Aims

To support the free and open dissemination of research findings and information on alcoholism and alcohol-related problems. To encourage open access to peer-reviewed articles free for all to view.

For full versions of posted research articles readers are encouraged to email requests for "electronic reprints" (text file, PDF files, FAX copies) to the corresponding or lead author, who is highlighted in the posting.

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Monday, May 13, 2013

Event on Minimum Pricing at the European Parliament


EPHA, the Royal College of Physicians and Eurocare organized an event in the European Parliament "Calling time on Europe's alcohol problem - Using pricing policies to protect public health in Europe - A challenge for democracy".

The event took place last 24th of April in the European Parliament (Brussels).

And it was Co-hosted by Rebecca Taylor MEP (UK, ALDE), Alyn Smith MEP (UK, Greens/EFA), Antonyia Parvanova MEP (Bulgaria, ALDE) and Catherine Stihler MEP (UK, S&D)

Seminar report

Event pictures

Press release



Presentations:

- Minimum alcohol price policies in action: The Canadian Experience. Tim Stockwell, PhD, Director, Centre for Addictions Research of BC , Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Victoria

- Is the drinks industry damaging democracy as well as health?. Dr Nick Sheron, FRCP, Royal College of Physicians Representative to the EU Alcohol and Health Forum

 
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FASD News - 18/2013

 
 
 
American Academy of Pediatrics (USA) - Joint Call to Action on Alcohol and Pregnancy

Through its cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) the AAP Division of Children with Special Needs Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) program staff convened an FASD Risk Communication Workshop from July 30–31, 2012.


Science Network Western Australia (Australia) - Young people with FASD: treatment under law scrutinised

A SURVEY among police, corrective services and WA’s legal institutions has revealed 85 per cent of staff at various levels within the organisations have dealt with young people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).


The Northern Echo (UK) - Prime Minister praises Stockton foster carer who wins Big Society award

A FOSTER carer who set up a support group for families has been described as an "amazing woman" by Prime Minister David Cameron.


Eurekalert - Study finds women who drink alcohol before pregnancy less likely to take multivitamins

Researchers from the University of California, San Diego Department of Pediatrics and Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego, a research affiliate of UC San Diego School of Medicine, have found a link between multivitamin use and alcohol consumption before pregnancy, uncovering a need for education about the importance of vitamin supplementation, particularly among women who drink alcohol during their childbearing years.


Womens Weekly (Australia) - Should bar staff refuse to serve alcohol to pregnant women?

Would you serve a pregnant woman alcohol? If not, you'd be acting illegally and could be sued, as Triana O'Keefe discovered recently.


NeuroDevNet - One week in FASD: conflicting insights on alcohol consumption in pregnancy in UK study and Canadian guideline

A new Canadian Centre for Substance Abuse guideline declares “zero’s the limit” for alcohol consumption for women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, while the same week, the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology issued a press release on study suggesting light drinking during pregnancy is not linked to adverse behavioural or cognitive outcomes in childhood.


Drugfree.org - Commentary: Creating a Circle of Hope to Prevent Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorders

Kathleen Tavenner Mitchell, Vice President and National Spokesperson for the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, explains why she founded The Circle of Hope, a mentoring program for birth mothers of children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorders.


Medical Daily - Rich Women Most Likely to Binge Drink

Binge drinking is a risk factor in many health and social problems that affect women, including unintentional injuries, violence, liver disease, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, breast and other cancers, reduced cognitive function, and alcohol dependence.




UPCOMING EVENTS

Asante Center - Annual FASD Fall Conference

The 6th Annual FASD Fall Conference: Understanding Trauma, will take place on Saturday, November 23, 2013 at Douglas College in New Westminster. Registration will open in early fall 2013.


First International Conference on Prevention of FASD

This is the first international conference to address the primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of FASD. Plenary sessions will promote discussion and reflection on promising and innovative approaches for preventing FASD, such as policies and programs to address alcohol use and the social determinants of health.


NeuroDevNet - Call for Proposals - FASD Throughout the Lifespan and FACE Research Roundtable Sept. 5-7 2013

FASD Newfoundland is hosting a national FASD conference and research roundtable Sept. 5-6, 2013, followed by the 14th annual Fetal Alcohol Canadian Expertise (FACE) Research Roundtable Sept. 7, 2013 in St. John's Newfoundland.




VIDEOS and MATERIALS

YourAlberta - Talking with Women about Alcohol and Pregnancy

This session addresses FASD prevention in relation to how we communicate with pregnant women and women in their childbearing years that may be of risk.


Myles Himmelreich Speaks About Living with FASD

A young Calgary man living with FASD speaks out about his struggles.


YourAlberta - FASD 101: Diagnosis and Support of FASD

Dr. Andrew discusses the history and terminology of FASD, biological impact of alcohol on prenatal brain development, and diagnostic process with a multidisciplinary team.


YourAlberta - Teacher and Parent Relationships – FASD

In this session, Charlene, Debra and Jenifer explore effective educational strategies from the perspectives of a student, a parent, and a teacher.


YourAlberta - Cognitive Interventions for Individuals with FASD

Carmen and Jacquie will review previous research studies on cognitive interventions for children with FASD and discuss new Alberta-based research.


YourAlberta - FASD and Practice: Issues for School Administrators

In this session, the panel discusses the role of administrators in the process of educating students affected by FASD.


YourAlberta - Enhancing Employability for Persons with FASD

Annette and Brian discuss how FASD affects the brain, what types of jobs are more suited to people affected by FASD, and things employers should know.


YourAlberta - Opening the Brain Boxes – FASD

Brain Boxes is a program for youth that breaks the brain into "boxes", so that they can better understand the strong and vulnerable parts of the brain.


YourAlberta - The Implications of Neuroplasticity for a Brain Affected by FASD

The principles of brain plasticity and brain development when affected by FASD are reviewed. There is also discussion of the implications for interventions.


YourAlberta – MathDeficits-in-FASD


YourAlberta - Building Brain Boxes – FASD

By understanding how the brain works with the body, sensory inputs, and the social world, youth can make conscious choices in daily thinking.


YourAlberta - Friendship? Dating? Sex? Relationships in the Complex FASD World

This session explores issues in relationships for persons affected by FASD. Pam and Danna will discuss the skills needed to be successful in relationships.


YourAlberta - Reactive Attachment Disorder and FASD: A Bio-Psychosocial Model for Diagnosis and Treatment

Andrew and Wanda explore what attachment is, the process of attachment, attachment disorders, plus therapeutic and parenting strategies as it relates to FASD.


YourAlberta - Reframing Life with FASD

Candace, a young lady raised in foster care, shares her uplifting story on how she has been resilient, successful, and hopeful for herself and her children.


YourAlberta - Psychological Issues in Children and Adults with FASD

This workshop will explore the relationship between the needs of caregivers and the availability of resources for diagnosis, treatment and support for children with FASD.


YourAlberta - Creating a Brain-Friendly Life – FASD

A collaborative session intended for young people affected by FASD and those who support them.




RESEARCH

Addiction Medicine - The Impact of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure on Addiction Treatment

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) are conditions caused by prenatal alcohol exposure in amounts sufficient to cause permanent deficits in brain functioning.


Behavioural Brain Research - Neonatal alcohol exposure impairs contextual fear conditioning in juvenile rats by disrupting cholinergic function

The context preexposure facilitation effect (CPFE) is a variant of context fear conditioning in which context preexposure facilitates conditioning to immediate foot shock.


Alcoholism - The Role of Acidemia in Maternal Binge Alcohol-Induced Alterations in Fetal Bone Functional Properties

Heavy alcohol consumption during pregnancy negatively impacts the physical growth of the fetus. Although the deleterious effects of alcohol exposure during late gestation on fetal brain development are well documented, little is known about the effect on fetal bone mechanical properties or the underlying mechanisms.


Alcoholism - Rehabilitation Training Using Complex Motor Learning Rescues Deficits in Eyeblink Classical Conditioning in Female Rats Induced by Binge-Like Neonatal Alcohol Exposure

Effective treatments for the behavioral and cognitive deficits in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are lacking, and translational approaches using animal models can help develop rational interventions.


CPHA - Alcohol Use During Pregnancy in Canada: How Policy Moments Can Create Opportunities for Promoting Women’s Health

This article addresses the challenge of igniting action on health promotion for women in Canada with respect to alcohol use during pregnancy. We illustrate that accelerated action on health promotion for women that engages multiple levels of players, women-centred and harm-reduction frameworks and a gendered approach to understanding women’s lives can be achieved when the right policy moment occurs.




IN OTHER LANGUAGES

General-Anzeiger (Germany) - Im Mutterleib durch Alkohol geschädigt

Überforderung, Chaos und Verzweiflung ist was manche Menschen ihr Leben lang empfinden, weil sie durch den Alkoholkonsum ihrer Mutter während der Schwangerschaft geschädigt wurden. Sie leiden unter Fetalen Alkoholspektrum-Störungen, kurz: FASD für "Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder".

 
 
 
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Talk. They Hear You.



Provides parents of children ages 9 to 15 with the tools and information they need to start talking with their children early about the dangers of alcohol. Includes a suite of materials that helps reinforce the underage drinking prevention campaign’s messages.

Download Digital Version

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Editorial - Why South Africa's proposed advertising ban matters



Because of the high numbers of abstainers in many African countries, South Africa's proposed ban on alcohol advertising is an appropriate response, in combination with other evidence-based measures, in a region where alcohol is the leading cause of death and disability, and where alcohol companies are investing billions of dollars to increase consumption of their products.   > > > >   Read More
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Alcohol-selling outlets and mortality in Switzerland—the Swiss National Cohort



To examine the association of alcohol-related mortality and other causes of death with neighbourhood density of alcohol-selling outlets for on-site consumption.
 
Longitudinal study of the adult Swiss population (n = 4 376 873) based on census records linked to mortality data from 2001 to 2008.
 
Sex-specific hazard ratios (HR) for death and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were calculated using Cox models adjusting for age, educational level, occupational attainment, marital status and other potential confounders. The density of alcohol-selling outlets within 1000 m of the residence was calculated using geocodes of outlets and residences.
 
Compared with >17 outlets within 1000 m the HR for alcohol-related mortality in men was 0.95 (95%CI: 0.89–1.02) for 8–17 outlets, 0.84 (95%CI: 0.77–0.90) for 3–7 outlets, 0.76 (95%CI: 0.68–0.83) for 1–2 outlets and 0.60 (95%CI: 0.51–0.72) for 0 outlets. The gradient in women was somewhat steeper, with a HR comparing 0 with >17 outlets of 0.39 (95%CI: 0.26–0.60). Mortality from mental and behavioural causes and lung cancer were also associated with density of alcohol-selling outlets: HRs comparing 0 outlets with >17 outlets were 0.64 (95%CI: 0.52–0.79) and 0.79 (95%CI: 0.72–0.88), respectively, in men and 0.46 (95%CI: 0.27–0.78) and 0.63 (95%CI: 0.52–0.77), respectively, in women. There were weak associations in the same direction with all-cause mortality in men but not in women.
 
In Switzerland, alcohol-related mortality is associated with the density of outlets around the place of residence. Community-level interventions to reduce alcohol outlet density may usefully complement existing interventions.


Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail:   a.huss@uu.nl
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The collectivity of drinking cultures: is the theory applicable to African settings?




Skog's theory of collective drinking behaviour implies that countries with a strict informal social control of drinking alcohol would not exhibit ‘collective displacement’ of consumption (a linear association between population mean consumption and percentile values across the full range of the distribution), as do countries with less informal social control. This paper aimed to test this hypothesis by examining the alcohol consumption distributions in African countries with a strong informal control of alcohol.
 
Data on alcohol consumption from the World Health Organization's general population surveys in 15 African countries were aggregated and analysed with respect to skewedness and collective displacement of the distribution.
 
The distribution of consumption was strongly positively skewed, with 10–15% of the drinkers consuming more than twice the mean consumption. There was also clear evidence of a collective displacement of the consumption distribution, and the consumption mean was a strong predictor of the distribution percentile values across the full range of the distribution. Correspondingly, consumption mean predicted the prevalence of heavy drinkers.

The distribution patterns of alcohol consumption in African countries are consistent with those observed previously in industrialized countries. These findings seem to counter Skog's theory of collective drinking behaviour and support the universality of the observation that the prevalence of problem drinking is linked closely to mean consumption.



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Request Reprint E-Mail:     ir@sirus.no
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Sunday, May 12, 2013

Deleuze and the Theory of Addiction




This theoretical article presents and applies the theories of the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze. The article takes as its starting point the observation that current biomedical, social and psychological research does not provide a coherent view of the nature of addiction and there is a great deal of controversy in the field.

The material philosophy of Deleuze provides the opportunity to introduce new ideas and bridge the gaps between different theories and approaches. Deleuze's philosophy is especially useful since neurological research on addiction has developed rapidly. Deleuzian concepts have implications not only for the general theory of addiction, but also for different theories on treatment and recovery.

 A Deleuzian theory, developed in this article, analyzes addictions as situational and interactional processes. Alcohol and drugs are used because they are connected with situations and interactions that enable the production of desire. They change and alter the body. Addiction alters the production of desire and life itself begins to be reduced to alcohol, drugs or a specific mode of behavior.

Recovery from addictions is connected with the changes in life that offer subjects an open future. A recovering body must increase its capacity to be affected and be capable of creating new biopsychosocial connections of desire.


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Request Reprint E-Mail:    Atte.oksanen@utu.fi
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Group Membership and Social Identity in Addiction Recovery.




Despite a growing interest in how group membership can positively impact health, little research has addressed directly the role social identity processes can have on recovery from addiction.

Drawing on social identity theory and self-categorization theory, the present study investigated how recovery group membership can introduce a new social identity associated with recovery, compared to the social identity associated with addiction.

We hypothesized that two processes—evaluative differentiation and identity preference—would be linked with higher self-efficacy and positive health outcomes (i.e., reduced relapse, lower levels of appetitive behavior, and elevated feelings of social connectedness [Study 2]).

Study 1 recruited members (N = 61) from United Kingdom based mutual aid groups of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. Study 2 recruited ex-smokers (N = 81) from online sources.

In Study 1, evaluative differentiation was significantly related to lowered relapse and reduced appetitive behavior. Identity preference was related to higher levels of self-efficacy, which was related to months drug-free and reduced levels of appetitive behaviors.

In Study 2, evaluative differentiation was related to identity preference. Identity preference was also related to higher self-efficacy, which in turn was related to lower relapse.

Although exploratory, these results suggest that developing a social identity as a “recovering addict” or an “ex-smoker” and subsequently highlighting the difference between such identities may be a useful strategy for reducing relapse among people with problems associated with addictive behaviors.


Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail:      alberyip@lsbu.ac.uk
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Alcohol-Related Memory Associations in Positive and Negative Affect Situations: Drinking Motives, Working Memory Capacity, and Prospective Drinking




Although studies on explicit alcohol
cognitions have identified positive and negative reinforcing drinking motives that are differentially related to drinking indices, such a distinction has received less attention in studies on implicit cognitions.
An alcohol-related Word–Sentence Association Task was used to assess implicit alcohol-related memory associations in positive and negative affect situations in 92 participants.

Results revealed that enhancement motives were specifically associated with the endorsement of alcohol words in positive affect situations and coping motives were associated with the endorsement of alcohol words in negative affect situations. Furthermore, alcohol associations in positive affect situations predicted prospective alcohol use and number of binges, depending on levels of working memory capacity.

The current findings shed more light on the underpinnings of alcohol use and suggest that implicit memory processes and working memory capacity might be important targets for intervention.


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Request Reprint E-Mail:     E.Salemink@uva.nl
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Daily Use of Protective Behavioral Strategies and Alcohol-Related Outcomes Among College Students.




The purpose of the present study was to examine associations between use of protective behavioral strategies (PBS) and alcohol-related outcomes (alcohol consumption, negative alcohol consequences, and positive alcohol consequences) using a daily diary approach. This approach is less affected by retrospective memory biases than typical self-reports of alcohol-related variables and allows the examination of both between-subjects and within-person effects.

Using hierarchical linear modeling of data from 40 subjects who completed daily dairies for up to 15 days, we found significant within-person variation in PBS use over time, and each type of PBS had unique relationships with alcohol-related outcomes. For example, within-person variation in Serious Harm Reduction, one form of PBS, predicted increased daily alcohol use, negative consequences, and positive consequences.

Our findings suggest the importance of intensive longitudinal methods to examine both between-subjects and within-subjects effects of PBS use and alcohol-related outcomes.



Read Full Abstract


Request Reprint E-Mail:    mpear008@odu.edu
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Breaking the Cycle of Desire: Mindfulness and Executive Control Weaken the Relation Between an Implicit Measure of Alcohol Valence and Preoccupation With Alcohol-Related Thoughts




Stimuli with strong affective valence capture attention. This can impede the self-regulation of impulses. That is, preoccupation with a tempting stimulus such as alcohol may lead to a continued activation of automatic affective responses to that stimulus, increasing the likelihood of approach and consumption. Self-regulation may, thus, benefit from variables that weaken the relation between salient stimuli and cognitive preoccupation with those stimuli. Recent research shows that mindfulness and executive control reduce the link between automatic affective responses to alcohol and alcohol consumption.

In this study, the authors examined whether mindfulness and executive control may similarly decouple the relation between automatic affective responses and difficulty in disengaging attention from alcohol-related thoughts.

Participants completed measures of trait mindfulness, executive control (a working memory task), automatic alcohol–valence associations, and preoccupation with alcohol-related thoughts.

Results showed that (a) both trait mindfulness and executive control are inversely related with alcohol preoccupation, and (b) both mindfulness and executive control weaken a positive relation between automatic alcohol–valence associations and alcohol preoccupation.


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Request Reprint E-Mail:    b.d.ostafin@rug.nl
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Gender Differences in Relationships Among PTSD Severity, Drinking Motives, and Alcohol Use in a Comorbid Alcohol Dependence and PTSD Sample.




Alcohol dependence (AD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are highly prevalent and comorbid conditions associated with a significant level of impairment. Little systematic study has focused on gender differences specific to individuals with both AD and PTSD.

The current study examined gender-specific associations between PTSD symptom severity, drinking to cope (i.e., reduce negative affect), drinking for enhancement (i.e., increase positive affect), and average alcohol use in a clinical sample of men (n = 46) and women (n = 46) with comorbid AD and PTSD.

Results indicated that PTSD symptoms were highly associated with drinking-to-cope motives for both men and women, but with greater drinking for enhancement motives for men only. Enhancement motives were positively associated with average alcohol quantity for both men and women, but coping motives were significantly associated with average alcohol quantity for women only.

These findings suggest that for individuals with comorbid AD and PTSD, interventions that focus on reducing PTSD symptoms are likely to lower coping motives for both genders, and targeting coping motives is likely to result in decreased drinking for women but not for men, whereas targeting enhancement motives is likely to lead to reduced drinking for both genders.


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Request Reprint E-Mail:    klehavot@uw.edu
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Daily Mood–drinking Slopes as Predictors: A New Take on Drinking Motives and Related Outcomes.




 

Motivational models of alcohol consumption have articulated the manner in which positive and negative experiences motivate drinking in unique social contexts (e.g., M. L. Cooper, M. R. Frone, M. Russell & P. Mudar, 1995, Drinking to regulate positive and negative emotions: A motivational model of alcohol use, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 69, pp. 990–1005).

Daily process methodology, in which daily events, moods, and drinking behaviors are reported daily or multiple times per day, has been used to examine behavioral patterns that are consistent with discrete motivations. We advance the notion that repeated patterns of drinking in various social contexts as a function of positive or negative mood increases can provide evidence of individual-level if–then drinking signatures, which in turn can predict drinking-related outcomes.

The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of slopes to predict longer term drinking motivations and alcohol problems by employing a daily-process study of nonclinical moderate alcohol drinkers (N = 47 Participants (49 originally consented, but the palm malfunctioned and we were unable to recover daily data); 23 Females; 19 married/cohabiting, 22 never married, 6 divorced/widowed; 42 white, 1 African American, 2 Multiracial, 2 Other, + 2 non-whites identified as Hispanic/Latino). Participants responded to thrice daily interviews administered via handheld computer for 30 days, followed by a longitudinal telephone survey for 12 months. Participants' daily mood–drinking relationships were extracted from hierarchical linear modeling and employed as predictors of 12-month outcomes in multiple regression analyses.

Daily mood-drinking patterns demonstrated significant variability across persons, such that moderate drinkers could be reliably differentiated based on those patterns in terms of distinct drinking-related outcomes.

Among the results, negative-mood–solitary-drinking slopes were associated with lower subsequent coping motives but positive-mood–solitary-drinking slopes were predictive of higher coping and lower social motives. Conversely, positive-mood–social-drinking associations were predictive of higher enhancement motives and brief Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test scores.

Results are interpreted in light of motivational models of consumption.


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Request Reprint E-Mail:     cdmohr@pdx.edu
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Saturday, May 11, 2013

Why do some Irish drink so much? Family, historical and regional effects on students’ alcohol consumption and subjective normative thresholds




This paper studies determinants of drinking behavior and formation of subjective thresholds of acceptable drinking behavior using a sample of students in a major Irish University.

We find evidence of strong associations between amounts of alcohol students consume and drinking of their fathers and older siblings. In contrast, we find little evidence of impacts of other non-drinking aspects of family background on students’ drinking. Parental and older sibling drinking appears to affect subjective attitudes of students towards what constitutes problem drinking behavior.

We investigated historical origins of drinking behavior including the role of the Church, English cultural influences, the importance of the brewery and distilling industry, and the influence of weather.

We find relatively strong influences of the Catholic Church and English colonial settlement patterns on Irish drinking patterns but little influence of Irish weather. Historical licensing restrictions on the number of pubs and off-license establishments also appear to matter.


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Request Reprint E-Mail:   Liam.Delaney@ucd.ie
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Intrinsic Properties of Larval Zebrafish Neurons in Ethanol


The behavioral effects of ethanol have been studied in multiple animal models including zebrafish. Locomotion of zebrafish larvae is resistant to high concentrations of ethanol in bath solution. This resistance has been attributed to a lower systemic concentration of ethanol in zebrafish when compared with bath solution, although the mechanism to maintain such a steep gradient is unclear.

Here we examined whether the intrinsic properties of neurons play roles in this resistance. In order to minimize the contribution of metabolism and diffusional barriers, larvae were hemisected and the anterior half immersed in a range of ethanol concentrations thereby ensuring the free access of bath ethanol to the brain. The response to vibrational stimuli of three types of reticulospinal neurons: Mauthner neurons, vestibulospinal neurons, and MiD3 neurons were examined using an intracellular calcium indicator.

The intracellular [Ca2+] response in MiD3 neurons decreased in 100 mM ethanol, while Mauthner neurons and vestibulospinal neurons required >300 mM ethanol to elicit similar effects. The ethanol effect in Mauthner neurons was reversible following removal of ethanol. Interestingly, activities of MiD3 neurons displayed spontaneous recovery in 300 mM ethanol, suggestive of acute tolerance.

Finally, we examined with mechanical vibration the startle response of free-swimming larvae in 300 mM ethanol. Ethanol treatment abolished long latency startle responses, suggesting a functional change in neural processing.
These data support the hypothesis that individual neurons in larval zebrafish brains have distinct patterns of response to ethanol dictated by specific molecular targets.


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Friday, May 10, 2013

Youth drinking cultures, social networking and alcohol marketing: implications for public health




 

Alcohol consumption and heavy drinking in young adults have been key concerns for public health.
Alcohol marketing is an important factor in contributing to negative outcomes. The rapid growth in the use of new social networking technologies raises new issues regarding alcohol marketing, as well as potential impacts on alcohol cultures more generally.

Young people, for example, routinely tell and re-tell drinking stories online, share images depicting drinking, and are exposed to often intensive and novel forms of alcohol marketing.

In this paper, we critically review the research literature on (a) social networking technologies and alcohol marketing and (b) online alcohol content on social networks, and then consider implications for public health knowledge and research.

We conclude that social networking systems are positive and pleasurable for young people, but are likely to contribute to pro-alcohol environments and encourage drinking. However, currently research is preliminary and descriptive, and we need innovative methods and detailed in-depth studies to gain greater understanding of young people’s mediated drinking cultures and commercial alcohol promotion.


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