Brief Intervention for Heavy-Drinking College Students: 4-Year Follow-Up and Natural History

This study examined long-term response to an individual preventive intervention for high-risk college drinkers relative to the natural history of college drinking.

A single-session, individualized preventive intervention was evaluated within a randomized controlled trial with college freshmen who reported drinking heavily while in high school. An additional group randomly selected from the entire screening pool provided a normative comparison. Participant self-report was assessed annually for 4 years.

High-risk controls showed secular trends for reduced drinking quantity and negative consequences without changes in drinking frequency. Those receiving the brief preventive intervention reported significant additional reductions, particularly with respect to negative consequences. Categorical individual change analyses show that remission is normative, and they suggest that participants receiving the brief intervention are more likely to improve and less likely to worsen regarding negative drinking consequences.

Brief individual preventive interventions for high-risk college drinkers can achieve long-term benefits even in the context of maturational trends.


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Alcohol News - 36/2011

The Mail (UK) - Number of off-licences in an area linked to teen drinking hospital admissions, research reveals

A clear link between the number of off-licences in an area and teenagers ending up in hospital through drink has been established by researchers.

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Financial Times (Scotland) - Scotland in push for minimum alcohol price

Scotland’s determination to introduce a minimum selling price for alcohol has set it on collision course with shopkeepers, distillers and brewers, as well as the European courts and Westminster, which could find itself obliged to defend a policy dismissed by the UK.

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Times of India - Alcohol dulls brain into making mistakes

A new study says that alcohol dulls the brain signal warning people about mistakes, reducing their self control.

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Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) - Wine tax reform plan to hit purse but help the body

TAXING wine in the same way as beer would cut overall alcohol consumption by 9 per cent, according to economic modelling to be presented today.

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Nursing in Practice - Mental health link to alcohol problems

People diagnosed with mental health problems like depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety disorder are at much higher risk of developing a dependence on alcohol, according to an Australian study.

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BBC News (Scotland) - Task force sets plan to blitz Glasgow's booze culture

Plain clothes police officers are to be deployed on Glasgow's transport network to cut alcohol-related disorder.

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Independent Online (South Africa) - Alcohol adverts face being canned

Severe restrictions on alcohol advertising will be tabled before the cabinet within two months, Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini confirmed on Tuesday.

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Nursing in Practice (UK) - New commissioning guide for alcohol services

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has today published a guide to help improve the identification and treatment of hazardous drinking, harmful drinking and alcohol dependence in children, young people and adults. The guide can help the NHS and local authorities to make best use of resources.

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TNT Magazine - Children from divorced parents 'more likely' to become binge drinkers

A "tough love" style of parenting, which combines discipline and warmth, has been found the most effective in ensuring children don't develop an unhealthy relationship with alcohol.

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FoodAndDrinkEurope.com - Drinks industry needs to tighten up on social media marketing, report

Stricter controls are needed for alcohol advertising on social media platforms in order to restrict children’s access to marketing intended for adults, according to UK charity agency Alcohol Concern.

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Indian Country Today Media Network.com (USA) - Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Rate Higher Among American Indians

A mother rouses from sleep, cradles her newborn infant and yawns. She then gets up and carries the baby, all soft and not quite ready to wail for food, into the kitchen. She reaches for a bottle, but it isn’t a baby bottle. It’s glass. It has a screw-top. It’s 80 proof. The mother opens the bottle, smells it and takes a drink.

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East Coast Radio (South Africa) - Alcohol abuse costs SA billions

To try and get locals to cut back on their drinking, South Africa's Trade and Industry Department has launched Sobriety Week in Pretoria today.

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Ninemsn (Australia) - Older people 'most likely to drink daily'

Older Australians are the hidden statistics of those at risk of alcohol and drug addiction, a health group says.

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Telegraph.co.uk - Drink-driving risk for obesity surgery patients

Obese people who undergo weight-loss surgery become drunk more easily and may inadvertently find themselves over the limit, an academic has warned.

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Tasmania Mercury (Tasmania) - Study targets teen drinkers

THE attitude of Tasmanian parents towards supplying their children with alcohol will be the focus of a new five-year study looking at links between early drinking and alcohol problems.

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Irish Times (Ireland) - Born with a craving for alcohol

WOMEN IN Ireland who drink while pregnant are creating children three times more likely to crave alcohol, according to a leading specialist in the field.

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New Zealand Herald (New Zealand) - Public split on cheap alcohol stuns expert

The public are almost evenly split on whether supermarkets should be able to offer wine at rock-bottom prices by selling at below cost, the latest Herald DigiPoll survey shows.

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Ormskirk & Skelmersdale Advertiser (UK) - Ormskirk and Skelmersdale children alcohol abuse levels shock – report

SHOCKING rates of alcohol abuse by children in Ormskirk and Skelmersdale have been revealed by new research.

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Belarus Digest (Belarus) - Cheap Booze for the People of Belarus

As the economic crisis deepens prices on nearly all products rise sharply in Belarus with one remarkable exception - alcohol. These days a bottle of vodka in Belarusian restaurants often costs less than a packet of orange juice - US$3.

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Austrian Independent (Austria) - Alcohol addiction warning issued

Around 900,000 of the 8.5 million residents of Austrian are consuming health-threatening amounts of alcohol, experts have warned.

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Bloomberg (Hungary) - Hungary to Raise Taxes, Delay Spending for Budget, Orban Says

The tax increases will affect alcohol, tobacco and gambling, Orban said in a TV2 interview today. The measures will be approved Sept. 5 or 6 and will be announced Sept. 7, he said.

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New York Times (Russia) - In Russia, Harsh Remedy for Addiction Gains Favor

The treatment center does not handcuff addicts to their beds anymore. But caged together on double-decker bunks with no way out, they have no choice but to endure the agonies of withdrawal, the first step in a harsh, coercive approach to drug treatment that has gained wide support in Russia.

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thenews.pl (Poland) - Bar opens on Polish trains

A communist-era law that prohibits the sale of alcohol on trains will no longer be in effect as of 1 September.

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News Release - Off-licence density linked to alcohol harm in under-18s

New research commissioned by Alcohol Concern shows a positive link between the density of off-licensed premises and harm from alcohol in underage drinkers.

The study One on every corner finds that, excluding London, on average a 2:1 relationship exists between the number off-licences per 100,000 of population and hospital admissions by underage drinkers for alcohol specific admissions such as alcohol poisoning or intoxication. For every two off-licences per 100,000 of population there was one under-18 year old per 100,000 of population being admitted to hospital due to drinking according to the analysis, meaning that on average in areas with a higher concentration of off-licences, there are higher numbers of young people going to hospital as a result of drinking. > > > > > Read More

Drinking to enhance and to cope: A daily process study of motive specificity

Daily process studies of internal drinking motives have not examined motive specificity, i.e., whether theoretically plausible trait and situational antecedents differ in their ability to predict the extent to which alcohol consumption on any given day is motivated by coping or enhancement.

University students (N = 81) completed trait measures of coping and enhancement-motivated drinking (trait CM and EM), sensation seeking, and conscientiousness, and then completed a 14-day online diary assessing daily completion of tasks, daily alcohol use, and (on days when alcohol was consumed) the extent to which drinking was motivated by coping or enhancement (daily CM and EM).

Hierarchical linear models revealed unique situational and trait antecedents of daily CM and EM. In the daily EM drinking model, main effects of daily positive affect (b = 0.11, p < 0.05), trait EM (b = 2.88, p < 0.01), and trait sensation seeking (b = 0.36, p < 0.01) were qualified by cross-level interactions between daily task accomplishment and trait conscientiousness (b = 0.03, p < 0.01), and daily task accomplishment and trait sensation seeking (b = 0.03, p < 0.01). In the daily CM drinking model, main effects of daily positive affect (b = − 0.08, p < 0.05), daily negative affect (b = 0.13, p < 0.05), and trait CM (b = 4.40, p < 0.01), were qualified by cross-level interactions between trait CM and daily positive affect (b = − 0.12, p < 0.05), trait CM and daily negative affect (b = 0.18, p < 0.01), and trait conscientiousness and daily task accomplishment (b = 0.01, p < 0.01).

Our results replicated and extended Cooper et al.'s (1995) findings on the differential roles of sensation seeking and negative affect in CM and EM drinking at the daily level, and call into question the view that drinking motives should be solely conceptualized as individual difference variables. Theoretical and applied implications of the findings are discussed.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: cam.wild@ualberta.ca

Alcohol consumption and associated factors in a city in Northeast Brazil

This cross-sectional study focused on alcohol consumption according to gender, age, income, and schooling in Jequié, Bahia State, Brazil.

The random sample consisted of 270 individuals over 14 years of age living in the urban area of Jequié from January to March 2010. Alcohol consumption was assessed using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT).

Of the total sample, 21.8% consumed four or more drinks on a typical day, 14.1% admitted having caused any harm after drinking, and 26.3% reported that someone had already suggested they should stop drinking. Forty percent of men had more than four drinks on a typical day, and 50.5% of young people drank frequently.

Distribution of the variables was consistent with higher frequency and greater amounts of alcohol among men and young people. There was a large proportion of heavy episodic alcohol consumption.

The study identified vulnerable groups that are still not addicted to alcohol, and that should be targeted for public health promotion and prevention policies.


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Addressing Trauma in Mental Health and Substance Use Treatment

Individuals with histories of violence, abuse, and neglect from childhood onward make up the majority of clients served by public mental health and substance abuse service systems.

The greater the trauma, the greater the risk for alcoholism and alcohol abuse, depression, illicit drug use, suicide attempts, and other negative outcomes.

Clearly, we cannot begin to address the totality of an individual’s healthcare, or focus on promoting health and preventing disease, unless we address trauma.

Trauma-informed care is now the expectation, not the exception, in behavioral health treatment systems.



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Request Reprint E-Mail: MeenaD@thenationalcouncil.org

Differential prevalence of alcohol use among 2-year and 4-year college students

To determine whether alcohol use behaviors and alcohol-related consequences differed among students attending two-year versus four-year colleges.

Participants (N = 13,700) from 7 two-year and 11 four-year colleges completed the 2010 College Student Health Survey. Alcohol use behaviors included past year alcohol use, past month alcohol use, and binge drinking over the past two weeks. Alcohol-related factors included average calculated blood alcohol level and average number of alcohol-related consequences. Cross-sectional mixed-effects regression analyses were conducted to determine if the prevalence of alcohol-related behaviors and consequences differed among two-year and four-year students.

Students attending four-year colleges, particularly males, were more likely to report past year alcohol use, past month alcohol use, and binge drinking, as well as a higher average blood alcohol content and a greater number of alcohol-related consequences than their two-year counterparts (p < 0.05). Among female students there were fewer differences between two-year and four-year college students. Many differences remained after adjusting for socio-demographic factors (e.g., age, race/ethnicity), however, with the addition of living situation as a covariate, several of the differences among males were no longer significant.

Significant differences in alcohol-related behaviors and consequences exist among students attending two-year versus four-year colleges. While the prevalence of alcohol-related behaviors and consequences was lower among two-year college students, they are not a population to be over-looked. The prevalence of alcohol use remains high among both two-year and four-year college students, making it important for researchers to design appropriate interventions for all students regardless of the type of institution being attended.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: cayleywarner@mail.utexas.edu

Clinical Experience with Baclofen in the Management of Alcohol-Dependent Patients with Psychiatric Comorbidity: A Selected Case Series

To illustrate the potential indications for, and adverse effects of, baclofen pharmacotherapy for alcohol dependence in patients with co-existing psychiatric illness.

Audit of the files of alcohol-dependent patients treated for comorbid non-psychotic psychiatric illness in a specialist detoxification unit with integrated outpatient treatment. Files were selected of patients who had been offered treatment with baclofen because other alcohol pharmacotherapies had previously been unsuccessful in preventing relapse or were contraindicated.

Of the 21 selected patients, 13 attended for outpatient treatment, with follow-up periods ranging from 4 days to 27 months, and the outcomes could be rated. Prescribed baclofen doses ranged from 30 to 275 mg daily. Common side effects at lower doses included tiredness and sedation; one patient on 120 mg/day developed reversible severe back pain, and a patient taking up to 275 mg/day developed somnolence, dizziness and incontinence. Seven patients maintained significant periods of abstinence, and one patient reduced daily consumption to non-problematic levels. Two patients consumed an overdose of other central nervous system (CNS) depressants, while taking baclofen in the first week of treatment, were briefly unwell, were given emergency monitoring, but made a full recovery.

While more than half the patients reported significant reduction in alcohol use, it is not possible to draw definite conclusions about the effectiveness of baclofen, given that it was combined with other psychiatric and alcohol treatments, and because there was no control or comparison group. We recommend caution when offering baclofen to patients with a history of recurrent overdosing or a history of other substance misuse. When prescribing in conjunction with other medications with CNS depressant action, close monitoring is recommended at initiation and during dose escalation.



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Request Reprint E-Mail: gdore@nsccahs.health.nsw.gov.au

Why Drivers Start Drinking and Driving—A Prospective Study Over a 6-Year Period in the GAZEL Cohort

To estimate the frequency with which a group of formerly safe drivers adopt driving while alcohol-intoxicated (DWI), and to determine the factors associated with DWI adoption.

Participants were current employees or recent retirees of the French national electricity and gas company. An annual cohort questionnaire that includes two questions about overall alcohol consumption is sent each year to participants. A Driving Behaviour and Road Safety (DBRS) questionnaire was administered in 2001, 2004 and 2007. Only drivers who participated in the 2001 survey received the 2004 and 2007 questionnaires.

More than 462 participants ceased DWI between 2001 and 2007, while 511 adopted this behaviour for the first time. Multivariate analysis showed that the risk of adopting DWI was associated with male gender and with several changes over the preceding years: increased alcohol consumption, increased number of close friends, decreased number of close relatives and decreased attitudes in favour of strict enforcement/regulations.

A large number of offenders stopped DWI between 2001 and 2007, concomitantly with an increased crackdown on road violations in France. But this success was compromised by the occurrence of new drunk drivers. Preventive strategies should target factors that facilitate DWI adoption—in particular, increased alcohol consumption and low acceptance of law enforcement initiatives.



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Request Reprint E-Mail: aymery.constant@ehesp.fr

Race-Specific Associations Between Trauma Cognitions and Symptoms of Alcohol Dependence in Individuals with Comorbid PTSD and Alcohol Dependence

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) changes the way people think about themselves, others, and the safety of the world. These cognitions may play a role in alcohol dependence, where alcohol dependence is maintained as an attempt to manage posttraumatic anxiety.

The current study examined black-white differences in various PTSD cognitions and their relationship to symptoms of alcohol dependence in a dually diagnosed sample (N = 167).

Analyses revealed racial differences in trauma cognitions and their impact on symptoms of alcohol dependence, suggesting that trauma cognitions are more strongly associated with adverse consequences of drinking and alcohol craving severity among African Americans than European Americans.

Additional relationships between ethnic identification and trauma-related cognitions are described and theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: monnica@mail.med.upenn.edu

Ways of problem solving as predictors of relapse in a group of alcohol dependent male inpatients

The purpose of this study was to identify how remitters and relapsers view their everyday problem solving strategies.

A total of 128 male alcohol dependent male inpatients who were hospitalized at the Ankara University Psychiatry Clinic, Alcohol and Substance Abuse Treatment Unit were recruited for the study. Subjects demographic status and alcohol use histories were assessed by a self-report questionnaire. Also, patients were evaluated with The Coopersmith Self-esteem Inventory (CSI), The Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Scale (STAI-I-II), and The Problem Solving Inventory (PSI). Patients were followed for six months with monthly intervals after hospital discharge. Drinking status was assessed in terms of abstinence and relapse. Data were assessed with Student t-test, and univariate and multivariate analysis. In the logistic regression analysis, age, marital status, employment status and PSI subscores were taken as the independent variables and drinking state at the end of six months as the dependent variable.

There were significant differences in reflective and avoidant styles, and monitoring style of problem solving between abstainers and relapses. It was found that subjects who perceived their problem solving style as less avoidant and less reflective were at greater risk to relapse.

The findings demonstrated that active engagement in problem solving like utilizing avoidant and reflective styles of problem solving enhances abstinence. In treatment, expanding the behavior repertoire and increasing the variety of ways of problem solving ways that can be utilized in daily life should be one of the major goals of the treatment program.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: demirbashatice@hotmail.com

FASD News - 35/2011

The Virtual Medical Centre (Australia) - Alcohol health warnings protect mums and babies

Researchers at Perth's Telethon Institute for Child Health Research support calls for mandatory health warning labels on alcohol products.
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Queens County Advance - FASD: Supporting mother during pregnancy key

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is one of the few illnesses that is completely preventable, however it is also the one that comes with the most stigma. Sept. 9 is FASD awareness day, and the South Shore Family Resource Centre bringing awareness to the issue with the help of several community partners.
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Canada Views (Canada) - Alberta recognizes International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Day

September 9 is International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Awareness Day. Each year on the ninth day of the ninth month, this day serves as a reminder to people around the world that during the nine months of pregnancy, a woman should abstain from alcohol.
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Irish Times (Ireland) - Born with a craving for alcohol

WOMEN IN Ireland who drink while pregnant are creating children three times more likely to crave alcohol, according to a leading specialist in the field.
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The West Australian (Australia) - Alcohol in pregnancy can harm babies

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is now being revealed as a tragic legacy of alcohol misuse. And the condition is not isolated to marginalised, disadvantaged communities, researchers say.
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Patch.com (USA) - For Whom The Bells Will Toll

At 9:09 a.m., on September 9, the bells of the Community Church of Douglaston and Zion Episcopal Church will ring in an effort to help raise awareness about fetal alcohol syndrome.
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KARE (USA) - Pregnant drinking: Social experiment at the Minnesota State Fair

The idea by the Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome was simple; plant a visibly pregnant woman at the state fair, have her drink a few beers and wait to see if people would intervene.
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SignOnSanDiego.com - Healthy pregnancy equals a healthy baby

Preparing for a baby’s arrival is important — but charting a course for mom’s health during pregnancy is even more vital. Here are some tips for planning a healthy pregnancy.
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Vanguard - When you drink for two, your child becomes damaged

Imagine when your pregnancy is scanned for the first time so you could see your precious baby growing in the womb, suddenly its whole body gives a shudder and the foetus appears to jump. Such a movement is known as the startle reflex, and the scan described above are from photographs from scans that were taken by Peter Hepper, a professor of psychology at Queens University, Belfast and an expert on the effects of alcohol on unborn babies.
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Jakcsonville.com - Ask the health experts: Is it OK to have a glass of wine during pregnancy?

Is it OK for me to have a glass of wine during my pregnancy? I have heard it might help me sleep, and that an occasional alcoholic beverage won't harm my baby.
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COMING UP

Protecting the unborn baby from alcohol, 7 September 2011, European Parliament, Brussels

This event is jointly organized by European Alcohol Policy Alliance (Eurocare) and the Polish State Agency for Prevention of Alcohol-Related Problems (PARPA) to mark International Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Day.
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MATERIALS

Blogcritics.org - Interview: Carole Eglash-Kosof, Author of The Human Spirit

Carole Eglash-Kosof is a graduate of UCLA and has spent the majority of her career in business and teaching. After tragedy struck in 2006, causing her to lose her husband, mother and brother within a month of one another, she knew she needed to reevaluate her life. She was sent to South Africa to teach as part of the American Jewish World Service. The Human Spirit is the tale of the people of this land who show a level of caring unrivaled by most. They are apartheid’s unheralded heroes and The Human Spirit is their story.
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Best Start – Best Start Resource Centre

Check out alcohol and pregnancy resources on the Best Start Resource Centre site, including the stylish Mocktails for Mom brochure.
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IN OTHER LANGUAGES

MediUutiset (Finland) - Alkoholin vaurioittamat vauvat jäävät ilman diagnoosia

Vain kymmenen prosenttia äidin raskauden aikaisen alkoholinkäytön takia fetaalialkoholioireyhtymän (FAS) saaneista lapsista saa diagnoosin.
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Kehitysvammaliitto (Finland) - 9.9. muistuttaa yhdeksän kuukauden raittiudesta

Kansainvälisenä FASD-päivänä 9.9. kiinnitetään huomiota raskaudenaikaisen alkoholinkäytön vaaroihin. FASD on uusi lääketieteellinen termi, jolla viitataan lapselle aiheutuneiden vaurioiden kirjoon. Read more

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Experienced Acetaldehyde Reaction Does Not Improve Treatment Response in Outpatients Treated With Supervised Disulfiram

The major mode of action of disulfiram is assumed to be a psychological deterrence of an acetaldehyde reaction after alcohol consumption. However, it is still unclear whether patients need to experience an acetaldehyde reaction with the help of a "test drink" at the beginning of the therapy to achieve a better efficacy. Therefore, in this study, we test the hypothesis if an experienced acetaldehyde reaction during the therapy with disulfiram predicts better treatment outcome in alcohol-dependent patients.

We evaluated outcome data of 46 patients treated with supervised disulfiram with experienced versus not experienced acetaldehyde reaction.

Alcohol consumption during outpatient disulfiram treatment was reported by 46% of the patients. Ninety percent of these patients reported typical symptoms of an acetaldehyde reaction. Comparing the course of abstinence rates, our results suggest that the experience of an acetaldehyde reaction was not associated with any differences in treatment outcome but with a significant earlier discontinuation of the therapy.

This study supports the position that the experience of an acetaldehyde reaction is not necessary for disulfiram's action and does not lead to a better treatment outcome. Hence, there is no evidence for the necessity of a test drink before the initiation of a supervised disulfiram therapy.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: jochen.mutschler@puk.zh.ch

Safety and Efficacy of Long-Term Disulfiram Aftercare

Disulfiram is effective in relapse prevention in alcoholism. However, the optimal therapeutic aftercare regimen for patients is still unclear, and disulfiram is associated with numerous adverse events. Also, it is not clear if supervised long-term disulfiram treatment is safe and sufficiently efficient in the long run.

We evaluated the clinical outcome data of 10 alcohol-dependent patients who underwent supervised treatment with disulfiram for more than 50 weeks.

Seven of 10 patients remained completely abstinent during the supervised disulfiram therapy for a mean (SD) period of 70.1 +/- 23.5 months. For the 3 patients with relapse, the first relapse occurred after a mean (SD) of 34.7 +/- 15.5 months. Liver enzymes in the blood decreased markedly under treatment with disulfiram. The overall tolerability was considered to be high; only dizziness and fatigue were observed in 4 patients in the initial phase of the therapy. No serious adverse events were recorded.

Although case observations should be interpreted with caution, the present results suggest that disulfiram is safe and efficient in supervised long-term treatment of alcohol-dependent patients.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: jochen.mutschler@puk.zh.ch

Genetic association study of GABRA2 single nucleotide polymorphisms and electroencephalography in alcohol dependence

The gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) system has been implicated in the susceptibility to develop alcohol dependence and in determining electroencephalogram (EEG) beta activity.

The role of the GABA receptor alpha-2 gene (GABRA2) in human alcohol dependence was determined in a genetic and electrophysiological study.

The study population comprised 586 white UK individuals with alcohol dependence but a very low prevalence of co-morbid drug dependence, and 603 ancestrally matched healthy controls.

Genotyping for seven GABRA2 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), identified from the literature as positively associated with alcohol dependence, was performed with success rates of 90% or greater. EEGs were available in 32 selected patients who had been abstinent from alcohol for a minimum of 24 months and in 138 ancestrally matched healthy controls.

None of the SNPs showed allelic or haplotypic association with alcohol dependence. All markers were in Hardy Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) in the controls. HWE for marker rs279841 in the alcohol dependent sample was p = 0.0199 and combined p = 0.0166. Linkage disequilibrium patterns appear to be very similar to that observed in the HapMap CEU data.

A significantly higher prevalence of excess EEG fast activity was found in the patients (31 vs. 14%, p = 0.018). A significant relationship was found between the presence of excess EEG fast activity and GABRA2 SNPs rs548583, rs279871 and rs279841.

This allelic association study provides no evidence for an association between GABRA2 polymorphisms and alcohol dependence. However, a significant relationship was identified between GABRA2 and excess EEG fast activity.

This dissociation of effect may reflect the fact that the EEG is a more direct marker of phenotypic GABRA2 expression than the more heterogeneous alcohol dependence phenotype.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: h.gurling@ucl.ac.uk

Confirmation of prior evidence of genetic susceptibility to alcoholism in a genome-wide association study of comorbid alcoholism and bipolar disorder

Alcoholism and affective disorders are both strongly comorbid and heritable. We have investigated the genetic comorbidity between bipolar affective disorder and alcoholism.

A genome-wide allelic association study of 506 patients from the University College London bipolar disorder case-control sample and 510 ancestrally matched supernormal controls. One hundred forty-three of the bipolar patients fulfilled the Research Diagnostic Criteria diagnosis of alcoholism. A total of 372 193 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped. Genes previously shown to be associated with alcoholism and addiction phenotypes were then tested for association in the bipolar alcoholic sample using gene-wise permutation tests of all SNPs genotyped within a 50-kb region flanking each gene.

Several central nervous system genes showed significant (P<0.05) gene-wise evidence of association with bipolar alcoholism. The genes implicated, which replicated genes previously shown to be associated with alcoholism were: cadherin 11, collagen type 11 [alpha]2, neuromedin U receptor 2, exportin7, and semaphorin-associated protein 5A. The SNPs most strongly implicated in bipolar alcoholism, but, which did not meet conventional genome-wide significance criteria were the insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7, carboxypeptidase O, cerebellin 2, and the cadherin 12 genes.

We have confirmed the role of some genes previously shown to be associated with alcoholism in the comorbid bipolar alcoholism subgroup. In this subgroup, bipolar disorder may lower the threshold for the phenotypic expression of these alcoholism susceptibility genes. We also show that some genes may independently increase susceptibility to affective disorder and alcoholism.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: h.gurling@ucl.ac.uk

Hypomanic Personality, Stability of Self-Esteem and Response Styles to Negative Mood

This paper aims to study dysfunctional self-schematic processes, abnormal coping styles, over-responsiveness to reward stimuli (indicative of an over-sensitive behavioural activation system) and stability of self-esteem in relation to subclinical hypomania.

Three cross-sectional studies were conducted on selected students on the basis of their scores on the Hypomanic Personality Scale (HPS) (study 1) and on elevated HPS and Dysfunctional Attitude Scale scores (studies 2 and 3).

In studies 1 and 2, participants completed questionnaires and kept a self-esteem diary for 6 days. In study 3, the experience sampling method was used to assess momentary self-esteem, emotion and use of different coping styles over a 6-day period.

Study 1 demonstrated that hypomanic traits are associated with high fluctuations in self-esteem. In study 2, high scores on both the HPS and the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale, but not the HPS alone, were associated with bipolar spectrum symptoms. These participants showed more evidence of alcohol and substance abuse, greater self-esteem fluctuation and dysfunctional coping styles (rumination and risk-taking) compared with controls. Changes in self-esteem were related to the use of these strategies.

Vulnerability to bipolar disorder is associated with a combination of depression-related and reward-related processes.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: Richard.Bentall@liverpool.ac.uk

Enhanced Sensitivity to Attenuation of Conditioned Reinstatement by the mGluR2/3 Agonist LY379268 and Increased Functional Activity of mGluR2/3 in Rat

Recent findings implicate group II metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR_2/3) in the reinforcing and dependence-inducing actions of ethanol and identify these receptors as treatment targets for alcoholism.

Here, we investigated the effects of mGLuR_2/3 activation on conditioned reinstatement in rats with different ethanol-dependence histories and examined dependence-associated changes in the functional activity of mGluR_2/3. Following ethanol self-administration training and conditioning procedures, rats were made ethanol dependent, using ethanol vapor inhalation, under three conditions: a single intoxication and withdrawal episode (SW), repeated cycles of intoxication and withdrawal (RW), or no intoxication (CTRL). At 1 week after removal from ethanol vapor, self-administration resumed until stable baseline performance was reached, followed by extinction of operant responding and reinstatement tests.

Post-withdrawal self-administration was increased in the RW group, but all groups showed conditioned reinstatement. The mGluR_2/3 agonist LY379268 dose -dependently reduced reinstatement in all groups, but was more effective at low doses in the SW and RW groups.

The highest dose of LY379268 tested reduced spontaneous locomotor activity and operant responding maintained by a non-drug reinforcer, without differences among groups. The heightened sensitivity to the effects of LY379268 in rats with an ethanol-dependence history was therefore specific to behavior motivated by ethanol-related stimuli.

Both the SW and RW groups showed elevated [³⁵S]GTPγS binding in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST), relative to the CTRL group.

The findings implicate changes in mGluR_2/3 functional activity as a factor in ethanol dependence and support treatment target potential of mGlu_2/3 receptors for craving and relapse prevention.


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Request Reprint E-Mail: pkufahl@gmail.com

Evidence for the Role of Histamine H3 Receptor in Alcohol Consumption and Alcohol Reward in Mice

Recent research suggests that histamine H3 receptor (H3R) antagonism may diminish motivational aspects of alcohol dependence.

We studied the role of H3Rs in alcohol-related behaviors using H3R knockout (KO) mice and ligands.

H3R KO mice consumed less alcohol than wild-type (WT) mice in a two-bottle free-choice test and in a ‘drinking in the dark’ model. H3R antagonist ciproxifan suppressed and H3R agonist immepip increased alcohol drinking in C57BL/6J mice. Impairment in reward mechanisms in H3R KO mice was confirmed by the lack of alcohol-evoked conditioned place preference. Plasma alcohol concentrations of H3R KO and WT mice were similar. There were no marked differences in brain biogenic amine levels in H3R KO mice compared with the control animals after alcohol drinking.

In conclusion, the findings of this study provide evidence for the role of H3R receptor in alcohol-related behaviors, especially in alcohol drinking and alcohol reward. Thus, targeting H3Rs with a specific antagonist might be a potential means to treat alcoholism in the future.


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Rally for Recovery! 2011

This September, join Faces & Voices in speaking out with a unified voice to deliver the power and proof of recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs. We’re excited about all of the walks, rallies, art festivals and other events that are taking place as Recovery Month gets underway. People in recovery, family members, friends and allies including elected and appointed officials and media personalities will be participating. Sandra Huffman’s journey is nearing its end as she continues her walk from Florida to Washington, DC and then on to Philly after a short detour to the McShin Foundation to get out of the path of Hurricane Irene.

We’ll see you standing up and speaking out at this year’s National Rally for Recovery! hub event on September 24th in Philadelphia or in your community.
Register for Philadelphia’s PRO-ACT Recovery Walks! here.
Find an event near you here.
Rally for Recovery! online here.
And this year, you can watch Faces & Voices national hub event – PRO-ACT’s Recovery Walks! – live on the 24th. Bookmark this site and tune in at 9:00 am to watch and download video from other Recovery Month events as well.

Our goal this year is over 100,000 people at events all across the country including events in the UK, where the United Kingdom Recovery Federation will be holding a Recovery Summit and 3rd National Recovery Walk. Find out more on our International Recovery Resources Guide where UK speakers will be posting on our blog later this month. > > > > Read More