Russians need good wine, not vodka - Medvedev

Russia’s winemaking industry should be developed to help tackle widespread alcohol abuse, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday.

“Winemaking is one of the branches that should be developed and contribute to the eradication of alcoholism. Countries where this branch is strong, have no problems with alcohol abuse,” the president said at a meeting with the governor of Russia’s southern Krasnodar Territory, Alexander Tkachev.

Medvedev said problems with alcohol abuse stem from “other drinks.” > > > > Read More

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Russians still scoff at Mikhail Gorbachev’s anti-alcohol campaign that saw Soviet troops tearing down vineyards – but which only drove hardened drinkers’ determination to concoct their own booze.

A quarter of a century later the Kremlin is considering subtler, market-oriented methods to fight alcoholism that could give a boost to the domestic wine industry even if they fail to modify Russians’ excessive drinking habits.

“Wine making is one of the sectors that should be developed to help contribute to the eradication of alcoholism,” Dmitry Medvedev said during a visit to Krasnodar, one of Russia’s main wine producing region this week. Alcohol abuse stemmed from “other drinks,” the Russian president added in an apparent reference to his people’s love of vodka. > > > > Read More

Neuropeptide Y Signaling in the Central Nucleus of Amygdala Regulates Alcohol-Drinking and Anxiety-Like Behaviors of Alcohol-Preferring Rats

The neuropeptide Y (NPY) system of the central nucleus of amygdala (CeA) has been shown to be involved in anxiety and alcoholism. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms by which NPY in the CeA regulates anxiety and alcohol drinking behaviors using alcohol-preferring (P) rats as an animal model.

P rats were bilaterally cannulated targeting the CeA and infused with aCSF or NPY. Alcohol drinking and anxiety-like behaviors were assessed by the two-bottle free-choice paradigm and light/dark box (LDB) exploration test, respectively. The levels of NPY and related signaling proteins were determined by the gold immunolabeling procedure. The mRNA levels of NPY were measured by in situ RT-PCR. Double-immunofluorescence labeling was performed to observe the colocalization of NPY and Ca²⁺/calmodulin dependent protein kinase IV (CaMK IV).

We found that NPY infusion into the CeA produced anxiolytic effects, as measured by the LDB exploration test, and also decreased alcohol intake in P rats. NPY infusion into the CeA significantly increased protein levels of CaMK IV and phosphorylated CREB (pCREB), and increased mRNA and protein levels of NPY, but produced no changes in protein levels of CREB or the catalytic α-subunit of protein kinase A (PKA-Cα) in the CeA. We also observed that alcohol intake produced anxiolytic effects in P rats in the LDB test and also increased NPY expression and protein levels of pCREB and PKA-Cα without modulating protein levels of CREB or CaMK IV, in both the CeA and medial nucleus of amygdala (MeA). In addition, we found that CaMK IV-positive cells were co-localized with NPY in amygdaloid structures of P rats.

These results suggest that NPY infusion may increase the expression of endogenous NPY in the CeA, which is most likely attributable to an increase in CaMK IV-dependent CREB phosphorylation and this molecular mechanism may be involved in regulating anxiety and alcohol-drinking behaviors of P rats.


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Opiate-Induced Dopamine Release Is Modulated by Severity of Alcohol Dependence: An [18F]Fallypride Positron Emission Tomography Study

Preclinical data implicate the reinforcing effects of alcohol to be mediated by interaction between the opioid and dopamine systems of the brain. Specifically, alcohol-induced release of β-endorphins stimulates μ-opioid receptors (MORs), which is believed to cause dopamine release in the brain reward system. Individual differences in opioid or dopamine neurotransmission have been suggested to be responsible for enhanced liability to abuse alcohol.

In the present study, a single dose of the MOR agonist remifentanil was administered in detoxified alcohol-dependent patients and healthy control subjects to mimic the β-endorphin-releasing properties of ethanol and to assess the effects of direct MOR stimulation on dopamine release in the mesolimbic reward system.

Availability of D_2/3 receptors was assessed before and after single-dose administration of the MOR agonist remifentanil in 11 detoxified alcohol-dependent patients and 11 healthy control subjects with positron emission tomography with the radiotracer [¹⁸F]fallypride. Severity of dependence as assessed with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test was compared with remifentanil-induced percentage change in [¹⁸F]fallypride binding (Δ%BP_ND).

The [¹⁸F]fallypride binding potentials (BP_NDs) were significantly reduced in the ventral striatum, dorsal putamen, and amygdala after remifentanil application in both patients and control subjects. In the patient group, ventral striatum Δ%BP_ND was correlated with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test score.

The data provide evidence for a MOR-mediated interaction between the opioid and the dopamine system, supporting the assumption that one way by which alcohol unfolds its rewarding effects is via a MOR-(γ-aminobutyric acid)-dopamine pathway. No difference in dopamine release was found between patients and control subjects, but evidence for a patient-specific association between sensitivity to MOR stimulation and severity of alcohol dependence was found.

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Strong Association of the Alcohol Dehydrogenase 1B Gene (ADH1B) with Alcohol Dependence and Alcohol-Induced Medical Diseases

The alcohol dehydrogenase 1B gene (ADH1B) is hypothesized to affect predisposition to alcohol dependence (AD) and abuse. A variant of the ADH1B gene (rs1229984 or Arg48His; previously referred to as Arg [*1] and His [*1]) has been reported to be associated with reduced rates of alcohol and drug dependence. Different studies have produced inconclusive results regarding association between rs1229984 (or rs2066702) and substance dependence.

Using the cumulative association study literature from the past 21 years from both English- and Chinese-language publications, this meta-analysis seeks to clarify the contradictory findings and to examine whether the aggregate data provide new evidence of significant association.

The results, based on a large sample size (9638 cases and 9517 controls), suggested strong associations with alcohol dependence and abuse as well as alcohol-induced liver diseases, with an allelic (Arg vs. His) p value being 1 × 10⁻³⁶ and odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence intervals [CI]) 2.06 (1.84–2.31) under the random effects model. The dominant and recessive models produced larger ORs of 2.17 and 3.05, respectively. When more stringent criteria and subgroup analyses were imposed, the associations remained consistent and were strongest in various Asian groups (allelic p = 7 × 10⁻⁴² and OR (95% CI) = 2.24 [1.99–2.51] with ORs of 2.16 and 4.11 for dominant and recessive models, respectively).

Our findings provide further strong evidence for the involvement of the ADH1B gene in the pathogenesis of alcohol dependence and abuse as well as for some alcohol-induced medical diseases in the multiple ethnic populations—in particular, certain Asian populations.

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News Release - Poor parenting increases likelihood of binge drinking at ages 16 and 34

A study of over 15,000 children by the think tank Demos shows parenting style is one of the most important and statistically reliable influences on whether a child will drink responsibly in adolescence and adulthood.

Demos found that ‘tough love’ parenting, combining consistent warmth and discipline, was the most effective parenting style to prevent unhealthy relationships with alcohol right into the mid-thirties age range.

The report Under the Influence found that:

- Bad parenting at age 10 makes the child twice as likely to drink excessively at age 34

- Bad parenting at age 16 makes the child over eight times more likely to drink excessively at that age

- Bad parenting at age 16 makes the child over twice as likely to drink excessively at age 34

The report also found that high levels of parental warmth and attachment at an early age and strict discipline at the age of 16 are the best parenting styles to reduce the likelihood that a child will binge-drink in adolescence and adulthood. > > > > Read More

News Release - UK alcohol consumption in 2010 far lower than 2004 peak – new industry stats bible

• It’s time the alcohol consumption debate caught up with the facts, says BBPA Chief Executive Brigid Simmonds

• British pay more and more in alcohol taxes – and the tax gap with other countries is widening

• New BBPA Statistical Handbook has over 100 pages of all the latest facts

UK alcohol consumption in 2010 remains far lower than it was six years ago, with consumption continuing to flat-line - this and a wealth of other key statistics are contained in the latest annual edition of the British Beer & Pub Association’s Statistical Handbook 2011. > > > > Read More

Chronically Homeless Women Report High Rates of Substance Use Problems Equivalent to Chronically Homeless Men

The U.S. federal government recently committed itself to ending chronic homelessness within 5 years. Women constitute one out of four chronically homeless adults and represent a particularly vulnerable group, but have been little studied. To identify potentially unique needs in this group, we report characteristics and 2-year outcomes in a large sample of male and female chronically homeless adults participating in a multisite, supportive

Men and women participating in the outcome evaluation of the 11-site Collaborative Initiative on Chronic Homelessness (n = 714) supportive housing program and who received at least one follow-up assessment were compared on baseline characteristics and up to 2-year follow-up outcomes. Mixed model multivariate regression adjusted outcome findings for baseline group differences.

Few significant baseline differences existed between males and females, with both sexes self-reporting very high rates of lifetime mental health (83% women, 74% men) and substance use (68% women, 73% men) problems. Throughout the 2-year follow-up, both men and women dramatically increased the number of days housed, showed minimal changes in substance use patterns, and had modest improvements in mental health outcomes, without significant differences between genders.

Unlike other U.S. populations, chronically homeless adults do not demonstrate substantial gender differences on mental health or addiction problems. Policy and service delivery must address these remarkably high rates of substance use and mental illness.

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Alcohol services condemn fines

SPECIALIST drug and alcohol workers should be deployed with police targeting public drunks, and new fines of up to $1100 should be used to boost treatment services, the Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association says.

The chief executive of the group that represents drug and alcohol services, Sam Biondo, said the Victorian government's new regime of higher fines for people found drunk in public ignored the complex needs of such people and had potential to drive alcohol-fuelled violence behind closed doors.

He said the state government should deploy trained drug and alcohol workers to deal with intoxicated people so they could be cared for and connected with specialist treatment when they sobered up. These workers should also be put in emergency departments instead of security guards as proposed by the government, Mr Biondo said. > > > > Read More

The practise and practice of Bourdieu: The application of social theory to youth alcohol research

Some years ago Australian anthropologist David Moore criticised the predominant form of understanding youth alcohol consumption for residing with biomedical approaches that individualise and ultimately stigmatise drinking behaviour and ‘ignore’ the social context of consumption. Of interest here is the ongoing insufficient integration of alternative approaches to understanding young people's drinking.

This paper presents theoretically informed qualitative research that investigates why young Australian females (aged 14–17) drink and how social and cultural context form the basis, rather than the periphery, of their drinking experience.

We demonstrate the utility of Pierre Bourdieu's sociological framework for delving beyond the dichotomy of young people's drinking decisions as either a determination of their cultural environment or the singular result of a rational individual's independent decision-making. The paper is presented in two parts. First, we provide the interpretation, or ‘practise’, of Bourdieu's concepts through an outline and application of his complex theoretical constructs. Specifically, the concept of symbolic capital (or social power) is applied. Second, our explication of Bourdieu's ‘practice’, or epistemological contributions, offers a methodologically grounded example to other researchers seeking to attain more complete understandings of the social processes underpinning youth alcohol consumption.

A sociological approach to exploring the complex relationship between drinking and contextual social factors amongst young Australian females is an unchartered area of enquiry. We contribute new theoretically supported insights to create a more complete picture of young females’ drinking behaviours.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: belinda.lunnay@flinders.edu.au

Substance use and recessions: What can be learned from economic analyses of alcohol?

In this paper, I conduct a review of the economics literature examining the relationship between alcohol use and the macro economy comparing methods, measures and findings.

Like illicit drug consumption, the relationship between alcohol use and economic conditions is not entirely straightforward since there are various theoretical explanations for why they might be positively or negatively related.

Empirical findings suggest that the relationship between drinking and the economy depends on the type of user and whether use is examined in developing or developed countries.

In developed countries, heavy drinkers consume less in a downturn, while light drinkers consume more. This pro-cyclical relationship found for heavy drinking does not hold for developed countries where disposable income is low.

The implications for researchers interested in understanding how illicit drug consumption varies with the business cycle are that they must be careful to consider differential responses across user types as well as expensive and inexpensive drugs.

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Where harm reduction meets housing first: Exploring alcohol's role in a project-based housing first setting

Housing first (HF) programmes provide low-barrier, nonabstinence-based, immediate, supportive and permanent housing to chronically homeless people who often have co-occurring substance-use and/or psychiatric disorders. Project-based HF programmes offer housing in the form of individual units within a larger housing project. Recent studies conducted at a specific project-based HF programme that serves chronically homeless individuals with alcohol problems found housing provision was associated with reduced publicly funded service utilisation, decreased alcohol use, and sizable cost offsets. No studies to date, however, have qualitatively explored the role of alcohol use in the lives of residents in project-based HF.

We collected data in a project-based HF setting via naturalistic observation of verbal exchanges between staff and residents, field notes taken during staff rounds, and audio recorded staff focus groups and resident interview sessions. Qualitative data were managed and coded using a constant comparative process consistent with grounded theory methodology. The goal of the analysis was to generate a conceptual/thematic description of alcohol's role in residents’ lives.

Findings suggest it is important to take into account residents’ motivations for alcohol use, which may include perceived positive and negative consequences. Further, a harm reduction approach was reported to facilitate housing attainment and maintenance. Residents and staff reported that traditional, abstinence-based approaches are neither desirable nor effective for this specific population. Finally, elements of the moral model of alcohol dependence continue to pervade both residents’ views of themselves and the community's perceptions of them.

Findings suggest it is necessary to set aside traditional models of alcohol use and approaches to better understand, align with, and address this population's needs. In doing so, we might gain further insights into how to enhance the existing project-based HF approach by applying more tailored, alcohol-specific, harm reduction interventions.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: collinss@uw.edu

Latest LAPE alcohol figures hit headlines over rising hospital admissions

Updated Local Alcohol Profiles for England (LAPE 2011) figures have been released, drawing media attention to areas with highest rates of harm and a continuing upwards national trend. Total alcohol-related admissions for England reached over one million in 2009/10; an increase of 879 alcohol-related admissions per day compared to five years ago.

The figures indicate that over the five years to 2009/10 there has been a 24.6% increase in the number of people being admitted to hospital due to alcohol specific conditions. However LAPE now includes data indicating there are more than six million people over 16 in England who do not drink alcohol. Patterns of abstention relate strongly to ethnicity as estimates range from 6.4% of adults in Mid Devon to 48.0% in London's Newham borough. > > > > Read More

Client–Provider relationship in comprehensive substance abuse treatment: Differences in residential and nonresidential settings

As the substance abuse service system shifts from primarily residential to primarily nonresidential settings, it becomes important to understand how substance abuse treatment processes and outcomes may vary across service setting. Research increasingly indicates that, along with specific treatment and service strategies, client–provider relationship is an important ingredient in effective substance abuse treatment.

This study uses a moderator–mediator analysis of a comprehensive service model to examine how the relation between client–provider relationship and substance abuse treatment outcomes may differ in residential and nonresidential settings.

The study used data collected for the National Treatment Improvement Evaluation Study, a prospective, cohort-based study of U.S. substance abuse treatment programs and their clients, with an analytic sample of 59 publicly funded service delivery units and 3,027 clients.

Structural equation modeling is used to assess the structural relations and causal connections between treatment process and treatment outcome variables.

Results indicate that for nonresidential settings, a better client–provider relationship is directly related to improved outcomes of treatment duration and reduced posttreatment substance use and is indirectly related to both outcomes through provision of services matched to client needs.

In residential settings, the quality of the client–provider relationship is unrelated to process or outcome variables.

The findings point to the importance of the client–provider relationship in all settings but particularly in outpatient settings where there are limited physical constraints on the treatment process.

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UKRF RECOVERY SUMMIT & 3rd NATIONAL RECOVERY WALK

The UK Recovery Federation (UKRF) are delighted to announce the 2nd annual UKRF Recovery Summit (Friday 9th September 2011) and the 3rd UK Recovery Walk (Saturday 10th September 2011)

‘Many Pathways to Recovery: Building on our Strengths’

THE PROGRAMME INCLUDES

‘Creating a UK-wide Recovery Consensus: Lessons from the US’
Keith Humphreys (Professor of Psychiatry at Stanford University)

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'Building a Recovery Movement : Faces & Voices of Recovery'
Carol McDaid (Out-going Chair FAVOR)

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'Building a Recovery-Oriented Integrated System (ROIS)'
John Strang (National Addictions Centre, King's College, London)

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'Rolls ROIS: What is one & How do we get there?'
Colin Wilkie-Jones (Chief Executive EATA)

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‘Harm Reduction and Recovery: What’s our future?’
Neil Hunt (University of Kent, UK Harm Reduction Alliance)

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‘Recovery in the community: The challenges & opportunities’
Brian Morgan (SU Coordinator W.Sussex DAAT, EXACT, Whole Person Recovery Project)

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News Release - Alcohol select committee continues to disappoint communities

The Drug Foundation today expressed surprise that the Justice and Electoral Committee recommended only tinkering to the Alcohol Reform Bill, saying that many thousands of submitters had expected much greater improvements to the Bill.

The Committee received an unprecedented 8,822 written submissions, and in-fact had to split themselves in half in order to hear from the more than 352 oral submitters.

“The vast majority of submitters urged the Committee to strengthen the Bill, particularly asking for tougher controls over alcohol advertising and an increase to the price of alcohol, which were measures first recommended by Sir Geoffrey Palmer’s Law Commission report,” said Drug Foundation executive director Ross Bell.

“The modest amendments suggested by a Select Committee majority will be a blow to the many communities and concerned individuals who made the effort to have their say on this Bill and who expected much more from the Committee,” said Mr Bell. > > > > Read More

Govt considers further alcohol restrictions

The Government will set up an expert forum to look into further restrictions on alcohol advertising and sponsorship, as its refusal to budge on higher alcohol prices comes under fire.

The Alcohol Reform Bill was reported back from the justice and electoral select committee today. Most of the major elements were unchanged, including:

# A split alcohol purchase age of 18 for bars and restaurants and 20 for liquor shops and supermarkets

# Making it illegal to supply under 18s with alcohol without parental consent

# National trading hours of 7am-11pm for liquor outlets and 8am-4am for bars and clubs, though these can be altered by local authorities

# Empowering local authorities to grant licences based on the concentration, location and hours of alcohol outlets > > > > Read More

Alcohol Reform Bill

This bill implements the Government's decisions on the reform of alcohol legislation; decisions made in response to the Law Commission's 2010 report on alcohol.


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Hangover Predicts Residual Alcohol Effects on Psychomotor Vigilance the Morning After Intoxication

Both hangover and performance deficits have been documented the day after drinking to intoxication after breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) has returned to near zero. But few studies have examined the relationship between hangover and post-intoxication performance.

We performed secondary analyses of data from a previously reported controlled cross-over laboratory study to assess the relationship of hangover incidence and severity to sustained attention/reaction time the morning after drinking to about 0.11 g% BrAC. Relationships were investigated while controlling for gender, type of alcoholic beverage (bourbon or vodka), and neurocognitive performance after placebo.

Hangover severity and neurocognitive performance were significantly correlated. Participants reporting stronger hangover were more impaired than those reporting little or no hangover. Comparing any to no hangover showed a trend in the same direction of effect.

More intense hangover may indicate less fitness for duty in workers in certain safety-sensitive occupations, with implications for occupational alcohol policies.

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Hangover sensitivity after controlled alcohol administration as predictor of post-college drinking

Predicting continued problematic levels of drinking after the early 20's could help with early identification of persons at risk.

This study investigated whether hangover insensitivity could predict postcollege drinking and problems beyond the variance due to drinking patterns.

In a preliminary study, 134 college seniors from a laboratory study of hangover (Time 1) were contacted and assessed 1–4 years (M = 2.3) later (Time 2). Hangover severity was studied after controlled alcohol administration to a specific dose while controlling sleep and environmental influences. Hangover severity at Time 1 was used to predict Time 2 drinking volume and problems while controlling for relevant demographics and Time 1 drinking volume.

Hangover insensitivity at Time 1 tended to predict a clinical level of alcohol problems with a large statistical effect size. Hangover sensitivity also correlated positively with sensitivity to alcohol intoxication. Hangover severity did not predict future drinking volume.

Hangover insensitivity correlates with insensitivity to intoxication and might predict more serious alcohol problems in the future, suggesting that a future larger study is warranted.

Hangover insensitivity could result from physiological factors underlying low sensitivity to alcohol or risk for alcoholism.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: Damaris_Rohsenow@Brown.EDU