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.

___________________________________________

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Public drinking, social connection and social capital: A qualitative study


Social isolation is a risk factor for morbidity and mortality which has resulted in calls for facilitating social connection to be a public health priority, especially in socioeconomically disadvantaged population groups. While previous research has explored the role that social connection played in diverse domains, including Skid Row drinkers from the 1950s to the 1970s, its role in the lives of public drinkers has been otherwise neglected. Laws prohibiting the public drinking of alcohol are widely implemented around the world but have been the subject of very little social analysis.

 A recent evaluation of public drinking laws in three urban districts of Melbourne, Australia, sought the perspectives of police, council officers, outreach workers, traders, community members and public drinkers in evaluating the impact and effectiveness of the laws; this article seeks to foreground the public drinkers’ voice. Qualitative interviews with public drinkers were analysed for relevance to the theme of “social connection”.

Themes arising from the analysis indicated a strong sense of family or community amongst drinkers and frequent organisation of drinking groups along ethnic lines, as well as the provision of bonding social capital. The benefits of providing public drinkers with a legitimate and appropriate public space to promote existing social connections while undertaking a favoured activity, drinking alcohol, are discussed.

At a time when fostering social connection is identified as a key public health strategic direction, the needs of public drinkers in this respect should be considered.


Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E- Mail:   Elizabethm@turningpoint.org.au

at

Longitudinal Associations From Neurobehavioral Disinhibition to Adolescent Risky Sexual Behavior in Boys: Direct and Mediated Effects Through Moderate Alcohol Consumption


This longitudinal study tested the hypothesis that neurobehavioral disinhibition (ND) in childhood, mediated by alcohol use, portends risky sexual behavior (number of sexual partners) in midadolescence.
Participants were 410 adolescent boys. Neurobehavioral disinhibition was assessed at 11.3 years of age. Frequency and quantity of alcohol use on a typical drinking occasion were assessed at 13.4 years of age at first follow-up, and sexual behavior at 16.0 years at second follow-up.
Quantity of alcohol consumed on a typical drinking occasion, but not frequency of alcohol use, mediated the relation between ND and number of sexual partners.
These findings indicate that number of sexual partners in midadolescence is predicted by individual differences in boys' psychological self-regulation during childhood and moderate alcohol consumption in early adolescence, and that ND may be a potential target for multi-outcome public health interventions.
 
 
 
Request Reprint E-Mail:    nathaniel.riggs@colostate.edu
at

Monday, July 29, 2013

Alcohol News - 30/2013

 
 




 
YLE Uutiset (Finland/Estonia) - Special researcher proposes measures to reduce cross-Gulf booze running
Special researcher from the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) Esa Österberg claims that the best way to control the “spirit rally” between Estonia and Finland is to ensure that people are informed about what is legal and what is not.
BBC (Denmark/Scotland) - Minimum alcohol pricing: Position of Denmark
Opinions of European Union member states on Scottish government plans for minimum alcohol pricing have been released to BBC Scotland. Position of Denmark on Notification 2012/0394/UK on the draft Alcohol (minimum price per unit).
The Norway Post (Norway) - Increased smuggling of alcohol
Increasing amounts of illegal alcohol are being smuggled into Norway. So far this year, police has confiscated 54 per cent more beer and 59 per cent more liquor than in the same period in 2012.
Radio Sweden (Sweden) - Fraught history behind iconic Swedish vodka
The Museum of Spirits in Stockholm just opened an exhibit telling the odd story behind one of Sweden's most successful exports. For as much as the Absolut Vodka brand is iconic, its story is also ironic: even as Sweden was busy producing it, the country was also ramping up restrictions on alcohol as it struggled to keep its people from drinking too much.
YLE uutiset (Finland) - Hashi’s comments fuel alcohol debate
Turku security guard and freelance journalist Wali Hashi has touched a soft spot with the Finnish public. His opinion, published in an Yle online column, that the Finnish way of consuming alcohol is extraordinary and disgraceful, has sparked heated discussion. Hashi believes that alcohol is Finland’s greatest problem.
Finland Times (Finland) - Minister suggests discussions for alcohol law amendment
The Health and Social Services Minister, Susanna Huovinen on Mondayunderscored the necessity for detail discussions to bring amendment in the alcohol law.
Irish Times (Ireland) - Ministers favouring alcohol sports ban told to find new funds
Government Ministers remain deadlocked over banning alcohol sponsorship in sport, with those pushing for the move being told they will have to come up with alternative sources of funding.
Telegraph.co.uk (UK) - Government U-turn on 'guilt lanes' follows that on alcohol and cigarettes
First the Government backed down over minimum pricing for alcohol. Then it retreated on plain packaging for cigarettes. Now ministers have thought twice about a proposed ban on confectionery and fattening foods being displayed at supermarket checkouts – the ''guilt lanes’’ aimed at luring in shoppers as they head to the till.
STLtoday.com - Drunk or not, alcohol causes damage over time
My question is regarding my husband. We have argued several times about his drinking habits, so I have decided to enlist your help in determining whether I am making a mountain out of a molehill.
Irish Independent (Ireland) - Alcohol is a factor in many fatal assaults, says forensics expert
ALCOHOL plays a significant role in many fatal assaults that occur on the street, in licensed premises and at house parties, according to the Deputy State Pathologist Michael Curtis.
Scotsman (Scotland) - Alcohol syndrome babies slip through safety net
LARGE numbers of children in Scotland affected by their mothers drinking alcohol during pregnancy have not been diagnosed, experts suspect.
Telegraph.co.uk (UK) - Europe's wine producers fight alcohol minimum pricing in Scotland
France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Bulgaria have said the policy is illegal and ineffective and would have the effect of unfairly protecting Scotland’s drinks producers from competition.
Scotsman (Scotland) - Labour in bid to tackle Scotland’s alcohol problem
A FRESH bid is to be launched to tackle Scotland’s alcohol problem by tagging bottles, cracking down on drink adverts near schools and banning tonic wines with a high caffeine content.
Stuff.co.nz (New Zealand) - Debate looms on city's alcohol policy
The Christchurch City Council's draft local alcohol policy (LAP) - a provision of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 - seeks to minimise alcohol-related harm in our community, but some fear it could also kill Christchurch's nightlife and drive young people out of the city.
The Guardian (USA) - College culture? An alcohol-fueled frenzy of sexual harassment
It's freshman year. I'm at a new student orientation party at the University of Pennsylvania, wondering what exactly is in my cup. "Jungle juice", I'm told, as if that should explain things.
98FM (Ireland) - Ban On Alcohol Sponsorship Of Sports May Be On The Way
Alcohol Action has welcomed reports today that the Government has agreed in principle to ban alcohol sponsorship of sports.
decanter.com (China) - China austerity affecting corporate alcohol spending, says study
Chinese companies are cutting their spending on alcohol in response to a govenment initiative, but fine wine has not yet been seriously affected, says a new study.
EIN News - DESIGNATED DRIVERS OFTEN DO NOT REFRAIN FROM CONSUMING ALCOHOL
When Floridians go out for a night on the town, it is common these days for them to arrange for a designated driver to take them home at the end of the evening. In such cases, people tend to assume that the designated driver will not consume alcohol during the night.
China Daily (EU/China) - EU, China step up fight against fake alcohol
The European Union and China signed a letter of intent on Tuesday to fight the trade in fake alcohol.
NEWS.com.au (Australia) - Attorney General's Department suggests raising drinking age to Citizens' Jury to help reduce alcohol-related violence
RAISING the legal drinking age, introducing minimum alcohol pricing and restricting the number of liquor outlets are some of the ideas put forward by the Attorney General's Department to help reduce alcohol-related violence in the city.
The Canberra Times (Australia) - Push to ban alcohol ads on the field
Alcohol commercials should be banned from television before 8.30pm and the alcohol industry prohibited from sponsoring sporting and cultural events under far-reaching proposals designed to curb the ''control'' of the companies.
The Conversation (Australia) - Trans-Pacific Partnership rules could block alcohol warnings
New rules for alcohol labelling were discussed in Malaysia earlier this week by countries negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The proposed rules could stymie the introduction of effective health warnings on alcohol products in all the countries involved.
 
 
 
at

Genetic and Environmental Influences on the Ages of Drinking and Gambling Initiation: Evidence for Distinct Etiologies and Sex Differences





Investigate the genetic and environmental contributions to age at first drink (AFD) and age first gambled (AFG), assess their overlap and examine sex differences.
 
Univariate twin models were fit to decompose the variation in AFD and AFG into additive genetic, shared environmental, and unique environmental factors. Bivariate genetic models were fit to assess the genetic and environmental contributions to the sources of covariation in AFD and AFG.
 
National Australian Twin Registry
 
4,542 same-sex and opposite-sex twins aged 32-43, 42% male and 58% female
 
AFD and AFG were assessed via structured psychiatric telephone interviews. Age of onset was treated as both continuous and categorical (early/late onset).
 
AFD and AFG were modestly correlated (r=.18). Unique environmental influences explained a substantial proportion of the variation in both AFD (.55, 95% confidence interval [CI]=.50-.61) and AFG (.66, 95% CI=.59-.72), but these influences were uncorrelated (rE=.01). Additive genetic factors explained a notable proportion of variation in AFG (.21, 95% CI=.003-.39), while shared environmental factors were important for AFD (.31, 95% CI=.15-.46). Among men, genetic factors influenced variation in AFG but not in AFD and shared environmental factors influenced variation in AFD but not in AFG. Among women, shared environmental factors influenced variation in both AFD and AFG, but these environmental factors were not significantly correlated (rC=.09).
 
Among Australian twins, age at first drink and age first gambled are influenced by distinct unique environmental factors, and the genetic and environmental underpinnings of both phenotypes differ in men and women.



Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail:     LR526@mail.missouri.edu
at

The impact of a national alcohol policy on deaths due to transport accidents in Russia




To determine the impact of a suite of 2006 Russian alcohol control policies on deaths due to traffic accidents in the country.
 
We used autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) interrupted time series techniques to model the impact of the intervention on the outcome series. The time series began in January 2000 and ended in December 2010. The alcohol policy was implemented in January 2006, providing 132 monthly observations in the outcome series, with 72 months of pre-intervention data and 60 months of post-intervention data.
 
The outcome variables were the monthly number of male- and female-specific deaths of those aged 15+ years due to transport accidents in Russia.
 
The 2006 set of alcohol policies had no impact on female deaths due to traffic accidents (ω0 = 50.31, p = .27). However, the intervention model revealed an immediate and sustained monthly decrease of 203 deaths due to transport accidents for males (ω0 = 203.40, p = .04), representing an 11% reduction relative to pre-intervention levels
 
The implementation of the suite of 2006 Russian alcohol control policies is partially responsible for saving more than 2400 male lives annually that would otherwise have been lost to traffic accidents.


Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail:      william.pridemore@gmail.com
at

Predicting persistency of DSM-5 alcohol use disorder and examining drinking patterns of recently remitted persons: a prospective general population study


To establish the 3-year persistency rate of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and its predictors, and to examine drinking patterns of recently remitted persons.
 
The Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study-2 (NEMESIS-2) surveyed a nationally representative sample of adults (aged 18-64) at baseline (response=65.1%) and 3-year follow-up (response=80.4%).
 
People with AUD at baseline, as defined by DSM-5 (n=198).
 
AUD, drinking patterns and mental disorders were assessed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0. Other predictors were assessed with an additional questionnaire. Predictors of persistency were examined with univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses.
 
The AUD persistency rate was 29.5% (95% CI=20.0-39.0). In the multivariable model, the older (25-34 and 35-44) age groups had lower AUD persistency (odds ratio (OR)=0.05; p=.014 and OR=0.14; p=.028, respectively) than the youngest age group (18-24). A higher number of weekly drinks and a comorbid anxiety disorder predicted AUD persistency (OR=1.03; p=.043 and OR=4.56; p=.046, respectively). Furthermore, remission was associated with a reduction of 6 drinks per week between T0 and T1. It should be noted however that 35.8% (95% CI=22.4-49.2) of persons in diagnostic remission still drank more than the recommended maximum (>7/14 drinks weekly for women/men).
 
Only a minority of people in the Netherlands with alcohol use disorder (AUD) as defined by DSM-5 still have the disorder 3 years later. Factors that help identify people at risk of AUD persistence are: younger age, a higher number of weekly drinks and a comorbid anxiety disorder. A substantial number of people recently in diagnostic remission still drink above the maximum recommended level.



Read Full Abstract

Request Reprint E-Mail:    mtuithof@trimbos.nl

at

Sunday, July 28, 2013

The drink debate


By Alex Neil Health Secretary

Alcohol has been in the news this week so it is timely to remind people that my colleagues and I are fully committed to implementing minimum pricing.
      
Minimum pricing deals with a specific problem – the increase in consumption of, and harm from, ever cheaper booze – those high-strength ciders, beers, vodka and gin sold at pocket-money prices that are the real source of Scotland's alcohol problem.
      
Alcohol misuse takes its toll on families, blights communities and stretches support services across Scotland. The impact of excessive consumption is estimated to cost us £3.6 billion each year – that's £900 for every adult in Scotland – through health, crime and employment harms.

We strongly believe that a minimum price per unit of alcohol will be the most effective and efficient way to tackle alcohol misuse. Setting the minimum price at 50 pence per unit will have significant health and social benefits, such as fewer alcohol-related deaths, hospital admissions and a reduction in crime.

This landmark policy will save lives – and quickly.  > > > >  Read More
at

Friday, July 26, 2013

Alcohol related deaths in young women rising in three UK cities but causes unclear




Research from the Glasgow Centre for Population Health has shown that alcohol-related deaths in women born in the 1970's have risen sharply in Glasgow, Manchester and Liverpool. The rise is much faster than in young men and goes against a national trend of stable alcohol-related deaths.
The research was recently published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health and has been widely reported in the press; see also an NHS choices review of the reporting and a comment piece on the Addaction blog.  > > > >   Read More
at
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)