Indiana college students are binge drinking at a rate higher the national average, according to a new report.A report released Friday by the Indiana Collegiate Action Network found that 48 percent of Hoosier students surveyed reported binge drinking in a two-week period, compared to 40 percent nationally. . . . . . .
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The introduction of 24-hour drinking has backfired as alcohol-fuelled disorder in cities now persists throughout the night leaving police dangerously stretched, an assistant chief constable has warned. Garry Shewan, of Greater Manchester Police (GMP), called for the legislation to be reversed.
He also warned of the "real risks" associated with recession-busting all-you-can drink "Carnage" nights and cheap alcohol in supermarkets that people buy to get drunk before going out. . . . . . . .
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The Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act of 1991 requires drug and alcohol testing of safety-sensitive transportation employees in aviation. The Drug Abatement Division develops and implements regulations for DOT/FAA drug and alcohol testing. These regulations cover employers, safety-sensitive employees and service agents. These rules are encompassed in 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 40 and 14 CFR Part 120.
The division also oversees the aviation industry’s compliance with drug and alcohol testing regulations. This oversight is accomplished with on-site inspections, guidance documents, and policies.
A Message from the Secretary: Why this Program is so
The Food and Drug Administration today notified nearly 30 manufacturers of caffeinated alcoholic beverages that it intends to look into the safety and legality of their products. “The increasing popularity of consumption of caffeinated alcoholic beverages by college students and reports of potential health and safety issues necessitates that we look seriously at the scientific evidence as soon as possible,” said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, principal deputy commissioner of food and drugs.
Of the combined use of caffeine and alcohol among U.S. college students in the few studies on this topic, the prevalence was as high as 26 percent.
Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, a substance added intentionally to food (such as caffeine in alcoholic beverages) is deemed “unsafe” and is unlawful unless its particular use has been approved by FDA regulation, the substance is subject to a prior sanction, or the substance is Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS). FDA has not approved the use of caffeine in alcoholic beverages and thus such beverages can be lawfully marketed only if their use is subject to a prior sanction or is GRAS. For a substance to be GRAS, there must be evidence of its safety at the levels used and a basis to conclude that this evidence is generally known and accepted by qualified experts. . . . . .___________________________________________________
This article evaluated the efficacy status of religious and spiritual (R/S) therapies for mental health problems, including treatments for depression, anxiety, unforgiveness, eating disorders, schizophrenia, alcoholism, anger, and marital issues.Religions represented included Christianity, Islam, Taoism, and Buddhism. Some studies incorporated a generic spirituality. Several R/S therapies were found to be helpful for clients, supporting the further use and research on these therapies. There was limited evidence that R/S therapies outperformed established secular therapies, thus the decision to use an R/S therapy may be an issue of client preference and therapist comfort. Read Full Abstract Rerquest Reprint E-Mail: eworth@vcu.edu _____________________________________________ |
“These reports provide state and local authorities vital information about substance using behaviors and service needs of adolescents in their communities,” said SAMHSA Acting Administrator Eric Broderick, D.D.S., M.P.H. “The public health community can use these data to develop programs targeted to the specific needs of adolescent boys and girls.”
Entitled Adolescent Behavioral Health: States in Brief, the reports provide the following information for each individual state, the
The data included in these States in Brief reports are drawn from three large national surveys sponsored by SAMHSA - the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the Treatment Episode Data Set and the National Survey on Substance Abuse Treatment Services.
These reports are available on the web at http://samhsa.gov/statesinbrief/
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Although groups had differing sociodemographic profiles (as indicated by race, marital status, level of education) subjects in Study I exhibited no statistically significant differences from the Study II cohort in HCV prevalence , lifetime history of injection drug use , lifetime history of needle sharing. As such, the data from both studies were analyzed together. Regardless of drinking status, HCV infection was significantly associated with an upward shift in the baseline level of ALT, AST, and GGT and a downward shift in baseline CDT . When using standard laboratory cutoff values to determine clinically significant elevations, HCV seropositivity was significantly associated with elevations in ALT, AST, GGT , and with decreases in CDT .
These data emphasize the importance of evaluating HCV infection and HCV risk behaviors at intake in medication trials for alcohol dependence and also raise questions regarding the use of cutoff scores for ALT, AST, GGT and CDT levels as biologic markers of alcohol use in subjects when HCV status is unknown.
Request Reperint E-Mail: plebani_j@mail.trc.upenn.edu
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Motives to drink alcohol are widely thought to be the proximal cognitive factors involved in the decision to consume alcohol beverages. However it has also been argued that the ability to restrain drinking may be a more proximal predictor of drinking behaviour.
The current study aimed to examine the relationships between drinking motives, drinking restraint and both alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems in a sample of young adults. A sample of 221 young adults (aged 17–34 years) completed self-report measures assessing drinking behaviour, motives for drinking and drinking restraint.
Multiple regression analyses revealed that coping, enhancement and social motives were related to alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems, while Cognitive and Emotional Preoccupation with drinking was related to all criterion variables. Further, the relationship between coping motives and drinking behaviour was mediated by preoccupation with drinking.
The results are discussed in light of the roles of drinking motives and drinking restraint in risky drinking among young people, and implications for prevention and early intervention are presented.
Request Reprint E-Mail: mlyvers@bond.edu.au
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The long-term objectives of this project are to utilize this task with non-drinking youth to investigate how reactivity to alcohol stimuli may predict alcohol use initiation and escalation, to help identify the role of exposure to alcohol stimuli on the subsequent development of alcohol-related problems.
Request Reprint E-Mail: cpulido@ucsd.edu
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A family history of alcoholism has shown to be one of the greatest consistent risk factors in the intergenerational transference of alcohol problems. Whereas a large number of studies have attempted to identify the processes responsible for this interfamilial transfer, the mechanisms remain unclear.
Family, twin and adoption studies, and environmental theories have resulted in a number of unanswered questions regarding the extent that these factors influence the transmission of alcohol behavior. Recently, cognitive theories have suggested that the observation of parental drinking habits contributes to the child's beliefs and expectations of alcohol's effects.
A hypothesised cognitive model will be proposed suggesting that the mechanism for the transference of particular drinking styles from parent to offspring may be further explained by the transference of alcohol cognitions, in particular, alcohol expectancies and drinking refusal self-efficacy.
This review focuses on research of bio/psycho/social factors that perpetuate alcohol misuse across generations, and will delineate the proposed cognitive mechanisms for the interfamilial transference of alcohol problems and discuss the implications of the proposed model.
Request Reprint E-Mail: oei@psy.uq.edu.au
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Don Foster, Lib Dem shadow culture secretary, slammed the supermarkets’ policy on alcohol and pledged his support for pubs, during the Business In Sport and Leisure conference today in London.
“There is no doubt that Booze Britain is causing real problems… but far too often the problems are laid at the door of hard pushed pub landlords and club owners,” he said. . . . . . .
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The European Sponsorship Association (ESA) has seen the promotional release from the journal 'Addiction' and wishes to clarify a number of points. ESA is the trade body representing the sponsorship industry in Europe. The Association's 240 members include sports governing bodies, arts companies, sports clubs, sponsorship consultancies, suppliers to the sector and also sponsors. Sponsor members include brands such as Visa, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, National Express, Guardian Newspapers, Aviva and Castrol.
ESA has a number of drinks industry members which account for three percent of its membership. The Association's agenda is independent as it looks after the benefits of sponsorship in general and its views are not set by the drinks sector.
Karen Earl, ESA Chairman, acknowledges that the alcohol sector is an important source of sponsorship revenue and says that ESA is highly mindful of the way that alcohol sponsorship has become linked in the press and in some people's minds with problem drinking. . . . . .
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Alcoholism and stress share some common neurobiological circuits, including the GABAergic system. In particular, the GABAB receptor seems to play an important role.
The GABAB receptor agonist baclofen has been studied as a treatment for alcohol-dependent subjects. Baclofen administration in alcohol-dependent patients was able to promote abstinence, inducing the remission of withdrawal symptoms, reducing alcohol craving, and reducing alcohol intake.
Baclofen also reduced anxiety in alcohol-dependent subjects, probably acting on brain stress circuitry and/or on other neuroendocrine systems. Baclofen also showed excellent safety and tolerability, even in alcohol-dependent patients with advanced liver disease (i.e., cirrhosis).
Future studies should investigate which alcoholic subtype may better benefit of the administration of baclofen in the treatment of alcohol dependence.
Request Reprint E-Mail: g.addolorato@rm.unicatt.it
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Article Outline
There has been a great deal of activity in recent years in the study of the direct effects of ethanol on the dopamine reward system originating in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). In addition, recent evidence suggests that acetaldehyde formed from ethanol in the brain or periphery may be a crucial factor in the central effects of ethanol.
This critical review examines the actions of ethanol and acetaldehyde on neurons of the VTA and the possible interactions with stress, with a focus on electrophysiological studies in vivo and in vitro.
Ethanol has specific effects on dopamine neurons and there is recent evidence that some of the in vivo and in vitro effects of ethanol are mediated by acetaldehyde. Stress has some analogous actions on neuronal activity in the VTA, and the interactions between the effects of stress and alcohol on VTA neurons may be a factor in ethanol-seeking behavior.
Taken together, the evidence suggests that stress may contribute to the activating effects of ethanol on dopamine VTA neurons, that at least some actions of ethanol on dopamine VTA neurons are mediated by acetaldehyde, and that the interaction between stress and alcohol could play a role in susceptibility to alcoholism.
The link between acetaldehyde and ethanol actions on brain reward pathways may provide a new avenue for the development of agents to reduce alcohol craving.
Request Reprint E-Mail: mbrodie@uic.edu
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This report summarizes the proceedings of the symposium VII on the role of neuroactive steroids in stress/alcohol interactions.
The production of GABAergic neuroactive steroids, including (3α,5α)-3-hydroxypregnan-20-one and (3α,5α)-3,21-dihydroxypregnan-20-one is a consequence of both acute stress and acute ethanol exposure. Acute, but not chronic ethanol administration elevates brain levels of these steroids and enhances GABAA receptor activity. Neuroactive steroids modulate acute anticonvulsant effects, sedation, spatial memory impairment, anxiolytic-like, antidepressant-like, and reinforcing properties of ethanol in rodents.
Furthermore, these steroids participate in the homeostatic regulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis. Therefore, it is not surprising that neuroactive steroids are involved in ethanol/stress interactions. Nevertheless, the interactions are complex and not well understood.
This symposium addressed the role of neuroactive steroids in both stress and alcohol responses and their interactions. Professor Giovanni Biggio of the University of Cagliari, Italy presented the effects of juvenile isolation stress on neuroactive steroids, GABAA receptor expression, and ethanol sensitivity.
Professor Howard Becker of the Medical University of South Carolina, USA presented evidence for neuroactive steroid involvement in ethanol dependence and drinking behavior.
Professor Patrizia Porcu of the University of North Carolina, USA described a potential neuroactive steroid biomarker that may predict heavy drinking in monkeys and mice.
These presentations provide a framework for new theories on the nature of ethanol/stress interactions that may be amenable to therapeutic interventions.
Request Reprint E-Mail: morrow@med.unc.edu
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This article summarizes the proceedings of a symposium that was presented at a conference entitled “Alcoholism and Stress: A Framework for Future Treatment Strategies.” The conference was held in Volterra, Italy on May 6–9, 2008 and this symposium was chaired by Jeff L. Weiner.
The overall goal of this session was to review recent findings that may shed new light on the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie the complex relationships between stress, anxiety, and alcoholism.
Dr. Danny Winder described a novel interaction between D1 receptor activation and the corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) system that leads to an increase in glutamatergic synaptic transmission in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis.
Dr. Marisa Roberto presented recent data describing how protein kinase C epsilon, ethanol, and CRF interact to alter GABAergic inhibition in the central nucleus of the amygdala.
Dr. Jeff Weiner presented recent advances in our understanding of inhibitory circuitry within the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and how acute ethanol exposure enhances GABAergic inhibition in these pathways.
Finally, Dr. Brian McCool discussed recent findings on complementary glutamatergic and GABAergic adaptations to chronic ethanol exposure and withdrawal in the BLA.
Collectively, these investigators have identified novel mechanisms through which neurotransmitter and neuropeptide systems interact to modulate synaptic activity in stress and anxiety circuits. Their studies have also begun to describe how acute and chronic ethanol exposure influence excitatory and inhibitory synaptic communication in these pathways.
These findings point toward a number of novel neurobiological targets that may prove useful for the development of more effective treatment strategies for alcohol use disorders.
Request Reprint E-Mail: jweiner@wfubmc.edu
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This article highlights the research presented at the inaugural meeting of Alcoholism and Stress: A Framework for future Treatment Strategies. This meeting was held on May 6–8, 2008 in Volterra, Italy. It is an international meeting dedicated to developing preventive strategies and pharmacotherapeutic remedies for stress- and alcohol-related disorders.
For the first time, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) conferred a Young Investigator Award to promote the work of young researchers and highlight their outstanding achievements in the fields of addiction medicine and stress disorders.
The awardees were Dr. Katie Witkiewitz (University of Washington), Dr. Andrew Holmes (NIAAA), Dr. Lara A. Ray (Brown University), Dr. James Murphy (University of Memphis), and Dr. Heather Richardson (The Scripps Research Institute).
The symposium was chaired by Drs. Fulton Crews and Antonio Noronha.
Request Reprint E-Mail: mroberto@scripps.edu
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This article summarizes the proceedings of a symposium held at the conference on “Alcoholism and Stress: A Framework for Future Treatment Strategies” in Volterra, Italy, May 6–9, 2008.Chaired by Markus Heilig and Roberto Ciccocioppo, this symposium offered a forum for the presentation of recent data linking neuropetidergic neurotransmission to the regulation of different alcohol-related behaviors in animals and in humans.
Dr. Donald Gehlert described the development of a new corticotrophin-releasing factor receptor 1 antagonist and showed its efficacy in reducing alcohol consumption and stress-induced relapse in different animal models of alcohol abuse.
Dr. Andrey Ryabinin reviewed recent findings in his laboratory, indicating a role of the urocortin 1 receptor system in the regulation of alcohol intake.
Dr. Annika Thorsell showed data supporting the significance of the neuropeptide Y receptor system in the modulation of behaviors associated with a history of ethanol intoxication.
Dr. Roberto Ciccocioppo focused his presentation on the nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) receptors as treatment targets for alcoholism.
Finally, Dr. Markus Heilig showed recent preclinical and clinical evidence suggesting that neurokinin 1 antagonism may represent a promising new treatment for alcoholism.
Collectively, these investigators highlighted the significance of neuropeptidergic neurotransmission in the regulation of neurobiological mechanisms of alcohol addiction. Data also revealed the importance of these systems as treatment targets for the development of new medication for alcoholism.
Request Reprint E-Mail: roberto.ciccocioppo@unicam.it
