B, ALDH2, and CYP2E1 is different among racial populations and cause difference in elimination rates of alcohol.

The aim of this study was to determine the polymorphisms of ADH1B (rs1229984; Arg47His), ALDH2 (rs671; Glu487Lys), CYP2E1*6 (rs6413432; T7632A), and CYP2E1*7B (rs6413420; G-71T) in unrelated healthy Turkish population and compare it with other populations.

ADH1B and ALDH2 polymorphisms were analyzed with an allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, and CYP2E1*6 and CYP2E1*7B polymorphisms were genotyped by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism method.

ADH1B polymorphism analysis yielded the genotype distribution as 83.9% ADH1B*1/1 and 16.1% ADH1B*1/2, and no individuals with ALDH2*1/2 and ALDH2*2/2 genotypes were found in Turkish population.

The genotype frequencies for CYP2E1*6 polymorphism were found as 85.3% for homozygote common, 14.1% for heterozygote, and 0.6% for homozygote uncommon. For CYP2E1*7B polymorphism, the genotype frequencies were determined to be 86.5% G/G, 13.5% for G/T; however, no individuals with homozygote uncommon genotype were detected.

According to our study results, the genotype distributions of ADH1B, ALDH2, CYP2E1*6, and CYP2E1*7B in Turkish population were similar compared with Caucasian and some European populations, whereas differed significantly from East Asian populations.

This study may be useful in epidemiological studies of the influence of ADH1B, ALDH2, CYP2E1*6, and CYP2E1*7B polymorphisms on diseases, including several types of cancer related to alcohol consumption and alcohol dependence.


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Request Reprint E-Mail:
kayaalti@medicine.ankara.edu.tr


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New 'self-help' website for alcohol and cocaine users

A new OASIS website for alcohol and cocaine users offers 'self-help' approaches to reducing harmful use. Visitors however need to choose between the substance they are most concerned about, though both can be taken separately.

For alcohol, the site uses the AUDIT screening tool, an effective approach for identifying levels of alcohol risk for the delivery of brief interventions and treatment responses. The cocaine screening tool is not known but asks about levels of alcohol use. > > > > Read More

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Acetyl-L-Carnitine for Alcohol Craving and Relapse Prevention in Anhedonic Alcoholics: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Trial

The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC), at different doses, in relapse prevention and craving in anhedonic detoxified alcohol-dependent subjects.

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, pilot study in 64 alcohol-dependent anhedonic patients: 23 received ALC at a dose of 3 g/day, 21 received ALC at a dosage of 1 g/day and 20 were given placebo. Intensity of alcohol craving was evaluated by Visual Analogue Scale. Subjects were evaluated at the beginning of treatment and after 10, 30, 60 and 90 days.

Survival analysis showed that patients treated with ALC remained completely abstinent for longer than those treated with placebo (Z = –2.27; P <> onwards, a greater reduction of craving was observed in the ALC 1 g group than with placebo (P = 0.035).

The two groups did not differ in the percentage of subjects remaining abstinent for the entire study period or the number of subjects who relapsed (defined as five or more standard drinks (four for women) on a single occasion or drinking on five or more days in 1 week).

The results of this study suggest that ALC can reduce craving and the time to first drink. ALC use was safe. Further studies are needed to clarify to confirm, over longer periods, these short-term outcome benefits.


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Request Reprint E-Mail: giovanni.martinotti@libero.it



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AA Isn't the Best Solution: Alternatives for Alcoholics

Building on an essay in Wired magazine by Brendan Koerner, New York Times conservative columnist David Brooks lauds to the sky AA and its founder, Bill Wilson. Both Brooks and Koerner point out the worldwide spread of AA (although it is limited mainly to the U.S. and like-minded countries), and the spread of the 12 steps to nearly all areas of behavior change, indeed, to how we approach social problems of all sorts.

Along the way, Brooks makes the good points that there is no scientific way to program behavior change -- that it is indefinite and rooted in individual choice. He points out the benefits of the social networks AA provides its members, and the decentralization of the AA movement, so that individual chapters are able to organize as its own members see fit. These are strong organization and psychological pluses.

But, unfortunately for a rational conservative, Brooks misses a few downsides to the AA movement.

> > > > Read More

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Alcohol Treatment in Cheshire and Merseyside 2008/09

A report analysing recorded alcohol treatment in Cheshire and Merseyside has been produced by the Liverpool John Moores University (JMU). The report used data recorded by treatment providers through the National Treatment Agency's drug (NDTMS) and alcohol (NATMS) monitoring systems.
> > > Read More


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