News Release - New Study Shows Reductions in Serious Alcohol-Related Consequences Among College Students

August 11, 2008 — A new six-year study conducted at the University of Virginia has found that exposing college students to information that corrected misperceptions about campus drinking patterns resulted in dramatic reductions in alcohol-related negative consequences.

The study is reported in the July-August edition of the Journal of American College Health by Dr. James Turner, executive director of student health at U.Va.; Jennifer Bauerle, director of the National Social Norms Institute at U.Va., and H. Wesley Perkins, professor of sociology at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
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Finite sample adjustments in estimating equations and covariance estimators for intracluster correlations
Statistics in Medicine Published Online: 4 Aug 2008


Bias-corrected covariance estimators are introduced in the context of an estimating equations approach for intracluster correlations among binary outcomes.

Simulation study results show that the bias-corrected covariance estimators perform better than uncorrected sandwich estimators in terms of bias and coverage probabilities. Additionally, introduction of a matrix-based bias-correction into the estimating equations considerably improves point and interval estimation for the intracluster correlations.

The methods are illustrated using data from a nested cross-sectional cluster trial on reducing underage drinking.


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Researchers block damage to fetal brain following maternal alcohol consumption

Study with sheep holds promise for humans, but more research needed

BETHESDA, Md. (August 11, 2008) − In a study on fetal alcohol syndrome, researchers were able to prevent the damage that alcohol causes to cells in a key area of the fetal brain by blocking acid sensitive potassium channels and preventing the acidic environment that alcohol produces. The cerebellum, the portion of the brain that is responsible for balance and muscle coordination, is particularly vulnerable to injury from alcohol during development.

The researchers also found that although alcohol lowers the amount of oxygen in the blood of the mother, it is not the lack of oxygen that damages the fetal cerebellum, but the drop in pH.

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Alcohol-fuelled offences soar with 24 hour drinking


By Richard Edwards, Crime Correspondent
10 Aug 2008

Alcohol fuelled anti-social behaviour has soared since the introduction of 24 hour drinking laws, according to new figures.

Crime statistics gathered from almost every police force in the country show that public order offences have increased by 136 per cent in the past four years.

Police chiefs said that more than half of them are alcohol related and that the problem of tackling yob violence in the early hours is taking beat officers away from frontline policing during the day.

Opposition leaders said that the statistics show that attempts to create a Continental-style café culture by letting pubs and clubs open for longer have been a failure.

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Scottish Social Attitudes Survey 2007: Something to be ashamed of or part of our way of life? Attitudes towards alcohol in Scotland

This report presents findings from a module of questions on the 2007 Scottish Social Attitudes survey on public attitudes towards drinking and the role of alcohol in Scottish culture. The Scottish Social Attitudes survey is an independent survey run by the Scottish Centre for Social Research (ScotCen). It aims to provide high quality survey data on a wide range of social and political issues in order to inform public policy and facilitate the study of public opinion. The 2007 survey involved 1,508 interviews with a random probability sample of the Scottish population.

The module was designed to provide robust baseline data on attitudes to alcohol in 2007, in advance of the publication of the Scottish Government's long-term strategic approach to tackling alcohol problems. It explored issues including:

* Perceptions of the role of alcohol in Scottish culture.
* Attitudes towards different kinds of alcohol misuse - in particular, 'chronic', 'binge' and 'hazardous' drinking, and
* Awareness and knowledge of government advice on sensible drinking and the actual alcohol content of different drinks.

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The Health and Economic Consequences of Moderate Alcohol Consumption in Germany 2002
Value in Health Published Online: 8 Aug 2008

Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with both positive and negative health effects. This study aims to estimate the positive and negative consequences on mortality, years of potential life (YPL), quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), resource utilization, and societal costs attributable to moderate alcohol consumption in Germany in 2002.

The concept of attributable risks and a prevalence-based approach was used to calculate age- and sex-specific alcohol attributable mortality and resource utilization for a wide range of disorders, and avoided mortality and resource utilization for diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease, stroke, and cholelithiasis. The literature provided prevalence of moderate alcohol consumption in Germany by age and sex and relative risks. Direct costs were calculated using routine utilization and expenditure statistics. Indirect costs were calculated using the human capital approach.

Due to moderate alcohol consumption, 14,457 lives, 205,691 YPL, and 179,964 QALYs were lost, whereas 29,918 lives, 300,382 YPL, and 258,284 QALYs were gained. Up to an age of 55 to 60 (62.5–67.5) years, more lives were lost than gained among men (women), whereas in older age groups more lives were gained than lost. Moderate alcohol consumption caused €3049 million of direct and €2630 million of indirect costs, whereas €2094 million of direct and €2604 million of indirect costs were avoided.

Despite considerable uncertainty, moderate alcohol consumption seems to result in an overall net effect of gained lives, YPL, and QALYs, realized among the elderly, but overall increased societal costs. Thus, moderate alcohol consumption should still be seen critical, especially among youths.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: alexander.konnopka@medizin.uni-leipzig.de

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Young people who attend specialist alcohol treatment: who are they and do they need special treatment?
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health Volume 32 Issue 4, Pages 336 - 340

Patterns of drinking in adolescence and young adulthood may have major short term impacts and influences on later drinking, yet little is known about the characteristics of young people who seek help for alcohol problems. Here we examine the characteristics of treatment episodes for adolescents and young adults who present to specialist alcohol treatment in New South Wales (NSW).

Clients aged under 30 years were significantly more likely to be referred into specialist treatment by a police, court or criminal justice diversion program compared with older clients (adolescent: OR=3.7, 95%CI: 3.1-4.4; young adult: OR=2.2, 95%CI: 1.9-2.4). Concern about cannabis use was significantly higher among younger clients (adolescents: OR=2.8 95%CI: 2.3-3.3; young adults: OR=2.1, 95%CI: 2.0-2.4) than those aged 30 years or more. Younger clients were also more likely to be of Indigenous origin or seen in a rural setting.

Adolescent and young adult alcohol treatment clients include a higher proportion of clients who are Indigenous, legally coerced, and who have concerns with polydrug use. Service providers should seek to tailor their treatment programs to better meet these unique needs and to better attract young people into voluntary treatment.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: d.indig@med.unsw.edu.au

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Old enough for a beer? Compliance with minimum legal age for alcohol purchases in monopoly and other off-premise outlets in Finland and Norway

Addiction Volume 103 Issue 9, Pages 1468 - 1473

To assess whether government monopoly outlets comply better with minimum legal age for purchase of alcohol compared to other off-premise outlets for alcohol sales.

The buyers were asked to present an ID card in slightly more than half the attempts, and they succeeded in purchasing alcohol in 48% of the cases. The buyers were more likely to be requested to present an ID card and less likely to succeed in purchasing alcohol in monopoly outlets compared to other types of outlets, and also when other outcome predictors, such as age and gender of salesperson and crowdedness in the outlet, were taken into account.

Monopoly outlets may facilitate compliance with minimum legal age for purchase of alcohol.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: ir@sirus.no

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News Release -CHILDREN' ALCOHOL SURVEY

CHILDREN THINK DRINKING FIVE GLASSES OF WINE OR MORE IS NORMAL, SAYS NEW SURVEY

Almost a third of children (30%) think that for adults who drink wine, drinking five or more glasses of wine in one night is normal drinking behaviour, says a new survey from leading children’s health education charity Life Education.

Over a quarter of children (27%) also think that people who drink beer would normally drink 4 pints or 6 bottles in an evening.

Both these alcohol and wine figures are above what the NHS constitutes as binge drinking1.

In the nationwide survey carried out with 1,491 9-11 year olds, children were asked about their perceptions of adult drinking.

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Redesigned SAMHDA Web Site

SAMHDA is pleased to announce the launch of our newly designed Web site. A few of the new features include:

• Search functions combined in a single box that repeats on each page
• Improved organization and navigation tools
• Citing our data: Footnote on each page
• HTML codebooks for studies (View Codebooks) provide quick, easy access to study documentation and variable level detail

The launch of the new Web site coincides with release of a new version of our online analysis software, Survey Documentation and Analysis (SDA, version 3.1). This version provides variable selection and analysis in same screen and point-and-click variable selection. Also, users can now switch between the various statistical procedures without returning to the main analysis page. For more information on these changes, please read our Frequently Asked Question (FAQ), "What enhancements are available when using SDA 3.1?"

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Differences in Acute Alcohol-Induced Behavioral Responses Among Zebrafish Populations
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research Published Online: 24 Jul 2008


With the arsenal of genetic tools available for zebrafish, this species has been successfully used to investigate the genetic aspects of human diseases from developmental disorders to cancer. Interest in the behavior and brain function of zebrafish is also increasing as CNS disorders may be modeled and studied with this species. Alcoholism and alcohol abuse are among the most devastating and costliest diseases. However, the mechanisms of these diseases are not fully understood. Zebrafish has been proposed as a model organism to study such mechanisms. Characterization of alcohol's effects on zebrafish is a necessary step in this research.

Here, we compare the effects of acute alcohol (EtOH) administration on the behavior of zebrafish from 4 distinct laboratory-bred populations using automated as well as observation based behavioral quantification methods.

Alcohol treatment resulted in significant dose-dependent behavioral changes but the dose–response trajectories differed among zebrafish populations.

The results demonstrate for the first time a genetic component in alcohol responses in adult zebrafish and also show the feasibility of high throughput behavioral screening. We discuss the exploration and exploitation of the genetic differences found.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: robert_gerlai@yahoo.com

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Drunken Flies Mimic Human Behavior
Eventually, They Just Passed Out

It was all something of an accident and maybe a bit crazy to boot, says Ulrike Heberlein, a young geneticist who had learned her trade—working with flies—as a postdoctoral fellow in Gerald Rubin's lab at the University of California, Berkeley. She had studied the development of flies' eyes, which was what Rubin did. In 1993, however, Heberlein was already 37 years old and she needed to find a job. "You can only be a postdoc so long," she says. "You have to move on in life and become independent." So she took a job at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco.

The Gallo Center, which is partially funded by winemaker Ernest Gallo, seeks new ways of treating alcoholism. Heberlein's task was to look for the genetic basis of alcoholism in fruit flies.

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Drink-drive casualty numbers rise


By David Millward, Transport Editor
07/08/2008

The number of people injured as a result of drink-drive accidents has risen for the first time in six years.

Figures released by the Department for Transport showed that there was an 1 per cent increase in motorists and passengers who were hurt after crashes where the driver was over the legal limit last year.

Although there was an 18 per cent fall in the number of road users killed and 11 per cent drop in those seriously injured, there was also a 2 per cent rise in drink drive accidents, which reached 9,620 last year.
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Malta claims to be taming its carousing students


Karl Schembri in Valletta
Friday August 08 2008

Images of drunken language students running amok on Malta's streets and having sex on the beach made headlines last summer, while locals protested loudly against the chaos caused by the young foreigners.

This year a shake-up of English language tourism packages seems to be having the desired effect as schools and local authorities seek to find a compromise between young people's studying and carousing.

However, this is not easy for the sun-and-sea destination that has earned a reputation among Europe's youth as a haven for late-night revelry.

While schools were under the spotlight when public disturbances multiplied during the 2007 summer season, the problem extends beyond the English language learning sector. The Mediterranean island is trying to change its permissive attitude towards alcohol in an attempt to control underage drinking.

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Europe's Biggest Drinkers



Vidya Ram
08.07.08

Europeans knocked back 79 billion liters of alcohol in 2006, or 101.25 liters for every person. In the U.S. the figure was 98.7 liters per person, while in the Asia Pacific region, it was just 22.1, according to research consultancy International Wine and Spirits.

It's no surprise that Europe is home to the world's heaviest drinkers; from whiskey in Scotland to wine in France, the continent has some long and deeply embedded alcohol traditions. Nevertheless, our ranking of Europe's heaviest-drinking nations revealed some startling results.
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By The Numbers: Europe's Biggest Drinkers

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America's Hard-Drinking Cities



David M. Ewalt and Anna Vander Broek
08.07.08

Austin, Texas is famous for its parties. People flock from around the world to attend events like the annual South by Southwest film and music festival. And when they get there, chances are they make like the locals and throw back a few cold ones--because Austin may be the hardest-drinking city in America.

Austin ranks high for its drinking habits across the board. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) 2007 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey, 61.5% of adult residents say they have had at least one drink of alcohol within the past 30 days, and a staggering 20.6% of respondents confess to binge drinking, or having five or more drinks on one occasion.

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The Drosophila homolog of jwa is required for ethanol tolerance
Alcohol and Alcoholism Advanced Access 1 Aug 2008


Alcohol abuse poses a serious public health problem, and repeated ingestion can produce tolerance, leading to dependence and addiction. However, the mechanisms underlying alcohol tolerance and addiction are not fully understood. Drosophilae have been employed as a suitable model to study the molecular mechanisms underlying ethanol tolerance. JWA, a newly identified microtubule-binding protein, was shown to regulate cell stress responses, transportation of intracellular excitatory amino acids, and the MAPK signal transduction pathway. The JWA mouse homologue addicsin, was postulated to play a role in the development of morphine tolerance and dependence.

This study was designed to determine whether JWA participates in ethanol tolerance in Drosophila.

The jwa homologous gene in Drosophila, CG10373 (djwa) was cloned and the anti-djwa and cDNA-djwa transgenic fly strains, which exhibit a reduced and elevated djwa expression respectively were constructed. Real-time PCR was used to measure the djwa levels in the resulting fly strains. Rapid tolerance experiments including inebriation exposure and recovering assay were employed.

The djwa and the human jwa genes share a significant sequence similarity. Their genomic nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequence identities are 41.4% and 53.6%, respectively. In inebriation tests, the wild type w¹¹¹⁸ flies and the cDNA-djwa flies acquired ethanol tolerance after several exposures whereas the anti-djwa flies did not.

The JWA genes are evolutionarily conserved. The djwa function is required for acquiring ethanol tolerance in Drosophila. JWA is likely a novel molecule playing an important role in ethanol tolerance and drug addiction. Our results present a new direction for research related to alcohol tolerance and addiction.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: jwzhou@njmu.edu.cn
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Natural Recovery: What Can We Learn from Those Who Manage Without Us?

Do drug and alcohol users need treatment services in order to become abstinent? Anthony Hewitt argues that the majority of people manage without our help, often deterred by the stigma of being in contact with treatment agencies, and a perception that services will be unhelpful. He suggests that services need to learn from the experience of people who manage a "natural recovery" by offering a "stepped care" approach, by concentrating more on positive health promotion messages, and by advertising our services in a more proactive manner. . . . . .

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UNIVERSAL SCREENING FOR ALCOHOL PROBLEMS IN PRIMARY CARE FAILS IN DENMARK AND NO LONGER ON UK AGENDA

Negative findings from a Danish attempt to implement the primary care screening and brief intervention protocol for heavy drinkers which emerged from World Health Organization trials suggest it was right for the UK to turn away from universal screening. So controversial was an earlier report from the study that it was decided to wait until the dust had settled before publication ...

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Alcopops linked to rise in girl deaths

Adele Horin
July 30, 2008

Alcopops may be implicated in the increased risk girls face of dying from alcohol-related causes, a long-term study tabled in the NSW Parliament yesterday has found.

The study of child deaths over a decade found the risk for girls increased by 37 per cent while for boys it declined by 17 per cent over the two periods studied, 1996 to 2000 and 2001 to 2005.

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