The Subjective, Rather Than the Disinhibiting, Effects of Alcohol Are Related to Binge Drinking
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research OnlineEarly Articles 28 Apr 2008


Evidence suggests that alcohol-related problems are associated with impulsivity and disinhibited behavior. Less certain is whether disinhibited behavior is due to an impulsive disposition or alcohol’s ability to disinhibit some people more than others. There are a range of disinhibited behaviors associated with alcohol, including excessive alcohol consumption, bingeing.

The study tested whether nondependent alcohol bingers showed more disinhibition after placebo and/or alcohol relative to nonbingers and whether this was related to enhanced motivation to drink following a priming dose of alcohol.

Bingers did not show greater impulsivity characteristics but were more concerned about their drinking (p = 0.02) and ability to control drinking (p = 0.04). A priming effect was found: alcohol urge increased after alcohol but not placebo (p = 0.006). Bingers reported greater tolerance to the sedative (p = 0.05) and lightheaded (p = 0.04) effects of alcohol, relative to nonbingers. Binge status was not associated with impulsivity task performance, while preload type (alcohol/placebo) supported only marginal associations.

Risk of binge drinking in nondependent individuals is not strongly affected by impulsive personality characteristics or alcohol’s ability to induce behavioral disinhibition. However, alcohol did lead to a priming effect and bingers were more tolerant to the sedative and lightheaded effects of alcohol relative to placebo. Risk of binge drinking is associated with the subjective effects of a priming dose of alcohol.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: abigail.rose@iop.kcl.ac.uk

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Age and Gender Differences in Response to Neonatal Ethanol Withdrawal and Polyamine Challenge in Organotypic Hippocampal Cultures
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research OnlineEarly Articles 28 Apr 2008

Polyamines are synthesized and released in high concentrations during CNS development. These agents can potentiate N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) function and appear to play an important role in CNS development. Previous work has shown that polyamine release is increased during ethanol withdrawal (EWD). This likely promotes NMDAR overactivity and contributes to neurotoxicity during EWD, however, little is known regarding such effects in early neonatal brain.

The present study compared the effects of EWD and polyamine exposure on toxicity in hippocampal slice cultures derived from postnatal day 2 (PND 2) or postnatal day 8 (PND 8) day-old rats. Due to changes in NMDAR subtypes and response to polyamines, we predicted that slices taken from PND 2 pups would be more sensitive to EWD and polyamine challenge.

There were clear age and gender-dependent differences in response to EWD and to polyamines. EWD produced significant increases in PI uptake in all subregions (CA1, CA3 and DG) of cultures derived from PND 2 pups, but not PND 8 pups. Exposure of cultures to spermidine for 24-hour also produced significant increases in cytotoxicity in all 3 regions of PND 2 cultures with no gender differences.

In contrast, there were both gender and region-specific differences in response to spermidine in cultures from PND 8. While the CA1 region of both sexes displayed increased cytotoxicity following spermidine exposure, only females showed increased cytotoxicity in the CA3 region while the DG appeared relatively insensitive to spermidine. Exposure to spermidine during EWD produced enhanced toxicity in all 3 hippocampal subregions in tissue from both PND 2 and PND 8 rats and this was reduced or prevented by co-exposure to ifenprodil.

Of interest, the PND 2 hippocampus was significantly more sensitive than the PND 8 hippocampus to the toxic effects of EWD and to spermidine during EWD in the DG and CA3 regions.

Hippocampal slice cultures derived from PND 2 rats were more sensitive to the toxic effects of both EWD and EWD + spermidine exposure than were those derived from PND 8 rats. These findings are similar to recent behavioral data collected from our lab showing greater sensitivity to ETOH’s behavioral teratogenic effects when ETOH exposure in vivo occurred during the first postnatal week relative to the second postnatal week.

Ifenprodil’s ability to block the toxic effects of spermidine during EWD suggests that excess activity of NR2B subunits of the NMDAR contributed to the excitatory and cytotoxic effects of EWD plus spermidine.

While no sex differences in toxicity were observed in cultures taken from pups during the first postnatal week, these data do suggest that later in neonatal life (i.e., the second postnatal week), the female hippocampus may be more sensitive to polyamine-induced neurotoxicity than males.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: sbarron@uky.edu

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Immunological Detection of in Vitro Formed Phosphatidylethanol—An Alcohol Biomarker—With Monoclonal Antibodies
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research OnlineEarly Articles 28 Apr 2008

Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) is a promising new marker for detecting long-term alcohol abuse with excellent sensitivity and specificity. Current methods are based on the high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometric method and therefore require high levels of expertise and expensive instrumentation.

This study was designed to generate PEth-specific monoclonal antibodies for PEth immunoassay development.

We generated monoclonal cell lines (2B1 and 2E9) that produce IgM antibodies binding specifically to PEth but not to structurally or chemically similar phospholipids, such as phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidic acid, and cardiolipin. We show here that these anti-PEth antibodies can be used to detect PEth in a fluorescent PEth assay and FACS analysis of human red blood cell samples spiked with PEth.

The present study shows that PEth-specific monoclonal antibodies can be generated using traditional hybridoma technique. Immunogenicity of PEth was enhanced using human LDL as an immunization carrier. The generated monoclonal anti-PEth antibodies, 2B1 and 2E9 bind to PEth in fluid phase and in biological membranes.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: markku.savolainen@oulu.fi

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Ethnic Differences in Positive Alcohol Expectancies During Childhood: The Pittsburgh Girls Study
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research OnlineEarly Articles 28 Apr 2008

Positive expectancies about alcohol’s effects are more likely to be endorsed with increasing age through adolescence, and the strength of positive alcohol expectancies in children appears to differ by ethnicity. Little is known about the extent to which differences in a measure’s psychometric properties as a function of development and ethnicity may account for changes that are observed over time and ethnic differences.

This study used measurement invariance methods to examine ethnic differences in the development of alcohol expectancies, and examined risk factors associated with girls’ positive expectancies.

Five of 8 positive alcohol expectancy items showed measurement equivalence for African-American and Caucasian girls in cross-sectional, but not longitudinal, analyses. Measurement equivalence over ages 7–10 was demonstrated for Caucasian girls, and over ages 7–8 and 9–10 (i.e., a two-part model) for African-American girls. Risk factor analyses indicated that, for Caucasian girls, greater physical aggression was associated with higher initial positive expectancies.

Some developmental change and ethnic differences in the performance of positive expectancy items were identified, highlighting the utility of measurement invariance methods. Risk factor analyses suggest the potential benefit of targeted alcohol prevention interventions for certain girls.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: chungta@upmc.edu

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The Association Between Alcohol Consumption and Biomarkers of Alcohol Exposure With Total Serum Immunoglobulin E Levels
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research OnlineEarly Articles 28 Apr 2008

A number of studies have shown that self-reported alcohol intake is positively associated with total serum immunoglobin E (IgE) levels. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the association of self-reported alcohol consumption and different biomarkers of alcohol exposure to total serum IgE levels in a general adult population.

In nonatopic subjects positive associations between self-reported alcohol consumption as well as all considered biomarkers of alcohol exposure and total serum IgE levels were found. Further the results also suggested positive associations between alcohol consumption as well as alcohol biomarkers and total serum IgE level in atopic subjects, even though not all tests for linear trend reached statistical significance.

In conclusion, biomarkers of alcohol exposure were positively associated with total serum IgE levels supporting that the positive association between self-reported alcohol intake and IgE levels observed in previous studies is real and not due to misclassification of alcohol intake or confounding by other factors that may be linked to both alcohol intake and total serum IgE levels.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: nele.friedrich@uni-greifswald.de

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Innate Differences in the Expression of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in the Regions Within the Extended Amygdala Between Alcohol Preferring and Nonpreferring Rats
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research OnlineEarly Articles 28 Apr 2008

Animal lines such as alcohol-preferring (P) and nonpreferring (NP) rats appear to be suitable animal models to investigate the biological basis of alcohol-drinking behaviors. The extended amygdala serves as a neuroanatomical substrate for alcohol-drinking behaviors. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the amygdala has been implicated in alcohol-drinking behaviors; however, its expression in the extended amygdala of P and NP rats is unknown.

Therefore, we examined the basal expression of BDNF in the extended amygdala of alcohol naïve P and NP rats.

The mRNA and protein levels of BDNF were found to be significantly lower in both the CeA and MeA, but not in the BLA, of P compared with NP rats. We also found that BDNF was expressed in neurons in the amygdaloid structures of P and NP rats. In addition, we found that the number of NeuN-positive neurons was similar in the amygdaloid structures of P and NP rats.

Interestingly, the mRNA and protein levels of BDNF were also significantly lower in the lBNST, mBNST, and vBNST of P compared with NP rats. On the other hand, mRNA and protein levels of BDNF were similar in the NAc shell and core structures of P and NP rats.

P and NP rats are selectively bred for higher and lower alcohol preference, respectively; therefore it is possible that lower BDNF levels in the amygdaloid and BNST structures may be associated with the excessive alcohol-drinking behaviors of P rats.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: scpandey@uic.edu

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The Relative Contribution of Genes and Environment to Alcohol Use in Early Adolescents: Are Similar Factors Related to Initiation of Alcohol Use and Frequency of Drinking?
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research OnlineEarly Articles 28 April 2008


The present study assessed the relative contribution of genes and environment to individual differences in initiation of alcohol use and frequency of drinking among early adolescents and examined the extent to which the same genetic and environmental factors influence both individual differences in initiation of alcohol use and frequency of drinking.

Findings indicated that genetic factors were most important for variation in early initiation of alcohol use (83% explained variance in males and 70% in females). There was a small contribution of common environment (2% in males, 19% in females).

In contrast, common environmental factors explained most of the variation in frequency of drinking (82% in males and females). In males the association between initiation and frequency was explained by common environmental factors influencing both phenotypes. In females, there was a large contribution of common environmental factors that influenced frequency of drinking only. There was no evidence that different genetic or common environmental factors operated in males and females.

Different factors were involved in individual differences in early initiation of alcohol use and frequency of drinking once adolescents have started to use alcohol.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: e.poelen@pwo.ru.nl
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Bordeaux must fight anti-alcohol lobby
April 28, 2008


Jane Anson

Bordeaux winemakers should turn up the pressure against the anti-alcohol menace in France, says an alcohol industry lobbyist.

'This directly concerns all of us,' said Marie-Christine Tarby, president of alcohol lobby group Vin & Société, reiterating her group's cause at the Bordeaux Wine Bureau's annual general meeting last week.

'We are in an absurd situation where we have to defend the place of wine in French society.'

Lambasting the recent threats to the industry from anti-alcohol groups, Tarby noted in particular the rulings against newspaper editorials and websites - such as Heineken - that mention alcohol.
. . . . . .

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Glutamatergic substrates of drug addiction and alcoholism
Biochem Pharmacol. 2008 January 1; 75(1): 218–265.



The past two decades have witnessed a dramatic accumulation of evidence indicating that the excitatory amino acid glutamate plays an important role in drug addiction and alcoholism.

The purpose of this review is to summarize findings on glutamatergic substrates of addiction, surveying data from both human and animal studies.

The effects of various drugs of abuse on glutamatergic neurotransmission are discussed, as are the effects of pharmacological or genetic manipulation of various components of glutamate transmission on drug reinforcement, conditioned reward, extinction, and relapse-like behavior. In addition, glutamatergic agents that are currently in use or are undergoing testing in clinical trials for the treatment of addiction are discussed, including acamprosate, N-acetylcysteine, modafinil, topiramate, lamotrigine, gabapentin and mematine.

All drugs of abuse appear to modulate glutamatergic transmission, albeit by different mechanisms, and this modulation of glutamate transmission is believed to result in long-lasting neuroplastic changes in the brain that may contribute to the perseveration of drug-seeking behavior and drug-associated memories.

In general, attenuation of glutamatergic transmission reduces drug reward, reinforcement, and relapse-like behavior. On the other hand, potentiation of glutamatergic transmission appears to facilitate the extinction of drug-seeking behavior. However, attempts at identifying genetic polymorphisms in components of glutamate transmission in humans have yielded only a limited number of candidate genes that may serve as risk factors for the development of addiction.

Nonetheless, manipulation of glutamatergic neurotransmission appears to be a promising avenue of research in developing improved therapeutic agents for the treatment of drug addiction and alcoholism.


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Marital Interaction in Alcoholic and Nonalcoholic Couples: Alcoholic Subtype Variations and Wives’ Alcoholism Status
J Abnorm Psychol. 2006 February; 115(1): 121–130.



The authors examined problem-solving marital interactions of alcoholic and nonalcoholic couples (N = 132). Four alcoholic groups (husband alcoholic with antisocial personality disorder or not, paired with alcoholic or nonalcoholic wives) were compared with each other and with a both-spouses-nonalcoholic group.

Consistent with the alcoholic subtypes hypothesis, couples with an antisocial alcoholic husband had higher levels of hostile behavior regardless of wives’ alcoholism status. In contrast, rates of positive behaviors and the ratio of positive to negative behaviors were greatest among couples in which either both or neither of the spouses had alcoholic diagnoses and were lowest among alcoholic husbands with nonalcoholic wives.

Discussion focuses on possible mechanisms linking antisocial alcoholism and discrepant alcoholic diagnoses to poorer marital outcomes.

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The auditory-visual integration of anger is impaired in alcoholism: an event-related potentials study
J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2008 March; 33(2): 111–122.

Chronic alcoholism leads to impaired visual and auditory processing of emotions, but the cross-modal (auditory-visual) processing of emotional stimuli has not yet been explored. Our objectives were to describe the electrophysiological correlates of unimodal (visual and auditory) impairments in emotion processing in people suffering from alcoholism, to determine whether this deficit is general or emotion-specific, and to explore potential deterioration in the specific cross-modal integration processes in alcoholism.

ERPs demonstrated that the deficit in alcoholism originates earlier in the cognitive stream than has previously been described (mainly P300), namely, at the level of specific face (N170) and voice (N2) perceptive processing. Moreover, while patients with alcoholism did not show impaired processing of happy and neutral audio-visual stimuli, they did have a specific impairment in the cross-modal processing of anger. A source location analysis was used to confirm and illustrate the results.

These results suggest that the specific deficit that people with alcoholism demonstrate in processing anger stimuli, widely described in clinical situations but not clearly identified in earlier studies (using unimodal stimuli), is particularly obvious during cross-modal processing, which is more common than unimodal processing in everyday life.

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Smoking is associated with neurocognitive deficits in alcoholism
Drug Alcohol Depend. 2006 April 28; 82(2): 119–126.



Impaired problem solving, visual–spatial processing, memory, and cognitive proficiency are consequences of severe alcoholism. Smoking is much more prevalent among alcoholics than the general population, yet the possible neurocognitive effects of cigarette smoking in alcoholism have not been studied, despite evidence that long-term smoking is associated with neurocognitive deficits.

Both alcoholism and smoking were negatively correlated with neurocognitive function. When alcoholism and smoking were included in regression models, smoking remained a significant predictor for both measures, but alcoholism remained significant only for IQ.

Both smoking and alcoholism were related to neurocognitive function. Smoking may explain some of the relationship between alcoholism and neurocognitive function, perhaps especially for measures that focus on proficiency. Future studies are necessary to more fully understand the effects of smoking on neurocognitive function in alcoholism.

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Press Release - Alcohol Action Plan for Tasmania
28 April 2008

The Minister for Health and Human Services, Lara Giddings, today opened the State’s first annual Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Council Conference, and announced the development of an Alcohol Action Plan for Tasmania.

Ms Giddings said the Tasmanian Alcohol Action Plan was being developed as a whole of Government framework, taking into account the National Alcohol Strategy, and would include specific strategies to address alcohol consumption and binge drinking, particularly among young people.
. . . . . . .

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The effect of the new “24 hour alcohol licensing law” on the incidence of facial trauma in London
British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Article in Press, Corrected Proof - 11 April 2008

On 24 November 2005 the new 2003 Licensing Act was implemented. It permits licensed premises to close at different times under English and Welsh law, rather than at 2300h as under the previous law.

The aim of this study was to assess whether head and neck trauma secondary to alcohol-associated assaults had increased, decreased, or stayed the same since the introduction of the act.

Data were collected from the Accident and Emergency Department, University College Hospital, attendance databases for two six-month periods: 24 November 2004 to 30 April 2005, and 24 November 2005 to 30 April 2006.

There were 1102 attendances for head and neck trauma secondary to alcohol-associated assaults during the six months before the introduction of the 2003 Licensing Act and 730 such attendances during the similar period after the introduction of the law, with fewer cases in each corresponding month during the later period.

There were more cases at weekends than on weekdays during both periods. There were fewer cases but more at weekends in 2005–6 than in 2004–5 (423, 58% compared with 584, 53%, respectively). Neither rainfall nor temperature had any influence on the results.

The 2003 licensing Act seems to have reduced the number of attendances at the A&E department for head and neck trauma secondary to alcohol associated assaults.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: m.elmaaytah@eastman.ucl.ac.uk

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Pilot Study of Assertive Community Treatment Methods to Engage Alcohol-Dependent Individuals
Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access published online on April 24, 2008



Assertive approaches to treatment, which are becoming established for individuals with severe and enduring mental illness, may also be beneficial for engaging alcohol-dependent individuals without severe psychiatric co-morbidity, but so far there has been little research on this.

This pilot study looked at the feasibility and potential benefits of introducing assertive community methods into the treatment of alcohol-dependent individuals with a history of poor engagement.

Non-randomized parallel cohort study comparing a Flexible Access Clinic employing assertive community treatment methods with the Usual Care Clinic. Participants were individuals re-referred to our service after they had previously disengaged from treatment.

Patients receiving assertive treatment attended assessment a mean of 14 days earlier than those receiving treatment as usual. Treatment at the Flexible Access Clinic was associated with significantly higher rates of completing assisted alcohol withdrawal (35% versus 26%) and entering an aftercare placement (23% versus 14%). Aftercare was entered significantly earlier in the Flexible Access Clinic group (93 days versus 125 days).

These promising results point to the feasibility and potential efficacy of assertive community treatment methods for alcohol dependence, and the need for a randomized controlled trial of effectiveness and cost effectiveness.


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Request Reprint E-Mail: Colin.Drummond@iop.kcl.ac.uk
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Interleukin-10 Gene Polymorphism is Associated with Alcoholism but not With Alcoholic Liver Disease
Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access published online on April 24, 2008


To determine whether the functional polymorphism –592C>A of the interleukin (IL)-10 gene (IL10) influences the development of alcoholic liver disease or alcoholism in alcoholic Spanish subjects.

We found no association between the –592C>A IL10 polymorphism and ALC. Meta-analysis combining this result and data from previous studies failed also to show any significant association between this polymorphism and alcoholic liver disease. However, the frequency of allele A carriers (CA and AA genotypes) was significantly higher in alcoholic patients (defined as patients with abuse or dependence of alcohol) than in healthy controls.

The –592C>A IL10 polymorphism is not related to the risk of ALC. Nevertheless, our study shows that alcoholism is associated with an excess of allele A carriers in alcoholic patients.

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Reprint Reprint E-Mail: laso@usal.es
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Audit Questionnaire as part of Community Action Against Heavy Drinking
Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access published online on April 24, 2008




The purpose of the present study was to find out how well the alcohol questionnaire, AUDIT, as part of a wide community action was noticed, and if it had any effects especially among heavy drinkers.

As part of local community action campaign (‘Booze Weeks’), the AUDIT pamphlet was delivered to all households (90,000) in Tampere, Finland, and 500 randomly selected inhabitants were interviewed on telephone.

More than three quarters of those consuming alcohol had noticed the ‘Booze Weeks’ campaign and considered it necessary. Inhabitants who drank most frequently were also the most likely to have noticed the campaign and the AUDIT pamphlet.

As part of a wide community action, home-delivered self-help material is often noticed especially by heavy drinkers. They might come to realize their own heavy drinking and seek professional treatment.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: janne.kaariainen@pshp.fi
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Alcohol measurement methodology in epidemiology: recent advances and opportunities
Addiction OnlineEarly Articles 16 April 2008


To review and discuss measurement issues in survey assessment of alcohol consumption for epidemiological studies.

The following areas are considered: implications of cognitive studies of question answering such as self-referenced schemata of drinking, reference period and retrospective recall, as well as the assets and liabilities of types of current (e.g. food frequency, quantity–frequency, graduated frequencies and heavy drinking indicators) and life-time drinking measures. Finally we consider units of measurement and improving measurement by detailing the ethanol content of drinks in natural settings.

Cognitive studies suggest inherent limitations in the measurement enterprise, yet diary studies show promise of broadly validating methods that assess a range of drinking amounts per occasion; improvements in survey measures of drinking in the life course are indicated; attending in detail to on- and off-premise drink pour sizes and ethanol concentrations of various beverages shows promise of narrowing the coverage gap plaguing survey alcohol measurement.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: tgreenfield@arg.org

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National Drug Policy 2006-2011: Report on Consultation Feedback
Date of publication: April 2008

This document reports on feedback received during public consultation on the review of the National Drug Policy. It encompasses views expressed by stakeholders at the thirteen meetings, hui and fono throughout the country, and in the ninety-five written submissions on the Consultation Document.

The feedback received reflects a diverse range of individual and organisational beliefs on the role of government in relation to tobacco, alcohol and drug use. Comments on the policy direction set out in the Consultation Document were, however, for the most part positive.

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Govt, Nelson trade barbs over alcohol
Apr 27 2008

A war of words has erupted after federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon accused the former Howard government of fuelling teenage binge drinking.

Ms Roxon said a decision in 2000 to cut excise on pre-mixed alcoholic drinks - so-called alcopops - helped fuel the surge in excessive drinking by young people, particularly girls.

A furious Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson branded the claim an "outrageous slur".

Ms Roxon said the Rudd government's decision to lift the excise by 70 per cent would help tackle binge drinking by making the sugary, innocuous tasting drinks between 30 cents and $1.30 a bottle more expensive.

The tax increase will deliver about $2 billion a year to the government - a "big chunk" of which will go to preventative health schemes, Ms Roxon said.

She slammed the former government for cutting the excise, making pre-mixed drinks cheaper than bottled spirits.

"I think the previous government is partly responsible. I think they made a mistake. We're going to turn that around," Ms Roxon told the Nine Network.

"We can track the change in the way that young women have been drinking these products from the time that the Howard government changed the excise in 2000.

"We've seen patterns where it's gone from about 14 per cent of young girls drinking these products up to about 60 per cent.

"So, this is an explosion that we think needs to be tackled ... We have a problem that must be turned around and this is the place where we're starting."
. . . . . .

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WHO Expert Committee on Problems Related to Alcohol Consumption

An expert committee is an international group of experts that provides WHO with the latest scientific and technical advice on a broad range of medical and public health subjects. Members of such expert groups are all drawn from the expert advisory panels and serve in their personal capacities rather than as representatives of governments or other bodies. Their views do not necessarily reflect the decisions or the stated policy of WHO. Membership of an expert committee lasts only for the duration of the meeting.

A resolution adopted at the Fifty-eighth World Health Assembly requested the Director-General "to report to the Sixtieth World Health Assembly on evidence-based strategies and interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm, including a comprehensive assessment of public-health problems caused by harmful use of alcohol", and to "draw up recommendations for effective policies and interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm" (resolution WHA58.26).

To this end, a WHO Expert Committee on Problems Related to Alcohol Consumption met in Geneva from 10-13 October 2006. The main objectives of the Expert Committee meeting were to review a range of public health problems attributable to alcohol consumption as well as scientific and empirical evidence of effectiveness of different policy options, and to provide technical recommendations on effective policies and interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm.

WHO Expert Committee on Problems Related to Alcohol Consumption. Second Report. WHO Technical Report Series 944 (English) [pdf 731kb]

WHO Expert Committee on Problems Related to Alcohol Consumption. Second Report. WHO Technical Report Series 944 (French) [pdf 391kb]

WHO Expert Committee on Problems Related to Alcohol Consumption. Second Report. WHO Technical Report Series 944 (Arabic) [pdf 504kb]

WHO Expert Committee on Problems Related to Alcohol Consumption. Second Report. WHO Technical Report Series 944 (Chinese) [pdf 694kb]

WHO Expert Committee on Problems Related to Alcohol Consumption. Second Report. WHO Technical Report Series 944 (Russian) [pdf 417kb]

WHO Expert Committee on Problems Related to Alcohol Consumption. Second Report. WHO Technical Report Series 944 (Spanish) [pdf 389kb]

Download agenda (English) [pdf 44kb]

Download agenda (French) [pdf 16kb]

Report by the Secretariat to the Executive Board 121st Session (EB121/10) on the Second Report of the WHO Expert Committee on Problems Related to Alcohol Consumpt

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World Health Assembly set to discuss alcohol


The Health ministers from all over the world will discuss the health burden of alcohol in the forthcoming World Health Assembly to be held in Geneva 14-23 May. This is the follow up of the WHA resolution 58.26 Public health problems caused by harmful use of alcohol, from 2005, the first WHA resolution exclusively on alcohol since 1983. The documents for the alcohol issue are now available on the WHO site.
. . . . . .
Read More


WHA documents:

WHA resolution 58.26 Public health problems caused by harmful use of alcohol (pdf from WHO site)

A60/14 (pdf rfrm the WHO site)
Evidence-based strategies and interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm

A60/14 Add.1 (pdf from the WHO site)
Evidence-based strategies and interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm; Global assessment of public-health problems caused by harmful use of alcohol

EB121/10 (pdf from the WHO site)
Expert committees and study groups.
This document contains the WHO Expert Committee On Problems Related To Alcohol Consumption, Second report, Geneva, 10–13 October 2006. Part of the document
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Binge drinking Howard's fault: Roxon

April 27, 2008

Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon has blamed the former Howard government for the rise in teenage binge drinking.

Ms Roxon said the decision to cut taxes on premixed alcoholic drinks eight years ago helped fuel the surge in excessive drinking by young people, particularly teenage girls.

The Rudd government overnight reversed the change, virtually doubling the excise on alcopops from midnight, pushing the cost of the drinks up by between 30 cents and $1.30 a bottle.

"We can track the change in the way that young women have been drinking these products from the time that the Howard government changed the excise in 2000," Ms Roxon told the Nine Network.

"We've seen patterns where it's gone from about 14 per cent of young girls drinking these products up to about 60 per cent.
. . . . . .

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Press Release - Overall declines seen in tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug use, but some teen behaviours still risky

A new report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) shows that tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug use all fell between 2004 and 2007, but some results are still concerning, especially for teenagers and young people.

The 2007 National Drug Strategy Household Survey: first results report shows that the proportion of the population aged 14 years or older who smoked daily declined from 17.4% to 16.6% between 2004 and 2007.

‘This is one of the lowest daily smoking rates in the world,’ said AIHW spokesperson Mark Cooper-Stanbury.

Recent cannabis use dropped significantly from 11.3% to 9.1%, and a decline in methamphetamine use, from 3.2% to 2.3%, was also seen.

The survey findings suggest that there has been no increase in the use of crystal methamphetamine—or ‘ice’—in contrast to the general perception.

‘However, since the last survey, the proportion of both men and women reporting recent cocaine use has increased, but more so for men—from 1.3% to 2.2%,’ he said.

The report also raises concerns regarding Australia’s youth.

Around one-quarter of teenagers put themselves at risk of short-term alcohol-related harm at least once a month.

‘The proportion was higher among females (28.3%) than males (24.5%),’ said Mr Cooper-Stanbury.
. . . . . . .

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Taxes double on ready-to-drink alcohol

Anthony Deceglie

April 27, 2008

THE cost of popular alcohol drinks will soar by up to $1 a bottle from today as part of a Federal Government effort to reduce binge drinking among teenagers.

The price of ready-to-drink beverages, or ‘‘alcopops’’, will increase from between 30c to $1.30 a can or bottle depending on their alcohol content.

This includes drinks such as Bacardi Breezers, rum and coke, vodka mudshakes, Vodka Cruisers and UDLs.

The cost rise is because of an increase on the excise on alcopops so it matches the excise of spirits. The excise rate on remixed drinks will rise from $39.36 a litre to $66.67 a litre of alcohol content.

This closes a tax loophole, whereby tax was lower on pre-mixed products compared with spirits.
. . . . . .

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Inflation, Alcoholism Are Top Concerns of the Russians
Apr. 23, 2008

Most Russians view inflation, alcoholism and drug addiction the most burning problems of the country, showed the poll of All-Russia’s Center for Public Opinion Studies.

Of interest is that the Russians (66 percent) were mostly concerned about alcoholism and drug addiction two years ago. Today’s highlight is inflation (67 percent vs. 55 percent in 2006), while the problem of alcoholism and drug addiction sank to the second position (63 percent).

Inflation is again the key concern of the Russians when it comes to their personal problems. Some 55 percent of respondents were agitated about it two years ago vs. 68 percent today. The threat of alcoholism and drug addiction doesn’t appear so acute in the list of the personal troubles. It has just the fifth ranking vs. the second one in the list of the country’s problems. But unemployment appears of greater significance. It scores No. 7 in the personal rating vs. No. 11 in the rating of the country's difficulties.
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Parent Awareness of Youth Use of Cigarettes, Alcohol, and Marijuana

Highlights:

• SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health includes a sample of parents and their children who live in the same household. These parent-child pairs are composed of a child aged 12 to 17 and his or her biological, step, adoptive, or foster parent.

• Based on SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health, mothers were more likely than fathers to be aware of their child's substance use in the past year regardless of the household having only the mother or both parents.

• Fathers in two parent households were more likely than fathers in father-only households to be aware of their child's substance use in the past year.

• The older the child, the more likely that parents were aware of their child's alcohol and cigarette use in the past year.

• Past year substance use by youth was higher in one-parent households than those with both parents.

• Within one-parent households, substance use by youth was generally higher among youth in father-child pairs than mother-child pairs

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Measurement of direct ethanol metabolites suggests higher rate of alcohol use among pregnant women than found with the AUDIT—a pilot study in a population-based sample of Swedish women
Volume 198, Issue 4, Pages 407.e1-407.e5 (April 2008)

The objective of the study was to investigate whether biomarkers of alcohol consumption would provide additional information to the use of a validated alcohol questionnaire in pregnant women.

One hundred three pregnant women were included in the study. The women completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) questionnaire, and a urine and hair sample was collected. The urine samples were used for determination of ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and ethyl sulfate and the hair samples for EtG and fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE).

Twenty-six women (25.2%) were identified as possible alcohol consumers by the combined use of AUDIT and direct ethanol metabolites. Seven subjects had EtG or FAEE levels in hair highly suspicious of heavy drinking, but only 1 of these were positive according to the AUDIT questionnaire

The combined use of the AUDIT questionnaire and direct ethanol metabolites appear to identify more potential alcohol consumers among pregnant women than does the sole use of the AUDIT questionnaire.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: inger.sundstrom@kbh.uu.se

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Lifecourse socioeconomic predictors of midlife drinking patterns, problems and abstention: Findings from the 1958 British Birth Cohort Study
Drug and Alcohol Dependence Volume 95, Issue 3, 1 June 2008, Pages 269-278

Research suggests that outcomes associated with drinking may differ depending upon patterns of consumption, drinking related symptoms and social problems. This paper investigated socioeconomic predictors (measuring multiple indices, period and consistency of disadvantage) of midlife drinking patterns.

Socioeconomic information from the 1958 British Birth Cohort Study (n = 9146) included: manual socioeconomic position and owner/buyer residential tenure (7, 11, 16, 33 and 42 y), and educational attainment (33 y). At 45 y, the overlap between drinking patterns was explored using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. Patterns included: ‘Moderate-binge’ (binge drinkers with low-problem scores, consuming within UK sensible drinking weekly guidelines); Low-Problem Heavy (LPH) drinkers (regardless of binge); ‘Problem’ (and heavy or binge) and ‘Non-/occasional’ (≤monthly) drinkers. These categories were compared to ‘Low-risk’ drinkers.

Socioeconomic disadvantage was consistently associated with moderate-binge, non-/occasional and problem but not LPH drinking. The highest risk was associated with multiple and persistent disadvantage across childhood and adulthood; this risk was partially accounted for education. Non-/occasional and moderate-binge drinking was predicted by disadvantage during childhood alone. The socioeconomic disadvantage of non-/occasional drinkers was not explained by past problem or heavy drinking.

Socioeconomic disadvantage across the lifecourse was consistently linked to specific drinking patterns. Furthermore, associations linking socioeconomic disadvantage with drinking patterns will typically be underestimated if multiple and persistent disadvantage is not investigated. The role of persistent socioeconomic disadvantage in the poor health of non-drinkers and moderate-binge drinkers needs investigation.

The findings support current initiatives targeting the reduction of social and individual costs associated with specific drinking patterns.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: Tanya.Caldwell@anu.edu.au
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Alcohol Drinking, Cigarette Smoking, and Risk of Colorectal Adenomatous and Hyperplastic Polyps
American Journal of Epidemiology 2008 167(9):1050-1058;



The authors evaluated alcohol drinking and cigarette smoking in relation to risk of colorectal polyps in a Nashville, Tennessee, colonoscopy-based case-control study.

In 2003–2005, cases with adenomatous polyps only (n = 639), hyperplastic polyps only (n = 294), and both types of polyps (n = 235) were compared with 1,773 polyp-free controls. Unordered polytomous logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals.

Consumption of at least five alcoholic drinks per week was not strongly associated with development of polyps. Odds ratios for all polyp types were increased for dose, duration, and pack-years of cigarette smoking and were stronger for hyperplastic polyps than for adenoma.

Compared with never smoking, dose-response relations were particularly strong for current smoking and duration; for 35 years of smoking, odds ratios were 1.9 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.4, 2.5) for adenomatous polyps only, 5.0 (95% CI: 3.3, 7.3) for hyperplastic polyps only, and 6.9 (95% CI: 4.4, 11.1) for both types of polyps.

Compared with current smoking, time since cessation was associated with substantially reduced odds; for 20 years since quitting, odds ratios were 0.4 (95% CI: 0.3, 0.6) for adenoma only, 0.2 (95% CI: 0.1, 0.3) for hyperplastic polyps only, and 0.2 (95% CI: 0.2, 0.4) for both polyp types.

These findings support the adverse role of cigarette smoking in colorectal tumorigenesis and suggest that quitting smoking may substantially reduce the risk of colorectal polyps.


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Request Reprint E-Mail: martha.shrubsole@vanderbilt.edu
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"Culture of Drinking" and Individual Problems with Alcohol Use
American Journal of Epidemiology 2008 167(9):1041-1049




Binge drinking is a substantial and growing health problem. Community norms about drinking and drunkenness may influence individual drinking problems.

Using data from the New York Social Environment Study (n = 4,000) conducted in 2005, the authors examined the relation between aspects of the neighborhood drinking culture and individual alcohol use. They applied methods to address social stratification and social selection, both of which are challenges to interpreting neighborhood research.

In adjusted models, permissive neighborhood drinking norms were associated with moderate drinking (odds ratio (OR) = 1.28, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05, 1.55) but not binge drinking; however, social network and individual drinking norms accounted for this association.

By contrast, permissive neighborhood drunkenness norms were associated with more moderate drinking (OR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.39) and binge drinking (OR = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.44, 2.56); the binge drinking association remained after adjustment for social network and individual drunkenness norms (OR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.20, 2.08).

Drunkenness norms were more strongly associated with binge drinking for women than for men (p_interaction = 0.006).

Propensity distributions and adjustment for drinking history suggested that social stratification and social selection, respectively, were not plausible explanations for the observed results.

Analyses that consider social and structural factors that shape harmful drinking may inform efforts targeting the problematic aspects of alcohol consumption.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: jahern@berkeley.edu
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In vivo and in vitro ethanol exposure in prenatal rat brain: GABA_B receptor modulation on dopamine D₁ receptor and protein kinase A

Synapse Volume 62, Issue 7 , Pages 534 - 543



We have investigated the effects of prenatal ethanol exposure on GABA_B receptors (GABA_BRs), protein kinase A (PKA), and DA D₁ receptor (DAD₁R) expressions.

GABA_B1R and GABA_B2R showed different age-dependent expressions in in vivo fetal rat forebrain from gestational days (GD) 15.5 to 21.5 upon 10% ethanol treatment to mother, with and without baclofen at a dose of 10 mg/kg body weight/day. The protein level changes could not be attributed to changes in the level of transcription since GABA_BR mRNA presented different expression patterns upon in vivo ethanol treatment.

Using in vitro cultivated cortical neurons from GD 17.5 fetuses, we also explored the modulatory effects of ethanol on PKA and DAD₁R through GABA_BRs, under 50 M baclofen and 100 M phaclofen administrations, with or without 100 mM of ethanol treatment in the culture media.

The results showed that 20 min ethanol treatment without baclofen or phaclofen had increasing effects on both the GABA_BRs. Further, baclofen and phaclofen administration significantly affected PKA and GABA_BR levels upon 20 min and 1 h ethanol treatment. In contrast, DAD₁R showed increasing effects upon ethanol treatment, which was modulated by GABA_BR's agonist baclofen and antagonist phaclofen.

Therefore the present study suggested that the GABA_BR activity could modulate ethanol's cellular effects, which possibly including PKA and DAD₁R activities, and may be an underlying cause of ethanol's effects.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: mokim@gsnu.ac.kr
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Alcohol, Tobacco Products Aimed At Teens?

Among Concerns: Caffeinated, Fruity Drinks That Contain Alcohol, Flavored Tobacco

America's youth are inundated with visual appeals to drink and smoke, CBS News correspondent Randall Pinkston reports.

While the alcohol and tobacco industries insist their products are aimed at adults, critics charge beverages like Sparks and colored tobacco products are tailor-made for teens. There are fruit-flavored cigars and energy drinks that are high-caffeine - and in a new twist, up to 9 percent alcohol.

"Alcohol and caffeine are really double trouble when they're marketed to kids and when they create the illusion of alertness with the impairment of alcohol," said Connecticut attorney general Richard Blumenthal.

It's not only the content that worries the critics - it's the marketing. From the names, Tilt, Sparks, Joose, to the colorful packaging and cartoon-like images.

"Well, they are influencing younger kids with all these flavors and that's not good," said Maria Gomez. "When they get older, they might be addicted to these things."

And that is what concerns prosecutors of 28 states and the District of Columbia, who are accusing breweries of promoting products that are "highly attractive to underage youth."
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View Video "Marketing to Minors"
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New Online Course with CEU's Available

Acamprosate: A New Medication for Alcohol Use Disorders

The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment's Knowledge Application Program (CSAT KAP) is pleased to offer its first online e-learning course, Acamprosate: A New Medication for Alcohol Use Disorders. The course provides information about the use, side effects, and contraindications of acamprosate; information to discuss with clients; and a comparison of medications used to treat alcohol use disorders.

The course is self-paced so that users can log out and return later to continue where they left off. The course includes interactive exercises, case examples, and a test. Counselors who successfully complete the course receive one NAADAC-approved continuing education unit (CEU) at no cost and can print out their CEU certificate.

Access e-Learning Course— Acamprosate: A New Medication for Alcohol Use Disorders

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O'Malley delays signing 'alcopop' bill

By Bradley Olson |Sun reporter

April 24, 2008

Gov. Martin O'Malley has put off signing a bill that would allow so-called "alcopops" -- fruity libations such as Mike's Hard Lemonade -- to continue to be taxed and distributed as if they were beer, saying he needs more time to think about the measure.

The law, which passed by wide margins in both legislative chambers, is controversial because activists, such as the group Mothers Against Drunk Driving, believe the drinks are marketed to underage drinkers and that the broader distribution and lower taxes they have traditionally enjoyed in Maryland make them more available to teenagers.

O'Malley met this morning with the CEO of MADD, leaders of several state and national public health organizations and several parents in Maryland whose children have been killed recently in drunk driving incidents, all of whom urged him to veto the bill, which he said today that he had planned on signing.
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Punch hits out at 'tax on binge drinking'
Nick Huber
guardian.co.uk,
Thursday April 24 2008

The chief executive of Britain's biggest pub company has attacked the recent above-inflation rise in alcohol duty, dismissing government claims that it could discourage binge drinking as "ridiculous".

Giles Thorley, chief executive of Punch Taverns, warned today that the 6% rise in alcohol duty, announced in the March Budget, could even encourage excessive drinking because customers may choose to buy more cheaper alcohol from supermarkets and drink heavily at home.

"The pub is the home of responsible drinking. The number of restrictions that already exist as result of recent government legislation means that you are much safer drinking in the pub than anywhere else," he said.

"We all get frustrated by the way that politicians use an excuse to pass on what is effectively a straight tax hike. The suggestion that (the rise in alcohol duty) was designed to mitigate the issues of binge drinking is quite frankly ridiculous."
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