Genetic and Environmental Predictors of Early Alcohol Use

Biological Psychiatry
Volume 61, Issue 11, 1 June 2007, Pages 1228-1234

The goal of the current investigation was to examine genetic and environmental predictors of early alcohol use, a potent predictor of later alcohol dependence.

Early alcohol use was predicted by maltreatment, 5-HTTLPR, and a gene by environment interaction, with increased risk for early alcohol use associated with the s-allele.

Psychopathology at baseline, severity of maltreatment, and poor mother–child relations also predicted early alcohol use.

Maltreated children are at high risk for psychiatric, alcohol, and substance abuse problems.

Examination of genetic and environmental risk and protective factors can help identify those who are most vulnerable and help guide prevention and intervention efforts.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-mail: joan.kaufman@yale.edu

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News Release: Quebecers and alcohol in 2007: An overall healthy approach, despite specific problems to resolve and certain needs that must be addressed

  MONTREAL, May 17 /CNW Telbec/ - Quebecers have a healthy approach to
alcohol. While, over the past five years, drinking habits have become more
regular and the consumption of wines and spirits has continued to grow,
problems related to overconsumption have not increased. Consumption is
primarily associated with friendly get-togethers, and the context within which
people drink is overall very responsible.

   However, three to five percent of the population still drink to abusive
and indeed dangerous levels, seven percent of drivers admit to having taken
the wheel with a blood alcohol level above the legal limit, and, in certain
sectors, awareness of the issues surrounding alcohol use is on the decline.

   But most Quebecers are also thirsty for knowledge - about the impact that
alcohol has on health, about how to talk about drinking with children, and
about how to drink more responsibly. The credibility of Educ'alcool has
reached an all-time high, and the organization is committed to responding to
this need for information in the coming five years.

   Such were the main findings of a major five-year study conducted by CROP
on behalf of Educ'alcool and released today by Educ'alcool chairman, Jean-Guy
Dubuc.

. . . . Read Full News Release
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News Release: Addiction illuminates concept of ‘free will’

Hyman looks at process by which humans choose among many goals

By Ken Gewertz

Harvard News Office

Whether humans possess free will or whether their actions are determined by something outside their conscious control is one of the most persistent problems in philosophy.

In a lecture May 9, Steven E. Hyman warned his audience that he would not attempt to resolve the issue of free will in an ultimate sense. He did, however, have some fascinating insights regarding a special instance of the free-will dilemma — namely, the neurochemical mechanisms that result in the loss of free will when a person becomes addicted to drugs.

“Drug addiction has been used as a yardstick for reward-based behavior,” said Hyman. “With addiction, there is a narrowing of life focus in that drug-seeking crowds out all other motivations and goals.”

Hyman, University provost and professor of neurobiology at Harvard Medical School, has also served as director of the National Institute of Mental Health and was the first director of Harvard’s Mind, Brain, and Behavior Initiative. His talk was titled “Compulsion and the Brain: Subverting the Concept of Self-Control” and was given as the first Provostial Lecture, sponsored by the Humanities Center.

. . . . .

Read Full News Release

Source: Addiction and Recovery News

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Affective disorders, anxiety disorders and psychological distress in non-drinkers
Journal of Affective Disorders
Volume 99, Issues 1-3, April 2007, Pages 165-172

Non-drinkers have elevated levels of psychological distress but a recent study reported no elevation in prevalence of diagnosed disorders.

We aimed to determine the prevalence of affective and anxiety disorders (from the CIDI-A) in current abstainers and contrast results with findings for psychological distress (K10) in the same sample.

This study confirmed J-shaped relationships between psychological distress and alcohol consumption. Although affective and anxiety disorders also showed non-linear relationships with alcohol consumption, non-/occasional drinkers are not at increased risk for all disorders compared to light drinkers.

The pattern of symptomatology in non-/occasional drinkers may be of a different character to that in heavy drinkers, as well as being less severe.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-mail: Bryan.Rodgers@anu.edu.au

Source: Daily Dose

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eNewsletter: May 18, 2007
y y 1
8, 2007 18,
20
07

Denver, Colorado Message and Media Training

Register today for Faces & Voices' training on June 22nd and 23rd sponsored with Advocates for Recovery. Scholarships available. Learn more...

Profiles of Recovery Advocacy in Action

The third in our ongoing interviews with recovery advocates from across the country features recovery advocate Lisa Mojer Torres, who was interviewed by Bill White. Learn more...

Name our Campaign Contest!

Faces & Voices is expanding our 2006 Recovery Community Civic Engagement campaign to include more information that recovery advocates can use during their 2007 and 2008 events and activities. We're looking for your help in coming up with a name- Remember MTV's Rock the Vote? Deadline for submitting your entry is Tuesday, May 29th and the winner will receive a Recovery package with books, buttons, videos and a one year membership to Faces & Voices of Recovery.

Second Chance Act Vote Delayed in US House

The Second Chance Act, H.R. 1593, was set for a vote by the full House of Representatives on May 15th. The vote on this important reentry bill was postponed because of concerns that there would not be enough votes to approve it under the Suspension Calendar, which requires two-thirds of the House to vote yes on a bill.

The bill's sponsors are currently working with the House leadership to schedule another vote and address concerns raised by several Republican members who are opposed to the bill. The Second Chance Act currently has 92 bipartisan co-sponsors in the House. The Second Chance Act would help people reentering communities from jail and prison successfully transition to life in their communities in key areas including jobs, housing and treatment.

Unity Hall Recovery Community Center Set to Open

On June 10th, Fairfield, California recovery advocates will celebrate the realization of a project that they've been working on for a number of years- opening Unity Hall. They have raised funds from the recovery community through membership donations, fundraisers and enjoyed support from local businesses and organizations for this new recovery center. Unity Hall will provide information and referrals on/to every recovery-related program, social program, life skills program, clean and sober housing, jobs, education etc. in Solano County and beyond if possible.

Further information is available from Roger Maryatt.

Resources

• Rise is a magazine written by and for parents involved in the child welfare system. Many of the stories are about recovery and reunification.
• Recovery advocates continue to use HBO's Addiction and the Viewer's Guide to organize Town Hall meetings and legislative briefings. In June there will be events in Louisville, KY, Providence, RI and Detroit, MI.
• IRS Website for Small Nonprofits: The IRS has launched a website, primarily for small to mid-size exempt organizations, guiding users through the basics of setting up and running an exempt organization. The interactive website covers such topics as maintaining exempt status, employment issues, unrelated business income tax, filing the Form 990, and required disclosures. The website also features links to IRS forms and publications that exempt organizations may find useful.

Join us today!

Become a member of Faces & Voices of Recovery today!

____________________________________________________________________________________________

J FAS Int 2007; Volume 5



J FAS Int 2007;5:e4 - April 9, 2007
Disparities in Risk or an Alcohol Exposed Pregnancy in a Sample of Urban Women [PDF]


J FAS Int 2007;5:e3 - April 3, 2007
Mega-dose Vitamin C and E in Preventing FASD: The Decision to Terminate the Study Prematurely [PDF]


JFAS Int 2007;5:e2 - February 5, 2007
Parental Ratings of Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder on the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) [PDF]


JFAS Int 2007;5:e1- January 23, 2007
Can A Pregnant Substance-Addicted Woman Be Forced to Stop Fetal Drug Abuse? Comparing Canadian Law and Jewish Perspective [PDF]

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A reduction in alcohol consumption is associated with reduced plasma F₂-isoprostanes and urinary 20-HETE excretion in men

Free Radical Biology and Medicine
Volume 42, Issue 11, 1 June 2007, Pages 1730-1735

There is considerable evidence that chronic moderate-to-high alcohol consumption increases blood pressure. The mechanisms by which this occurs are not clear.

Alcohol consumption can induce oxidative stress and cytochrome P450 (CYP450) isoforms that are associated with oxidative stress and may influence vascular tone.

To study the role of such mechanisms we examined whether reducing alcohol intake in moderate-to-heavy drinkers (40-110 g/day) resulted in changes in urinary excretion of 20-HETE, a CYP450 metabolite of arachidonic acid, and plasma and urinary F(2)-isoprostanes as markers of lipid peroxidation.

A substantial reduction in alcohol consumption in healthy men lowered plasma F(2)-isoprostanes and urinary 20-HETE.

Increased oxidative stress and 20-HETE production may be linked, at least in part, to the pathogenesis of alcohol-related hypertension.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-mail: anne.barden@uwa.edu.au

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Gene Transcription Alterations Associated with Decrease of Ethanol Intake Induced by Naltrexone in the Brain of Wistar Rats
Neuropsychopharmacology (2007) 32, 1358–1369.





Preclinical and clinical studies suggest that the administration of the opioid antagonist naltrexone decreases the intake of ethanol. However, the neuroplastic adaptations in the brain associated to reduction of ethanol consumption remains to be elucidated.

The aim of the study was to identify gene transcription alterations underlying the attenuation of voluntary ethanol intake by administration of naltrexone in rats.

The reduction of ethanol intake induced by naltrexone was associated with a blockade or significant reduction of the changes produced by ethanol in the expression of these genes in key regions related to drug dependence.

These results point to a role for the -opioid receptor, TH, PENK, CRF, CB₁-R, and 5-HTT genes in specific brain regions in the modulation of neuroadaptative mechanisms associated to the decrease of ethanol intake induced by naltrexone.

Read Full Abstract


Reprint Request E-mail: jmanzanares@umh.es
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Studentship Scheme 2007-2008

The Council offers a limited number of Studentships on a competitive basis to students who are working in the alcohol field and wish to acquire appropriate professional qualifications by following a Taught Course.

Applicants must be ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom and intend to commence their studies at a United Kingdom institution in the 2007/08 academic year.

The amounts and rates of the awards and the conditions that apply are similar to those of the Economic and Social Research Council. Currently these provide for:

Full-time students: A maintenance grant of £12,300 (£14,300 within the City of London or Metropolitan Police Districts). Fees are paid up to an annual maximum of 3,168.

Part-time students: the Council will pay the cost of the fees to the institution.

The deadline for applications is June 13th 2007.

Studentship Prospectus

Studentship Grant Application Form

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Assessing the relationships between late night drinks marketing and alcohol-related disorder in public space

April 2007

This research takes the barroom participant observation method into the UK nightclub sector, that is late night (post-midnight) drinking venues. This is a sector of the night-time economy where alcohol-related disorder is already evident (e.g. Lister et al, 2000; Hadfield, 2006) and where such problems seem likely to become more salient with the current trend towards later licensing. In doing so it is intended to develop the observational method in order to advance its usefulness as part of a disorder risk tool kit for appropriate agencies such as the police, licensing boards, researchers and the drinks industry itself, indeed to all those with a vested interest in reducing alcohol-related harm.

Read Full Report (PDF)

LEADERSHIP LAUDS BEAM FOR NEW ADVERTISING POLICIES

On May 7, Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free issued a press release commending Beam Global Spirits and Wine, Inc., for adopting new policies designed to reduce minors’ exposure to its advertising.

Beam Global is the largest distilled spirits company based in the United States. The voluntary guidelines are a follow-up to talks with State Attorneys General from around the country and representatives of Leadership. . . . . .

Read Full Article
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Third National Biennial Conference on Adolescents and Adults with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

FASD and Mental Health: The Wisdom of Practice

April 10 - 12 , 2008
The Coast Plaza
Vancouver, BC, Canada

This conference will highlight what has been shown through this "Wisdom of Practice" to be most effective in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues in individuals with FASD, and treatment and support for their families and service providers.

This conference will also focus on enhancing creative approaches to support, treatment and program planning with the goal of effective policy development and implementation.

Please click here for the call for abstracts/advance notice.


Contributor: Peggy Seo Oba
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The 2nd International Conference on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Research, Policy and Practice Around the World

March 7-10, 2007
The Victoria Conference Centre
Victoria, BC, Canada

Web-Casting of Plenary Sessions

Please Click Here

• Plenary: Why so Uncomfortable? Resolving the Stigma Associated with Women and Alcohol

• Plenary: National Prevention Panel

• Part 1: FASD: From Discovery to Prevention in Washington State
• Part 2: MRI, MRS, fMRI, Psychological, and Psychiatric Outcomes of Children with FASD
  

• The Dr. Geoffrey Robinson Memorial Lecture: Persistent Developmental Consequences. FASD Long-term Follow-up Study into Adulthood (Germany)

• Research Symposia

• Plenary: The Western and Northern Canadian Approach to Diagnostic, Intervention and Prevention Research

• Plenary: Biomarkers and Effect Modifiers of FASD: Findings from Detroit and Capetown

Contributor: Peggy Seo Oba

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Suicidal behavior among adolescents with conduct disorder—the role of alcohol dependence
Psychiatry Research
Volume 150, Issue 3, 15 April 2007, Pages 305-311





Our aim was to investigate the association between alcohol dependence and suicidal behavior among adolescent girls and boys suffering from conduct disorder (CD).

Among girls with CD, alcohol dependence increased the risk for suicide attempts up to 3.8-fold . Among boys with CD, alcohol dependence increased the risk for life-threatening suicide attempt over nine-fold. In addition, the risk for self-mutilative behavior was as high as 3.9-fold among girls and 5.3-fold among boys.

The results indicate that, among adolescents suffering from CD, the risk of suicidal behavior is considerably increased by co-morbid alcohol dependence, which should therefore be carefully taken into account in clinical work.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-mail: helina.hakko@oulu.fi
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Apolipoprotein E gene polymorphism and previous alcohol withdrawal seizures
Journal of Psychiatric Research
Volume 41, Issue 10, November 2007, Pages 871-875

Aim of this study was to investigate the possible association of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene polymorphism with a history of alcohol withdrawal seizures.

A significant positive association with a positive history of withdrawal seizures (SZ+) was found in the ApoE3 allele group while a significant negative association was observed in the ApoE2 allele group. For the ApoE4 allele group no significant differences were found regarding a history of withdrawal seizures.

Our findings suggest an association between the apolipoprotein E3 gene variant and an elevated risk of alcohol withdrawal seizures. These preliminary results must be validated in further studies.

Read Full Abstract



Reprint Request E-mail: julia.wilhelm@psych.imed.uni-erlangen.de
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Dissociative disorders among alcohol-dependent inpatients
Psychiatry Research Article in Press 25 April 2007






The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of dissociative disorders among inpatients with alcohol dependency.

Of the 54 patients evaluated, 10 (9.0% of the original 111) patients had a dissociative disorder.

Among the dissociative disorder group, nine patients had dissociative disorder not otherwise specified and one patient had depersonalization disorder. Female gender, younger age, history of suicide attempt, childhood emotional and sexual abuse, and neglect were more frequent in the dissociative disorder group than among non-dissociative patients.

Although the probability of having a comorbid dissociative disorder was not higher among alcohol-dependent inpatients than among the general psychiatric inpatients, the dissociative subgroup had distinct features.

Implications of comorbid dissociative disorders and dissociative experiences on prevention and treatment of alcohol dependency and the importance of gender-specific characteristics in this relationship require further study.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-mail: cuneytevren@hotmail.com
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News and Notes from the General Service Office of A.A.®
Vol. 53, No. 2 / April-May 2007

News and Notes from G.S.O. Box 4-5-9 is a bimonthly bulletin from the U.S./Canada GeneralService Office. This newsletter includes information about A.A. service, literature, events, sharing from groups, service committees and individual U.S./Canada A.A. members.

Contents:

• The Health of A.A. Worldwide Hinges on Twelfth Stepping at Home

• Around the Areas

• Save the Date…

• Dissent Within A.A.: The System Provides the Means to Handle It*
  

• Barbados Intergroup Holds First Service Workshop
  

• Clinton T. Duffy: The Warden Who Reformed ‘The Q’
  

• The Murky Origins of ‘90 Meetings in 90 Days’
  

• Remembering Nell Wing

• The Glue of A.A.: Unity and StrengthAn Informed Group Conscience
  

• Markings Online

• International Convention Information 2010 International Convention Theme
  

• Repetition in A.A.—We Need It
  

• Public Information is Twelfth Stepping
  

• How Does A.A. Respond to Anonymity Breaks?
  

• Items and Ideas on Area Gatherings for A.A.s—Via G.S.O. Calendar of Events

© Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 2007
Articles appearing in Box 4-5-9 may be reprinted in local A.A. publications
(including A.A. Web sites) provided that they are reprinted
in their entirety and that the following attribution is included:
“Reprinted from Box 4-5-9 (issue date, page number)
with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.”

Read Full Newsletter (PDF)
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5′ UTR polymorphism of dopamine receptor D1 (DRD1) associated with severity and temperament of alcoholism
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
Volume 357, Issue 4, 15 June 2007, Pages 1135-1141



Multiple dopamine receptors in the dopaminergic system may be prime candidates for genetic influence on alcohol abuse and dependence due to their involvement in reward and reinforcing mechanisms.

To examine the genetic effects of the Dopamine Receptor D1 (DRD) gene family (DRD1–DRD5) in the Korean population, 11 polymorphisms in the DRD gene family were genotyped and analyzed in 535 alcohol-dependent subjects and 273 population controls.

One 5′ UTR polymorphism in the DRD1 (DRD1−48A>G) gene was significantly associated with severity of alcohol-related problem.

Interestingly, the DRD1−48A>A genotype was also found to be associated with novelty seeking (NC), harm avoidance (HA), and persistence.

The information derived from this study could be valuable for understanding the genetic factors involved in alcoholic phenotypes and genetic distribution of the DRD gene family, and could facilitate further investigation in other ethnic groups.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-mail: hdshin@snp-genetics.com
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Rehab centres make good business in India


New Delhi: A number of de-addiction centres have sprung up across the country following a rise in the incidence of alcoholism. In the absence of a mechanism to monitor such centres, doctors caution against quacks out to make a fast buck.

According to a report, there were around 20 de-addiction centres in Delhi in 2001, but since then, the number has doubled. "If you take into account the unregistered ones along with the ones run by the government and those run by unscrupulous elements, the numbers are much higher," says Dr Gurumukh Singh who runs a de-addiction centre in the capital.

. . . . Read Full Article

Source: Daily Dose
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30^thAnnual Scientific Meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism

July 7-12, 2007
Hyatt Regency, Chicago, Illinois

Following is a list of all of the information that can be found on our Meeting Page. If you will be attending the meeting, after you register, please take a moment to fill out the “Please Help Us” form. Also, be sure to send us your verification letters if you are a non-member student or non-member post-doc. Any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at DebbyRSA@sbcglobal.net or 512-454-0022. See you in Chicago.

MISCELLANEOUS General Information Preliminary Program RSVPs RSVP Overview Grantsmanship Workshop Post-Doc Dinner Student Lunch Mentoring Workshop Legislative Advocacy Workshop Voices of the Afflicted Panel Discussion Satellite Meeting information and RSVPs Continuing Medical Education Poster Acceptance Letter (generic) Calendar of Events - Revised _____________________________________________

Media - Alcohol Advertising Review Report


MEDIA RELEASE
Friday 4 May 2007

In their report released today the Alcohol Advertising Review Steering Group has made some useful recommendations however, they have fallen short of doing what is necessary to reduce youth drinking and reduce alcohol-related harm.

Alcohol Healthwatch Director Rebecca Williams says that leaving the reins in industry hands is a big mistake. We simply don’t learn from other countries experiences.

Williams says that a move to “enforced self-regulation” as recommended in the report is the smallest possible step from the current voluntary self-regulation and that this is not enough to support harm reduction. The issue of controlling exposure of alcohol marketing to young people is one where the Steering Group have failed to act strongly enough. Effectively leaving this in industry hands means little public health gains will be made.

Read Full Media Release (PDF)
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Report of the Steering Group for the Review of the Regulation of Alcohol Advertising
March 2007




In May 2006, the Government initiated a review of the current self-regulatory framework for alcohol advertising in New Zealand, acting on a recommendation from the Health Select Committee. The goal of the review was to assess whether or not the current regulatory framework for alcohol advertising is in harmony with the aims of the Government in regard to alcohol policy, and if not, what must be done to achieve this. A Steering Group was established to oversee the review.

Over the course of ten months, the Steering Group considered a broad range of New Zealand and international research evidence and other information about alcohol advertising and its regulation, including consultation feedback from over 250 submissions.

The Steering Group concluded that alcohol advertising plays a role in shaping the culture of drinking in New Zealand. It reflects and amplifies drinking practices in the context of a country’s social, economic and cultural history. The research evidence considered by the Steering Group suggested a small but significant association between the level of exposure toalcohol advertising and alcohol consumption. Steering Group noted that the research examining the link between exposure to alcohol advertising and alcohol consumption is complex and will continue to be contested for various reasons.

. . . . After considerable debate, the Steering Group concluded that a move to co-regulation or full government regulation of alcohol advertising through a statutory body is not warranted at this time, and that the improvements needed could potentially be implemented within a system based on self-regulation. . . . .

Read Full Report (PDF)
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The opioid system in alcohol and drug dependence: Family-based association study
American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics

Early View Published Online: 14 May 2007



Opioid receptors and their endogenous peptide ligands play important roles in neurotransmission and neuromodulation in response to addictive drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and alcohol.

In an earlier study, we reported that variation in the genes encoding the -opioid receptor (OPRK1) and its peptide ligand (PDYN) were associated with the risk for alcoholism. We continued our investigation of the role of the opioid system in alcohol dependence by analyzing the genes encoding the µ- and -opioid receptors and their peptide ligands.

Our data provide no support for the idea that variations in OPRM1, OPRD1, PENK and POMC are associated with alcohol dependence or general illicit drug dependence, but variations in PENK and POMC appear to be associated with the narrower phenotype of opioid dependence in these families.

Read Full Abstract


Reprint Request E-mail: xxuei@iupui.edu
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Alcohol Badly Affects Eye Movements Linked to Steering, Providing for Automatic in-Car Detection of Drink Driving
Neuropsychopharmacology advance online publication 16 May 2007




Driving is a classic example of visually guided behavior in which the eyes move before some other action.

When approaching a bend in the road, a driver looks across to the inside of the curve before turning the steering wheel. Eye and steering movements are tightly linked, with the eyes leading, which allows the parts of the brain that move the eyes to assist the parts of the brain that control the hands on the wheel.

We show here that this optimal relationship deteriorates with levels of breath alcohol well within the current UK legal limit for driving. The eyes move later, and coordination reduces.

These changes lead to bad performance and can be detected by an automated in-car system, which warns the driver is no longer fit to drive.

Read Full Abstract


Reprint Request E-mail: D.E.Marple-Horvat@mmu.ac.uk
____________________________________________________________________

Markers in the 5'-Region of GABRG1 Associate to Alcohol Dependence and are in Linkage Disequilibrium with Markers in the Adjacent GABRA2 Gene
Neuropsychopharmacology advance online publication 16 May 2007;





Following an initial report, there have been multiple replications of an association of alcohol dependence (AD) to markers within a haplotype block that includes the 3'-half of the gene encoding the GABA_A -2 subunit (GABRA2), on chromosome 4p.

We examined the intergenic extent of this haplotype block and the association to AD of markers in the adjacent 5' haplotype block in GABRG1, which encodes the GABA_A receptor -1 subunit.

Logistic regression analysis indicated that genetic elements in the GABRG1 haplotype block likely contribute to AD risk in an additive manner, whereas those in the GABRA2 haplotype block may act in a dominant manner in relation to risk of AD.

Read Full Abstract


Reprint Request E-mail: jocovault@uchc.edu
_______________________________________________________________

	Wednesday, May 16, 2007 www.recoverymonth.gov | About Us | Site Map

SAMHSA's Road to Recovery Update

The Road to Recovery Update keeps you informed about activities leading up to National Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Month (Recovery Month) in September. Feel free to forward this information to friends and colleagues, include it in newsletters or listservs, or link to it from your Web site.

Last Chance to Submit a Question to the Expert For the May Webcast

Get answers to your questions about the topics covered in the latest Road to Recovery Webcast, "Helping Families Find Recovery". Submit your questions using our anonymous online form, and answers from our expert will be posted in early June.

Visit Ask the Expert before May 24 to submit questions for this month's expert: Kathryn Icenhower Ph.D, LCSW, Executive Director of SHIELDS for Families, Los Angeles, California

Next Webcast

View the Trailer

Wednesday, June 2: "The Financial and Medical Benefits of Treatment for Health Care Providers and Insurers"

There are many avenues for providing and paying for health care in the United States, from the government-funded Medicare and Medicaid programs to privately handled managed care systems such as HMOs and PPOs, among others.

Join Ivette Torres, Associate Director for Consumer Affairs, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and a panel of experts to examine the insurance and health care benefits and options for individuals seeking treatment or individuals already in recovery from addiction to drugs and/or alcohol. In addition, the show will examine the cost benefits to health care providers and insurers of investing in treatment for substance abuse and mental health disorders, and will provide tips for screening, diagnosing, treating, or referring a patient with a substance use disorder.

New! Audio Podcasts

We are pleased to now offer audio podcasting! Audio podcasts include the full version of the webcasts and are 30 to 60 minutes in duration. You will need to sign up as a subscriber to view these podcasts, and they will either be downloaded automatically to your podcasting software, or available for you to download on demand, depending upon how you configure your setup.

Click here to learn more about podcasting and to subscribe to the Road to Recovery audio podcasts.

About Recovery Month

National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, celebrating 18 years of observance in 2007, is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). For more information about Recovery Month, visit www.recoverymonth.gov.
_____________________________________________________________________

Culture Alcohol & Society Quarterly Newsletter of Kirk/CAAS Collections at Brown

Vol. III, No. 1 October/November/December 2006


This ninth new issue of the CA&SQ (since it was revived in October 2004) begins Volume III.

After “News and Notes” (News on a panel at next year’s American Studies Association meeting in Philadelphia, October 2007, Notes on the cousins of the Yale poet Leonard Bacon), this issue reports on the editor’s research on the very early days of AA.

We have omitted this issue’s scheduled section on other archives, but we have our continuing series of “Washingtonian Notes and Queries.”

This issue’s “Notes and Queries” (No. 13) provides additional notes (and queries) on the 1842 Incorporators of the Washingtonian Temperance Society of Annapolis. Finally, we include an inventory of the John Zug (1818-1843) Archives at Dickinson College, following our section on the Zug Archives at the University of Maryland last issue – John Zug, it will be remembered, was the author of The Foundation, Progress and Principles of the Washington Temperance Society of Baltimore (1842).

Next issue of this newsletter (III, 2) will again see contributions on current work at Brown, plans for future work, and results of past work from the collections and by those on the KirkWorks listserv – and a renewal, we hope, of the series on other archives.

All those who receive this and other issues are invited to contribute notes, queries, studies, and information on work in progress. –

Jared Lobdell, December 31, 2006

Read Full Newsletter (PDF)
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Alcohol Intake and Renal Cell Cancer in a Pooled Analysis of 12 Prospective Studies

JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2007 99(10):801-810




The association between alcohol intake and risk of renal cell cancer has been inconsistent in case–control studies. An inverse association between alcohol intake and risk of renal cell cancer has been suggested in a few prospective studies, but each of these studies included a small number of cases.

We performed a pooled analysis of 12 prospective studies that included 530469 women and 229575 men with maximum follow-up times of 7–20 years.

Compared with nondrinking, alcohol consumption (15 g/day, equivalent to slightly more than one alcoholic drink per day) was associated with a decreased risk of renal cell cancer

Moderate alcohol consumption was associated with a lower risk of renal cell cancer among both women and men in this pooled analysis.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-mail: jung.lee@channing.harvard.edu

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Alcohol Drinking in Never Users of Tobacco, Cigarette Smoking in Never Drinkers, and the Risk of Head and Neck Cancer: Pooled Analysis in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Consortium
JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2007 99(10):777-789

At least 75% of head and neck cancers are attributable to a combination of cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking. A precise understanding of the independent association of each of these factors in the absence of the other with the risk of head and neck cancer is needed to elucidate mechanisms of head and neck carcinogenesis and to assess the efficacy of interventions aimed at controlling either risk factor.

We examined the extent to which head and neck cancer is associated with cigarette smoking among never drinkers and with alcohol drinking among never users of tobacco.

Among never drinkers, cigarette smoking was associated with an increased risk of head and neck cancer and there were clear dose–response relationships for the frequency, duration, and number of pack-years of cigarette smoking.

Approximately 24% of head and neck cancer cases among nondrinkers in this study would have been prevented if these individuals had not smoked cigarettes.

Among never users of tobacco, alcohol consumption was associated with an increased risk of head and neck cancer only when alcohol was consumed at high frequency. The association with high-frequency alcohol intake was limited to cancers of the oropharynx/hypopharynx and larynx.

Our results represent the most precise estimates available of the independent association of each of the two main risk factors of head and neck cancer, and they exemplify the strengths of large-scale consortia in cancer epidemiology.

Read Full Abstract

Reprint Request E-mail: hashibe@iarc.fr
________________________________________________________________

Apolipoprotein E polymorphism, homocysteine serum levels and hippocampal volume in patients with alcoholism: an investigation of a gene–environment interaction
The Pharmacogenomics Journal advance online publication 10 April 2007


There is growing evidence that disadvantageous influences of the apolipoprotein E4 allele in the central nervous system are modified by environmental and dietary conditions.

The present study investigated the gene–environment interaction of apolipoprotein E4 with homocysteine serum levels in patients with alcohol dependence with regard to alcohol-related hippocampal volume loss using volumetric high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging.

The ApoE4 allele constitutes a risk factor for hippocampal volume loss in patients with alcohol dependence under the conditions of hyperhomocysteinemia.

We suggest that the disadvantageous effects of apolipoprotein E4 on alcohol-related brain volume loss are based on certain gene–environment interactions.

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Reprint Request E-mail: julia.wilhelm@uk-erlangen.de
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Patterns: Moderate Drinking May Ease Effects of ‘Bad’ Cholesterol

By ERIC NAGOURNEY

Published: May 15, 2007

Researchers have long known that people who drink moderate amounts of alcohol appear to be less likely to develop heart disease. Much of the benefit has been attributed to the higher levels of HDL cholesterol — often referred to as the “good” cholesterol — found in moderate drinkers. The lipoproteins in this kind of cholesterol are believed to help the body fight off heart disease.

But a new study suggests that alcohol may play another role in cholesterol and health. Moderate drinking may encourage the formation of larger lipoprotein particles in both HDL and LDL, the “bad” cholesterol associated with cardiovascular problems.

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