Behavioral Traits Predicting Alcohol Drinking in Outbred Rats: An Investigation of Anxiety, Novelty Seeking, and Cognitive Flexibility

Most adults in Western society consume alcohol regularly without negative consequences. For a small subpopulation, however, drinking can quickly progress to excessive and chronic intake. Given the dangers associated with alcohol abuse, it is critical to identify traits that may place an individual at risk for developing these behaviors. To that end, we used a rat model to determine whether anxiety-related behaviors, novelty seeking, or cognitive flexibility predict excessive alcohol drinking under both limited and continuous access conditions.

Adult male rats were assessed in a series of behavioral tasks (elevated plus maze [EPM], locomotor activity, and discrimination/reversal learning in a Y-maze) followed by 6 weeks of daily, 1-hour access to alcohol in a free-choice, 2-bottle paradigm (10% alcohol vs. tap water). Next, subjects were given the opportunity to consume alcohol for 72 hours in drinking chambers that permit separate measures of each drinking bout. Half of the animals experienced a 2-week deprivation period between the limited and continuous access sessions.

Time spent on the open arms of the EPM, but not novelty seeking or discrimination/reversal learning, predicted alcohol consumption during limited, 1-h/d access sessions to alcohol. Anxiety-related behavior also predicted the escalation of intake when animals were given 72 hours of continuous access to alcohol. Bout size, but not frequency, was responsible for the increased consumption by high-anxiety subjects during this period. Finally, intake during limited access sessions predicted intake during continuous access, but only in subjects with low intake during limited access.

These findings confirm that preexisting anxiety-related behavior predicts alcohol intake under several schedules of alcohol access. Moreover, when access is unlimited, the high-anxiety-related group exhibited an increase in bout size, but not frequency, of drinking. In addition, we show that modest intake when alcohol is restricted may or may not progress to excessive intake when the drug is freely available.

Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: olmstead@queensu.ca

Solitary Versus Social Drinking: An Experimental Study on Effects of Social Exposures on In Situ Alcohol Consumption

  Whereas the effects of modeling and of drinking contexts on alcohol use are documented, studies are lacking regarding the effect of given social exposures on actual alcohol consumption during drinking episodes (i.e., in situ alcohol consumption, the quantity of alcohol actually ingested in given occasion, e.g., in grams).

Applying the experimental paradigms, our study investigates the impact of social condition (alone vs. with others) on in situ alcohol consumption (analog measurements) of 123 young adults who participated in 2 wine-tasting sessions (one together with others, i.e., group condition; 1 solitary, i.e., individual condition: the sequence of participation was assigned at random). Bivariate and multivariate analyses, that is, paired- and independent-samples t-tests and repeated measure analysis of variance, were applied to investigate the effects through both transversal and longitudinal perspectives.

In the first session, higher average amounts of alcohol were consumed in the group condition compared with the individual one. Conversely, higher average consumption was recorded in the individual compared with the group condition in the second session. Considering simultaneously data from the 2 experimental sessions demonstrated that subjects consumed higher amounts of alcohol in individual condition when this condition was organized subsequent and not prior to the group condition. Yet, alcohol consumption in group condition appeared to not vary between the 2 sessions.

Results first highlight the effects of social condition on in situ alcohol consumption. However, they also suggest that in situ exposition to others drinking is possibly involved in shaping the perception of context-related drinking norms, which might further influence subsequent drinking behaviors in an analogous context. Beyond the issues of imitation effects, these findings raise the issues of the development of preventive initiatives aiming to induce changes in individuals’ perception of context-specific drinking norms.

Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: hkuendig@addiction-info.ch

Excitation of Rat Cerebellar Golgi Cells by Ethanol: Further Characterization of the Mechanism

Studies with rodents suggest that acute ethanol exposure impairs information flow through the cerebellar cortex, in part, by increasing GABAergic input to granule cells. Experiments suggest that an increase in the excitability of specialized GABAergic interneurons that regulate granule cell activity (i.e., Golgi cells [GoCs]) contributes to this effect. In GoCs, ethanol increases spontaneous action potential firing frequency, decreases the afterhyperpolarization amplitude, and depolarizes the membrane potential. Studies suggest that these effects could be mediated by inhibition of the Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase.

The purpose of this study was to characterize the potential role of other GoC conductances in the mechanism of action of ethanol.

Computer modeling techniques and patch-clamp electrophysiological recordings with acute slices from rat cerebella were used for these studies.

Computer modeling suggested that modulation of subthreshold Na⁺ channels, hyperpolarization-activated currents, and several K⁺ conductances could explain some but not all actions of ethanol on GoCs. Electrophysiological studies did not find evidence consistent with a contribution of these conductances. Quinidine, a nonselective blocker of several types of channels (including several K⁺ channels) that also antagonizes the Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase, reduced the effect of ethanol on GoC firing.

These findings further support that ethanol increases GoC excitability via modulation of the Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase and suggest that a quinidine-sensitive K⁺ channel may also play a role in the mechanism of action of ethanol.

Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: fvalenzuela@salud.unm.edu

Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: fvalenzuela@salud.unm.edu

Self-Reported Alcohol Consumption and the Risk of Alcohol-Related Problems: A Comparative Risk-Curve Analysis of the 3 Baltic Countries, Sweden, and I

Previous research has suggested a positive risk-relationship between volume of consumption and adverse behavioral and social consequences of drinking. However, because the risk-relationship may be modified by factors such as pattern of drinking, attributes of social drinking contexts, and drunken comportment, the shape of the risk-function appear to be contingent upon the larger cultural context of drinking.

In this article, I use graphical risk-curve analyses and model estimations to assess how the risk of experiencing alcohol-related problems is associated with self-reported volume of alcohol consumption in the 3 Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) as well as Sweden and Italy. The analysis utilized data from 2 general population surveys (including Sweden plus Italy and the Baltic countries, respectively) with approximately 1,000 respondents from each country.

The risk-curves for the 3 Baltic countries and Sweden were fairly parallel and clearly steeper than that for Italy. In the logistic regression models, the country-specific Baltic estimates were not entirely homogenous; for Estonia and Latvia, the estimates were similar to that for Sweden and significantly larger than that for Italy, whereas the estimate for Lithuania did not differ significantly from that for Italy. However, the negative binominal regression models suggested that increasing volume of consumption is associated with the risk of experiencing a larger number of different problems in all 3 Baltic countries and Sweden than in Italy. Overall, the result thus suggests that there is a significant relationship between volume of consumption and risk of experiencing alcohol-related problems in all countries but that the relationship generally is stronger in the Baltic countries and Sweden than in Italy.

The results were largely in line with the hypothesis of a European north to south gradient in the strength of the risk-relationship, but also add that most Baltic countries may be placed alongside the Nordic countries in this context. Because only volume of consumption is considered, the results cannot be used to specify which factors and mechanisms that actually modify the shape of the risk-function in each culture.

Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: jonas.landberg@sorad.su.se

A Latent Class Analysis of DSM-IV Alcohol Use Disorder Criteria and Binge Drinking in Undergraduates

Adolescent and adult samples have shown that the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV (DSM-IV) abuse and dependence criteria lie on a continuum of alcohol problem severity, but information on criteria functioning in college students is lacking. Prior factor analyses in a college sample (Beseler et al., 2010) indicated that a 2-factor solution fit the data better than a single-factor solution after a binge drinking criterion was included. The second dimension may indicate a clustering of criteria related to excessive alcohol use in this college sample.

The present study was an analysis of data from an anonymous, online survey of undergraduates (N = 361) that included items pertaining to the DSM-IV alcohol use disorder (AUD) diagnostic criteria and binge drinking. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to determine whether the criteria best fit a categorical model, with and without a binge drinking criterion.

In an LCA including the AUD criteria only, a 3-class solution was the best fit. Binge drinking worsened the fit of the models. The largest class (class 1, n = 217) primarily endorsed tolerance (18.4%); none were alcohol dependent. The middle class (class 2, n = 114) endorsed primarily tolerance (81.6%) and drinking more than intended (74.6%); 34.2% met criteria for dependence. The smallest class (class 3, n = 30) endorsed all criteria with high probabilities (30 to 100%); all met criteria for dependence. Alcohol consumption patterns did not differ significantly between classes 2 and 3. Class 3 was characterized by higher levels on several variables thought to predict risk of alcohol-related problems (e.g., enhancement motives for drinking, impulsivity, and aggression).

Two classes of heavy-drinking college students were identified, one of which appeared to be at higher risk than the other. The highest risk group may be less likely to “mature out” of high-risk drinking after college.

Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: cheryl.beseler@colostate.edu

Hospital-Admitted Injury Attributable to Alcohol

Primary data collection has established that alcohol causes injuries treated in the emergency department. No comparable data exist for injuries admitted to hospital. Data on the injury risks of heavy drinkers relative to other drinkers also are sparse.

We estimated (i) whether regular heavy drinkers have higher hospitalized injury risks than other people when alcohol-negative and (ii) how much hospitalized injury risk of regular heavy drinkers and other drinkers rises when alcohol-positive. We combined national alcohol consumption data with alcohol metabolism rates to estimate hours spent alcohol-positive versus alcohol-negative during a year for heavy drinkers versus other people. A literature review provided hospitalized nonfatal injury rates for these groups by alcohol involvement.

Relative to other alcohol-negative people aged 18 and older, heavy drinkers have an estimated relative risk of hospitalized injury of 1.4 when alcohol-negative and 4.3 when alcohol-positive. Others have an estimated relative risk of 1.0 when alcohol-negative and 6.8 when alcohol-positive. Thus, alcohol greatly raises injury risk. The excess risk patterns persist for a wide range of sensitivity analysis values. Of hospitalized injuries, an estimated 21% are alcohol-attributable including 36% of assaults.

Drinking alcohol is a major cause of hospitalized injury. Heavy drinkers lead risky lifestyles. They tolerate alcohol better than most drinkers, but their injury risks still triple when they drink. Our approach to attribution is a valuable complement to more costly, more precise approaches that rely heavily on primary data collection. It works for any severity of injury. Applying it only requires an existing alcohol consumption survey plus data on alcohol involvement in targeted injuries.

Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: Miller@pire.org

fMRI Differences Between Subjects with Low and High Responses to Alcohol During a Stop Signal Task

A low level of response (i.e., a low LR) to alcohol is a genetically influenced phenotype that predicts later alcoholism. While the low LR reflects, at least in part, a low brain response to alcohol, the physiological underpinnings of the low LR have only recently been addressed.

Forty-nine drinking but not yet alcoholic matched pairs of 18- to 25-year-old subjects (N = 98; 53% women) with low and high LRs as established in separate alcohol challenges were evaluated in 2 event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) sessions (placebo and approximately 0.7 ml/kg of alcohol) while performing a validated stop signal task. The high and low LR groups had identical blood alcohol levels during the alcohol session.

Significant high versus low LR group and LR group × condition effects were observed in blood oxygen level–dependent (BOLD) signal during error and inhibitory processing, despite similar LR group performance on the task. In most clusters with significant (corrected p < 0.05, clusters > 1,344 μl) LR group × alcohol/placebo condition interactions, the low LR group demonstrated relatively less, whereas the high LR group demonstrated more, error and inhibition-related activation after alcohol compared with placebo.

This is one of the first fMRI studies to demonstrate significant differences between healthy groups with different risks of a future life-threatening disorder.

The results may suggest a brain mechanism that contributes to how a low LR might enhance the risk of future heavy drinking and alcohol dependence.

Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: mschuckit@ucsd.edu

Alcohol News - 42/2011

The Press Association (UK) - Experts make alcohol limits appeal

The "tide of harm" seen in Britain's hospitals means it is vital that levels are not increased, said Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, Royal College of Physicians special adviser on alcohol, and chairman of Alcohol Health Alliance UK.

Read more

Daily Mail (UK) - 'Irresponsible' Asda is selling beer for LESS THAN 50p a bottle

Bottles of lager are being sold for less than 50p each as the supermarket price war blows retailer promises to tackle binge drinking out of the water.

Read more

The Voice of Russia (Russia) - Chechen leader calls for alcohol prohibition in Russia

President of Russia’s Chechen republic Ramzan Kadyrov has called for alcohol prohibition in Russia. Russia’s public health chief Gennady Onishchenko backed the idea but said that it was “unachievable.” Onishchenko called for the price of a bottle of strong liquor to be increased to $100. Experts doubt the efficiency of both proposals.

Read more

Irish Times (Ireland) - Below-cost alcohol sales 'irresponsible'

THE MARKETING of alcohol by some retailers has become “absolutely irresponsible” and its sale at prices far lower than in the past “needs to be addressed”, according to the chief executive of drinks industry-funded organisation Meas (Mature Enjoyment of Alcohol in Society).

Read more

Herald Sun (Australia) - Kids can get alcohol for as little as 25c online

VICTORIAN kids are getting drunk on alcohol sachets ordered from overseas websites for as little as 25c a shot.

Read more

AFP (Iran) - Drink-driving tests coming to Iran, where alcohol is banned

Iran's traffic police will soon start testing motorists for driving under the influence of alcohol, which has been banned since the 1979 Islamic revolution, the ISNA news agency reported.

Read more

Myjoyonline.com (Ghana) - MoH to take action on alcohol abuse

The Ministry of Health (MoH) is developing a policy to regulate the production, distribution, marketing and consumption of alcohol in the country, following the growing incidence of alcohol.

Read more

Daily News & Analysis - Heavy, moderate drinkers at increased injury risk

Alcohol consumption greatly increases risk for serious injury among heavy and moderate drinkers, according to new research.

Read more

The Atlantic (USA) - Vodka-Soaked Gummy Bears: The Newest Teen Drinking 'Trend'

The Drudge Report linked today to a Washington D.C. radio station's report that teens have found an alarming new way to ingest their alcohol: sweet, innocent gummy bears.

Read more

BusinessWeek (Turkey) - Turkey Raises Taxes on Mobile Phones, Alcohol, Tobacco, Cars

Turkey raised the tax it levies on alcoholic drinks, tobacco products, mobile phones and cars through a special consumption tax.

Read more

Cordis News (Sweden/UK) - Alcohol and violence in the media - what does your child think?

Researchers from the United Kingdom and Sweden are taking part in a unique EU-funded project analysing fictional media representations of alcohol and alcohol-related violence; the aim is to understand youth drinking culture.

Read more

The Prospector - Alcohol and sex: a dangerous cocktail

Picture this: you're a college student that meets someone at the library, the student lounge or perhaps in class. You've exchanged phone numbers, become friends on Facebook and later you meet at a bar to hang out. One drink leads to another, then another and things may become hot and heavy.

Read more

EurekAlert - Genetically influenced responses to alcohol affect brain activation both with and without alcohol

A low level of response (LR) to alcohol is a genetically influenced characteristic, or phenotype, that reflects at least in part a low brain response to alcohol, and carries significant risk for the later development of alcoholism. This study addressed the physiological underpinnings of a low and high LR, finding significant differences in brain activation during a cognitive task, possibly reflecting differences in the amount of brain activity used to deal with a cognitive challenge.

Read more

gulfnews.com (Dubai) - Hotels to be involved in cutting road crashes caused by alcohol

Hotels will have a role to play in reducing the alarmingly increasing road fatalities caused by driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI), Dubai Police's Traffic Department has said.

Read more

STV Local (Scotland) - MSP warns of rising danger from alcohol consumption

People in Moray are being challenged to question their behaviour and attitudes towards alcohol. The call comes from MSP Richard Lochhead, who is highlighting figures on alcohol consumption that shows a 3% increase in alcohol related deaths in Scotland, with drink sales 23% higher throughout the nation.

Read more

EurekAlert (Baltics/Italy) - Link between alcohol and harm is stronger in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Sweden than in Italy

Research clearly shows a dose-response relationship between alcohol and health issues such as cirrhosis of the liver. More recent research has shown linkages between greater drinking and greater problems such as interpersonal violence. A study of the impact that the larger, cultural context of drinking in several European countries may have on the relationship between drinking and harm has found that this relationship is stronger in the Baltic countries and Sweden than Italy.

Read more

Reuters - 'Youth in Europe' drug prevention programme sees youth drinking drop from 42% to 9%

The Youth in Europe (YIE) drug prevention programme has released research tracking the incidence of smoking (daily), drinking and cannabis experimentation amongst 15 to 16-year-old students in Iceland from 1998 to 2011. And the results are astonishing.

Read more

The Local.se (Sweden/Germany) - From Sweden to Germany in search of cheap booze

Tired of Sweden's high alcohol taxes and the state run liquor monopoly? Come along with contributor Patrick Reilly as he details a recent journey to Germany in search of cheap beer.

Read more

Physorg (EU) - Time for action: EU reacts to UN Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases

The MEP Heart Group, co-chaired by Ms. Linda McAvan MEP (S&D, UK) and Mr. Cristian Silviu MEP (ALDE, RO), meets today in Brussels with an agenda focused on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). 'Learning from the UN Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases', is an essential meeting for Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to exchange with Commissioner for Health and Consumer Affairs, Mr. John Dalli, and Dr. Roberto Bertollini, Chief Scientist and World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to the EU, on the outcomes of the UN High-Level Summit on NCDs.

Read more

WalesOnline (Wales) - Wales must consider alcohol advertising ban to beat binge drinking problem, says minister

MORE restrictions on alcohol advertising - and even a ban - are needed if Wales is to win its fight against excessive drinking, Health Minister Lesley Griffiths said today.

Read more

National Institutes of Health (USA) - NIH releases clinician's guide for screening underage drinkers

Based on just two questions from a newly released guide, health care professionals could spot children and teenagers at risk for alcohol-related problems. Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention for Youth: A Practitioner's Guide, is now available from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health.

Read more

DigitalJournal.com - Study: Bad economy equals more drinking

Previous studies have found that health improved during economic downturns, possibly because unemployment meant fewer funds available for behaviors that could harm health, like excessive drinking. But new research has suggested the opposite may be true.

Read more


Read Full Newsletter

The influence of confidence on associations among personal attitudes, perceived injunctive norms, and alcohol consumption.

Social norms theories hold that perceptions of the degree of approval for a behavior have a strong influence on one's private attitudes and public behavior. In particular, being more approving of drinking and perceiving peers as more approving of drinking, are strongly associated with one's own drinking.

However, previous research has not considered that students may vary considerably in the confidence in their estimates of peer approval and in the confidence in their estimates of their own approval of drinking.

The present research was designed to evaluate confidence as a moderator of associations among perceived injunctive norms, own attitudes, and drinking. We expected perceived injunctive norms and own attitudes would be more strongly associated with drinking among students who felt more confident in their estimates of peer approval and own attitudes. We were also interested in whether this might differ by gender.

Injunctive norms and self-reported alcohol consumption were measured in a sample of 708 college students.

Findings from negative binomial regression analyses supported moderation hypotheses for confidence and perceived injunction norms but not for personal attitudes. Thus, perceived injunctive norms were more strongly associated with own drinking among students who felt more confident in their estimates of friends' approval of drinking.

A three-way interaction further revealed that this was primarily true among women. Implications for norms and peer influence theories as well as interventions are discussed.


Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: claytonn@u.washington.edu

Children's alcohol cognitions prior to drinking onset: Discrepant patterns from implicit and explicit measures.

Prior to drinking onset, children report stronger negative versus positive beliefs on self-report alcohol expectancy questionnaires, with some attenuation of this negativity as they transition into adolescence.

Traditional alcohol expectancy assessments, however, capture endorsement of deliberative propositions about drinking outcomes. Measurement of implicit alcohol associations may elucidate automatic evaluations, clarifying the role of nondeliberative cognition in the initiation of alcohol use among youth.

Few studies have assessed implicit alcohol cognition among children and younger adolescents, with inconsistent findings regarding the nature of these automatic associations within and between age groups.

Eighty-nine 3rd and 4th graders and 91 7th and 8th graders completed an alcohol expectancy measure and two unipolar alcohol Implicit Association Tests (IAT) measuring positive and negative alcohol associations independently.

On the explicit measure older compared with younger participants rated positive drinking outcomes as more likely and negative outcomes as less likely. Older compared with younger students were also more neutral/moderate in their evaluations of positive drinking outcomes.

On the IATs, scores for the full sample indicated negative alcohol associations, and Negative IAT scores were higher for older compared with younger participants.

However, the valence of implicit alcohol associations was qualified by the order of explicit versus implicit assessment; for those who completed the IATs prior to the explicit expectancy measure, alcohol associations were positive.

Findings replicate and extend prior research conducted with preonset youth. Implications regarding the role of automatic and controlled processes in drinking onset and directions for future work on children's alcohol cognition are discussed.



Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: Jeff.Noel@-mimh.edu

The effect of restraint beliefs on alcohol-seeking behavior.

Individuals who believe that they have high levels of restraint over motivated behaviors such as cigarette smoking are, paradoxically, more likely to engage in those behaviors when tempted (Nordgren, Van Harreveld, & Van Der Pligt, 2009).

Our aim was to experimentally manipulate heavy drinkers' beliefs about their drinking restraint to examine the effect on drinking behavior.

Sixty heavy drinkers completed an implicit association test and a stop-signal task before receiving bogus feedback on their task performance that indicated that they had either high or low levels of drinking restraint. Participants then completed a bogus taste test in which they were able to consume beer and a soft drink.

Results indicated that the group falsely led to believe that they had a high level of drinking restraint subsequently consumed more beer than the group led to believe that they had a low level of drinking restraint.

This study demonstrates that beliefs about drinking restraint can influence drinking behavior, in that individuals who overestimate their control over drinking are at greater risk of drinking to excess when exposed to tempting situations.



Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: j.c.cole@liverpool.ac.uk

Randomized controlled trial of brief interventions to reduce college students' drinking and risky sex.

The present study tested the proposition that an intervention to reduce alcohol use among college students will also reduce their risky sexual behavior. In a randomized controlled trial, 154 heavy-drinking, predominantly White, heterosexual college students at behavioral risk for infection with HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases were assigned to receive no intervention or a two-session, in-person, motivational interviewing-based intervention focused on (a) reducing alcohol risk behavior, (b) reducing HIV risk behavior, or (c) reducing both alcohol and HIV risk behavior. Three-month retrospective assessments of alcohol use and sexual behavior were conducted at intake and at 3-, 6-, 9-, 12-, and 15-month follow-up appointments. During follow-up, participants who received the single-focus alcohol risk-reduction intervention drank less frequently and consumed fewer drinks per drinking day as compared with no-intervention control participants, but did not differ from control participants in their frequency of intercourse without a condom or number of sexual partners. Participants who received the single-focus HIV risk-reduction intervention evidenced fewer unprotected sex events during follow-up, as compared with control participants. The number of sexual partners reported during follow-up did not differ by condition. Effects of the interventions did not vary significantly over time and were not moderated by participant gender. Results suggest that intervening to reduce alcohol use may not reduce risky sexual behavior among nonminority college students, but that a brief motivational intervention targeting HIV risk behavior may have utility for reducing the frequency of unprotected sex in this population.



Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: dermen@ria.buffalo.edu

A beverage-specific measure of expectancies for malt liquor: Development and initial testing.

Malt liquor (ML) is a unique, high alcohol content beverage marketed to encourage heavy drinking. We developed the Malt Liquor Expectancy Questionnaire (MLEQ), a beverage-specific measure of alcohol expectancies, and examined its association with typical weekly ML use, typical weekly alcohol use, and alcohol problems.

Forty positive and 40 negative expectancy items were administered to a sample of 639 young adults who regularly consumed ML. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses led to the development of the 30-item MLEQ. The MLEQ consists of two positive (i.e., Social Facilitation and Enjoyment, Enhanced Sexuality) and two negative factors (i.e., Aggression and Negative Consequences; Impairment and Physical Symptoms) that possess good internal consistency, test–retest reliability, and convergent validity.

The psychometrically sound MLEQ contributes to the limited research on beverage-specific expectancies and heavy drinking.


Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: lcollins@buffalo.edu

Do social networks explain 12-step sponsorship effects? A prospective lagged mediation analysis.

Sponsorship is a basic and important part of the 12-step approach to recovery from substance abuse (Alcoholics Anonymous, 2005) and research has shown that having a sponsor is associated with increased involvement in 12-step programs and improved outcomes (Bond, Kaskutas, & Weisner, 2003; Tonigan & Rice, 2010).

However, little is known about how sponsorship improves outcomes. Given research demonstrating bivariate associations between sponsorship and social support for abstinence (Majer, Jason, Ferrari, Venable, & Olson, 2002), we hypothesized that the association between having a sponsor and increased abstinence outcomes would be explained by increases in one's abstinence-based social network.

Prospective fully lagged mediational analyses did not support this hypothesis and these results ran counter to findings of five previous studies (cf. Groh, Jason, & Keys, 2008).

A review of these studies showed that researchers often used cross-sectional or partially lagged methods to test mediation and the mediational effect of the social network was small in magnitude.

Results suggest that the prospective association between sponsorship and abstinence is not explained by increases in the abstinence-based social network and demonstrate the need for future studies to use rigorous and time-lagged methods to test social support for abstinence as a mediator of the effects of 12-step involvement.


Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: jtonigan@unm.edu

Internalizing and externalizing dimensions and alcohol use in first time DWI offenders: Indirect effects through coping self-efficacy

Using cross-sectional data and structural equation modeling, we evaluated whether coping self-efficacy to abstain from drinking in various situations accounted for the relationship between internalizing (depression, anxiety) and externalizing (aggression, low socialization) dimensions with problematic alcohol use in 292 first-time DWI offenders.

Results indicated that an internalizing dimension indirectly predicted problematic alcohol use through coping self-efficacy in negative situations only, whereas an externalizing dimension indirectly predicted problematic alcohol use through coping self-efficacy in positive situations only.

These findings support two potential pathways to problematic drinking behavior among DWI offenders and suggest that internalizing and externalizing dimensions may differentially predict high risk drinking situations due to one's inability to abstain in specific situations.


Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: RSchlauch%20@ria.buffalo.edu

Associations between depression, distress tolerance, delay discounting, and alcohol-related problems in European American and African American college

Although levels of heavy drinking and alcohol-related problems are high in college students, there is significant variability in the number and type of problems experienced, even among students who drink heavily.

African American students drink less and experience fewer alcohol-related problems than European American students, but are still at risk, and little research has investigated the potentially unique patterns and predictors of problems among these students.

Depression, distress tolerance, and delay discounting have been implicated in adult substance abuse and may be important predictors of alcohol problem severity among college students.

We examined the relationship between these variables and alcohol-related problems among African American and European American students (N = 206; 53% female; 68% European American; 28% African American) who reported recent heavy drinking.

In regression models that controlled for drinking level, depression, distress tolerance, and delay discounting were associated with alcohol problems among African American students, but only depression was associated with alcohol problems among European American students.

These results suggest that negative affect is a key risk factor for alcohol problems among college student drinkers.

For African American students, the inability to tolerate negative emotions and to organize their behavior around future outcomes may also be especially relevant risk factors.



Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: jgmurphy@memphis.edu

Emotional health predictors of substance use initiation during middle school.

This study aimed to evaluate whether emotional health factors, including anxiety and depression, stress, and social support, are associated with earlier youth initiation of alcohol and illicit substances during middle school (from the sixth to the eighth grade).

Data for this study were from the Developmental Pathways Project, a longitudinal study of 521 youth sampled from the Seattle Public Schools. Discrete time survival analyses were used to assess the effects of depression, anxiety, stress, and support on initiation of substance use, measured every 6 months at five time points between sixth and eighth grade.

Youth who had initiated prior to sixth grade had significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms. In multivariate survival analyses controlling for child race/ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status, and accounting for conduct problems, youth who reported higher levels of separation anxiety/panic symptoms were at decreased risk for early alcohol initiation.

Children with higher levels of perceived teacher support had a significantly lower risk of alcohol initiation during early follow-up periods.

Recent stressful life events in Grade 6 were associated with significantly greater risk of initiating an illicit substance by Grade 8.

The current findings highlight the role of stress in the initiation of illicit substance use and suggest that teacher support is

Future research examining anxiety as a predictor of substance use should distinguish between subtypes of anxiety.


Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: cmccarty@u.washington.edu

Using the theory of planned behaviour to understand binge drinking: The importance of beliefs for developing interventions

To elicit students’ salient beliefs in relation to binge drinking, and to examine the extent to which individual salient beliefs predict theory of planned behaviour (TPB) constructs in relation to binge drink, and actual drinking behaviour assessed later that evening.

Longitudinal, over a single evening.

192 students were recruited as they entered a campus bar at the beginning of the evening. They completed questionnaires with open-ended questions eliciting beliefs concerning binge drinking, and ratings scales assessing standard TPB constructs in relation to binge drinking. At the end of the evening, 181 completed a second questionnaire and recorded the number of alcoholic drinks they had consumed.

Beliefs were reliably coded (all kappas ≥0.79). Students with higher intentions to binge drink were more likely to believe that their friends approved of binge drinking, and that (lack of) money would make it difficult. Students who reported drinking more alcohol at the end of the evening were more likely to believe that getting drunk is an advantage/what they would like about binge drinking tonight, that their sports teams would approve, and that celebrating, drinking patterns, and environment would make it easy to binge drink.

The present study has identified the individually salient beliefs relating to drinking behaviour that the TPB states should be addressed by interventions to alter behaviour, and which that should be assessed as mediators in intervention research. As a whole, these findings highlight the importance of perceived peer norms in binge drinking in this population, and support the idea of interventions to challenge the perception of social pressure to binge drink.

Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: david.french@coventry.ac.uk

Predicting alcohol consumption and binge drinking in company employees: An application of planned behaviour and self-determination theories

This study tested an integrated model of the psychosocial determinants of alcohol-related behaviour among company employees from four nations. A motivational sequence was proposed in which motivational orientations from self-determination theory influenced intentions to consume alcohol within guideline limits and alcohol-related behaviour via the mediation of the theory of planned behaviour variables of attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control (PBC).

A three-wave prospective design using self-reported psychological and behavioural measures.

Company employees (N= 486, males = 225, females = 261; M age = 30.41, SD= 8.31) from four nations (Estonia, Finland, Sweden, and UK) completed measures of autonomous and controlled motivation from self-determination theory, attitudes, subjective norms, PBC, intentions from the theory of planned behaviour, and self-reported measures of past alcohol consumption and binge-drinking occasions at the first time point (time 1). Follow-up psychological and behavioural measures were taken one month later (time 2) and follow-up behavioural measures taken a further 2 months later (time 3).

Path analyses supported the motivational sequence with identified regulation (time 1), predicting intentions (time 1), and alcohol units consumed (time 2). The effects were indirect via the mediation of attitudes and PBC (time 1). A similar pattern of effects was found for the effect of time 2 psychological variables on time 3 units of alcohol consumed. There was little support for the effects of the psychological variables on binge-drinking behaviour.

Findings provide new information on the psychosocial determinants of alcohol behaviour in company employees and the processes involved. Results may provide impetus for the development of interventions to reduce alcohol consumption.

Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: martin.hagger@curtin.edu.au

Alcohol expectancies and social self-efficacy as mediators of differential intervention outcomes for college hazardous drinkers with social anxiety

The current pilot study examined the roles of two cognitive factors--positive alcohol expectancies of social anxiety reduction and drink refusal self-efficacy relevant to social situations--in mediating greater reduction in alcohol behaviors by the Brief Intervention for Socially Anxious Drinkers (BISAD; n = 21) compared to an alcohol psychoeducation (n = 20) in a sample of college hazardous drinkers with social anxiety.

Mediation analysis results indicated that decreased positive alcohol expectancies and increased drink refusal self-efficacy relevant to social situations accounted for an average of 67% of the variance in treatment outcomes as measured by total quantity of alcohol consumption, heavy drinking days and problems related to alcohol use in the past month.

Study results may enhance the understanding of cognitive factors’ role in alcohol treatment outcomes, which could in turn improve the efficacy of interventions aimed to reduce hazardous drinking and comorbid social anxiety.



Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: giao.tran@uc.edu

Prevalence of Alcoholic Liver Disease Among Korean Adults: Results From the Fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009

Alcohol consumption continues to be a common cause of acute and chronic liver disease.

Data from a representative sample of 7,893 adults in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009 were analyzed. Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) was defined through heavy alcohol consumption (≥40 g/day for men or ≥20 g/day for women) and through elevated liver tests.

Approximately 6.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.0–7.4) was at heavy alcohol consumption. Of these “heavy alcohol consumers,” one quarter also had ALD. The prevalence of ALD was 1.7% (95% CI, 1.3–2.1).

ALD is still a burden in the Korean population.

Read Full Abstract

Rerquest Reprint E-Mail: djkim@hallym.ac.kr

A Meta-Analytic Investigation of Emotional Intelligence and Alcohol Involvement

The relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and alcohol involvement has been investigated by numerous studies.

The present meta-analysis analyzed the findings of these studies. The meta-analysis, based on 16 effect sizes from 11 studies with a total of 2,271 participants, showed that lower EI was significantly related to higher alcohol involvement, r = −.18.

Lower EI was significantly associated with both alcohol-related problems, r = −.32 and level of alcohol use, r = −.10, but the association was significantly higher with alcohol-use-related problems.

The results suggest that future research would most profitably examine the role of EI in alcohol consumption-related problems.

Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail: jmalouff@une.edu.au.

Change4Life Three Year Social Marketing Strategy: alcohol to be brought within Change4life campaign

The Department of Health has released the 'Change4Life Three Year Social Marketing Strategy' which includes commitments to new alcohol messages. The strategy describes how the Change4Life social marketing programme will support national obesity ambitions as well as promoting other lifestyle changes. > > > > Read More

Teen drink abusers go for leading brands

TEENS abusing alcohol are more likely to buy leading brands such as Budweiser and Smirnoff rather than the cheapest or strongest drinks, according to research.

The co-author of the study, consultant psychiatrist Bobby Smyth, said the findings provide more evidence that alcohol advertising and sponsorship should be "seriously restricted" by law.

Dr Smyth, who runs the Youth Drug and Alcohol Service in Dublin, said they conducted a "snapshot" of alcohol usage among 34 adolescents aged between 14 and 18 who were entering treatment for drug or alcohol abuse. > > > > Read More

Global Actions October 14, 2011

Key Recent Milestones

· Vietnam: Global Actions Vietnam met with the Project Working Team and Project Management Unit in Da Nang to assess implementation of the first drink driving campaign. The meeting covered education, enforcement, finance, and solutions to challenges.

· China: Corporate Social Responsibility in Asia (CSR ASIA) confirmed participation in a CSR survey proposed by ICAP and the China Alcoholic Drinks Association (CADIA). Questionnaires will be mailed to large and medium-sized beverage alcohol companies with inquiries regarding current CSR practices. Also in China, results from our pilot surveys in Wuhan and Nanjing are in. Of the 76 drivers intercepted by police at four checkpoints in Wuhan, none were found to have blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels above 0.2 mg/ml. A total of 15 drivers (20%) admitted to driving after having consumed alcohol, but not in the last three months. In Nanjing, one of the 60 drivers stopped by police was found to have a BAC level over 0.2 mg/ml.

Global Actions in Focus: Thailand Situation Assessment

ICAP has commissioned a research team from the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) to conduct an assessment of the drink driving situation in Thailand. The assessment will address policies, institutional frameworks, and current programs focused on drink driving prevention. Researchers are focusing on six key program elements: data; the extent/nature of the problem; stakeholders and their roles; institutional capacity; interventions; and behavior. NRCT is making progress with the assessment, collecting data and conducting in-depth interviews. A meeting to analyze the situation is scheduled for October 21, and a first draft of the completed Situation Assessment is expected by the end of October.

What’s Happening Next

· Vietnam: October 14-16, Researchers are conducting the first field study in Bac Ninh Province for ICAP’s Noncommercial Alcohol project in Vietnam.

· Hong Kong: October 14 meeting of ICAP’s Asia-Pacific Contact Group. · Vietnam: New dates have been confirmed for Global Actions Vietnam’s study tour in Korea. The tour for the drink driving initiative will now take place October 25-31.

· India: India’s self-regulatory organization, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) and the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) have organized a high-level conference on self-regulation to take place November 11 in New Delhi.