Genetics and alcoholism

Alcohol is widely consumed; however, excessive use creates serious physical, psychological and social problems and contributes to the pathogenesis of many diseases. Alcohol use disorders (that is, alcohol dependence and alcohol abuse) are maladaptive patterns of excessive drinking that lead to serious problems.

Abundant evidence indicates that alcohol dependence (alcoholism) is a complex genetic disease, with variations in a large number of genes affecting a person's risk of alcoholism. Some of these genes have been identified, including two genes involved in the metabolism of alcohol (ADH1B and ALDH2) that have the strongest known affects on the risk of alcoholism.

Studies continue to reveal other genes in which variants affect the risk of alcoholism or related traits, including GABRA2, CHRM2, KCNJ6 and AUTS2.

As more variants are analysed and studies are combined for meta-analysis to achieve increased sample sizes, an improved picture of the many genes and pathways that affect the risk of alcoholism will be possible.


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Alcohol-related disorders among medical and surgical in-patients in a Nigerian teaching hospital

Alcohol use disorders exist in a high proportion of hospitalized patients and this often complicates patient management, but a large proportion of them still go unrecognized by the managing clinicians. The objective was to provide data on the proportion of inpatients 18 years and above with alcohol-related disorders, and ability of the managing clinicians to detect these disorders. Alcohol use disorders were assessed in 339 consecutive patients admitted into medical and surgical wards of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin, using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Disorders (SCID) -- Alcohol module, for a period of 5 months. They were also assessed for the presence or absence of alcohol-related problems (physical, psychological, and social) by direct questioning. In addition, patients' case notes were scrutinized for additional information on alcohol-related problems and ability of managing clinicians to detect alcohol-related problems in their patients.  All patients with alcohol use disorders were males. The point prevalence for alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence using DSM-IV criteria were 16.4% and 8.5%, respectively among males while another 1.2% who did not meet DSM-IV criteria for abuse and dependence, had alcohol-related problems. Marital disharmony, financial problems, and deteriorating work performance were the most common psychosocial problems among the drinkers. Gastritis occurred in 18.5% of cases with alcohol abuse and 21.4% of cases with alcohol dependence. Other physical problems among drinkers included liver cirrhosis, malnutrition, and various injuries. Significantly more patients aged (45-64 years) and patients of low educational status compared to abstainers had alcohol use disorders and alcohol-related problems. In addition, significantly more patients with alcohol use disorders/alcohol-related problems compared to abstainers were observed to have physical and psychosocial health problems. Alcohol-related problems were detected in only 10.9% of the alcohol users by the managing clinicians. There is a considerable case load of patients with alcohol-related disorders in the hospital. There is therefore the need to improve ability of the managing clinicians to detect and manage cases of alcohol-related disorders, with referrals where appropriate. Read Full Abstract Request Reprint E-Mail:      poboye203@yahoo.com Correspondence Dr PO Ajiboye email: poboye203@yahoo.comemail: poboye203@yahoo.comemail: poboye203@yahoo.com Correspondence Correspondence Dr PO Ajiboye email: poboye203@yahoo.com Dr PO Ajiboye email: poboye203@yahoo.compoboye203@yahoo.compoboye203@yahoo.compoboye203@yahoo.com

Midbrain-Driven Emotion and Reward Processing in Alcoholism

Alcohol dependence is associated with impaired control over emotionally motivated actions, possibly associated with abnormalities in the frontoparietal executive control network and midbrain nodes of the reward network associated with automatic attention.

To identify differences in the neural response to alcohol-related word stimuli, 26 chronic alcoholics (ALC) and 26 healthy controls (CTL) performed an alcohol-emotion Stroop Match-to-Sample task during functional MR imaging. Stroop contrasts were modeled for color-word incongruency (eg, word RED printed in green) and for alcohol (eg, BEER), positive (eg, HAPPY) and negative (eg, MAD) emotional word content relative to congruent word conditions (eg, word RED printed in red).

During color-Stroop processing, ALC and CTL showed similar left dorsolateral prefrontal activation, and CTL, but not ALC, deactivated posterior cingulate cortex/cuneus. An interaction revealed a dissociation between alcohol-word and color-word Stroop processing: ALC activated midbrain and parahippocampal regions more than CTL when processing alcohol-word relative to color-word conditions. In ALC, the midbrain region was also invoked by negative emotional Stroop words thereby showing significant overlap of this midbrain activation for alcohol-related and negative emotional processing.

Enhanced midbrain activation to alcohol-related words suggests neuroadaptation of dopaminergic midbrain systems. We speculate that such tuning is normally associated with behavioral conditioning to optimize responses but here contributed to automatic bias to alcohol-related stimuli.


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Request Reprint E-Mail:     tilman.schulte@sri.com

Long-term alcohol and caffeine intake and risk of sudden cardiac death in women.

 

Alcohol and caffeine intakes may play a role in the development of sudden cardiac death (SCD) because of their effects on cholesterol, blood pressure, heart rate variability, and inflammation. 
                
Our objective was to examine the association between long-term alcohol and caffeine intakes and risk of SCD in women.

                 

We examined 93,676 postmenopausal women who participated in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study. Women were enrolled between 1993 and 1998 and were followed until August 2009. Women completed a food-frequency questionnaire at baseline and again at year 3. We modeled exposure to alcohol 3 ways: by using baseline intake only, a cumulative average of baseline and year 3 intake, and the most recent reported intake (a simple time-varying analysis).

                

Intake of 5–15 g alcohol/d (about one drink) was associated with a nonsignificantly reduced risk of SCD compared with 0.1–5 g/d of baseline intake (HR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.40, 1.02), of cumulative average intake (HR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.43, 1.11), and of most recent intake (HR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.35, 0.96), with adjustment for age, race, income, smoking, body mass index, physical activity, hormone use, and total energy. No association was found between SCD and total caffeine intake (mg/d) or cups of caffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and caffeinated tea.

                 

Our results suggest that about one drink per day (or 5.1–15 g/d) may be associated with a reduced risk of SCD in this population; however, this association was only statistically significant for a model using the most recent alcohol intake. Total caffeine, regular coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and regular tea intake were not associated with the risk of SCD.

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Request Reprint E-Mail:   mbertoia@hsph.harvard.edu

Changes in gene expression within the ventral tegmental area following repeated excessive binge-like alcohol drinking by alcohol-preferring (P) rats

The objective of this study was to detect changes in gene expression in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) following repeated excessive binge-like (‘loss-of-control’) alcohol drinking by alcohol-preferring (P) rats.

Adult female P rats (n = 7) were given concurrent access to 10, 20, and 30% EtOH for 4 1-h sessions daily for 10 weeks followed by 2 cycles of 2 weeks of abstinence and 2 weeks of EtOH access. Rats were sacrificed by decapitation 3 h after the 4th daily EtOH-access session at the end of the second 2-week relapse period. A water-control group of female P rats (n = 8) was also sacrificed. RNA was prepared from micro-punch samples of the VTA from individual rats; analyses were conducted with Affymetrix Rat 230.2 GeneChips. Ethanol intakes were 1.2–1.7 g/kg per session, resulting in blood levels >200 mg% at the end of the 4th session.

There were 211 unique named genes that significantly differed (FDR = 0.1) between the water and EtOH groups. Bioinformatics analyses indicated alterations in a) transcription factors that reduced excitation-coupled transcription and promoted excitotoxic neuronal damage involving clusters of genes associated with Nfkbia, Fos, and Srebf1, b) genes that reduced cholesterol and fatty acid synthesis, and increased protein degradation, and c) genes involved in cell-to-cell interactions and regulation of the actin cytoskeleton.

Among the named genes, there were 62 genes that showed differences between alcohol-naïve P and non-preferring (NP) rats, with 43 of the genes changing toward NP-like expression levels following excessive binge-like drinking in the P rats. These genes are involved in a pro-inflammatory response, and enhanced response to glucocorticoids and steroid hormones.

Overall, the results of this study indicate that the repeated excessive binge-like alcohol drinking can change the expression of genes that may alter neuronal function in several ways, some of which may be deleterious.


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Request Reprint E-Mail:      wmcbride@iupui.edu

 

 

Correction to Kushner et al. (2012).

 
Reports an error in "Hybrid Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Versus Relaxation Training for Co-Occurring Anxiety and Alcohol Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial" by Matt G. Kushner, Eric W. Maurer, Paul Thuras, Chris Donahue, Brenda Frye, Kyle R. Menary, Jennifer Hobbs, Angela M. Haeny and Joani Van Demark (Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Advanced Online Publication, Dec 31, 2012, np). An abbreviation for social anxiety disorder (SAD) was incorrectly defined as “seasonal affective disorder” in the notes for Table 1 and 3. All versions of this article have been corrected. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2012-34988-001.)

Treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD) is far less effective for those with a co-occurring anxiety disorder. Surprisingly, adding an independent anxiety treatment to AUD treatment does not substantially improve the poor alcohol outcomes of these patients. This may reflect the lack of attention from independent treatments to the dynamic interaction of anxiety symptoms with alcohol use and drinking motivation. On the basis of this view, we assembled a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program designed to both reduce anxiety symptoms and weaken the links between the experience of anxiety and the motivation to drink. Method: 344 patients undergoing residential AUD treatment with current social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, or panic disorder were randomly assigned to receive either the CBT or an active comparison treatment, Progressive Muscle Relaxation Training (PMRT). Assessments took place immediately following treatment and 4 months later (n = 247).

As predicted, the CBT group demonstrated significantly better alcohol outcomes 4 months following treatment than did the PMRT group. Although both groups experienced a substantial degree of anxiety reduction following treatment, there were no significant group differences immediately after treatment and only a slight advantage for the CBT group 4 months after treatment.

These findings suggest that specific interventions aimed at weakening the association between the experience of anxiety and drinking motivation play an important role in improving the alcohol outcomes of these difficult-to-treat patients beyond that of anxiety reduction alone.


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Request Reprint E-Mail:    kushn001@umn.edu

Factors Predicting Hostility in Outpatients With Schizophrenia: 36-Month Results From the SOHO Study

This analysis explored the prevalence, incidence, and predictors of hostility in the European Schizophrenia Outpatient Health Outcomes (EU-SOHO) study.

Data were collected at baseline and up to 36 months on the presence of hostility, clinical course and severity, medication compliance, side effects, substance/alcohol abuse, and being a crime survivor. Regression models were fitted to test the association between predictors and the presence of hostility.

Hostility prevalence in the 6 months before baseline was 27.9%, and the incidence at 3 years was 14.0%. Variables related to hostility during follow-up were age, male sex, alcohol/substance abuse, tardive dyskinesia, extrapyramidal symptoms, cognitive impairment, noncompliance, and hospitalization. Being a crime survivor, being married, not living independently, and not being in paid employment were associated with hostility at baseline. Clinical and social variables are related to hostility in schizophrenia.

Extrapyramidal symptoms and tardive dyskinesia, alcohol/substance abuse, cognitive impairment, medication noncompliance, and hospitalizations are predictors of future hostility.


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Request Reprint E-Mail:    sochoa@pssjd.org

News & updates May 2013: 'middle class drinkers know better'; MPs admit to 'unhealthy drinking culture'; other news

'Middle classes are in denial' or 'know better than experts' were recent headlines responding to research published in the BMC. The study had explored the attitudes of managerial and professional roles, finding low acceptance or awareness of health risks. In part this was attributed to perceptions that alcohol problems were confined to 'others' including younger 'binge drinkers', and belief that 'home drinking' was without risk.

Of course those in the field know professional roles tend to drink more and more frequently, and off-sales wine has accounted for most of the overall rise in consumption since the 1950s. 'Middle-class' drinkers, often associated with 'de-stress' drinking, therefore pose a challenge to public health roles wanting to reduce long term health impacts of those less likely to contemplate their drinking. On the flip-side, the “alcohol harm paradox” suggest drinkers from lower socio-economic groups experience greater harms. A 'behind the headlines' piece analyses the findings versus media reaction.

"MPs admit to an unhealthy drink culture" according to an Alcohol Concern survey. The survey of 150 MPs attitudes found 26% thought their colleagues drank too much. It also suggested that £1.33m was spent in the nine bars at the House of Commons in the year to March 2011. In a subsequent Guardian poll 39% of respondents answered yes to the question 'Is there a culture of excessive boozing at your workplace?'. See reports from the BBC, and a blog comment in the Independent.

Local initiatives & reports
Shop ban on high-strength booze cuts street drinking crime by 50%, reports the Telegraph. The scheme is now being considered by other forces - BBC.

Drink-related anti-social behaviour in part of Stoke-on-Trent has reduced by over two-thirds after an alcohol restriction zone was introduced - BBC.

Police in Scotland are warning parents not to buy alcohol for their underage children after an increase in drunken incidents involving young girls, reports the Scotsman.

Other reports & info
Binge drinking in your 20s can trigger heart disease- Daily Mail.

Do young people’s attitudes to alcohol make them more likely to be violent when drinking? is explored on the Closer blog.

Alcohol advertising pre-disposes young people to have favorable attitudes toward drinking, a NewsMedical.net report explores.

A lawyer says there has been a 70% increase in men citing alcohol misuse in divorce over the past five years - Daily Mail.

A new Drinkaware video highlights the effects of alcohol, and a new page highlights the dangers of cheap alcohol.

EU's alcohol strategy needs further push, MEPs say according to EurActiv.com.


To get full regular media reports you can sign up to the alcohol e-shot or Drugscope Daily.

For the Alcohol Policy UK newsletter email subscribe@alcoholacademy.net

 

Postoperative risks associated with alcohol screening depend on documented drinking at the time of surgery

 

 

Both AUDIT-C alcohol screening scores up to a year before surgery and clinical documentation of drinking over 2 drinks per day immediately prior to surgery (“documented drinking >2 d/d”) are associated with increased postoperative complications and health care utilization. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether documented drinking >2 d/d contributed additional information about postoperative risk beyond past-year AUDIT-C screening results.

Male Veterans Affairs (VA) patients who had a non-emergent, non-cardiac, major surgery assessed by the VA's Surgical Quality Improvement Program 10/2003-9/2006 and completed the AUDIT-C by mailed survey in the prior year were eligible for this study. Linear or logistic regression models compared 30-day postoperative complication(s), return to operating room (OR), hospital length of stay (LOS), and intensive care unit (ICU) days across eight groups defined by past-year AUDIT-C score and clinically documented drinking >2 d/d, with AUDIT-C scores 1–4 and no documented drinking >2 d/d as the referent, after adjusting for important covariates.

Overall 8811 patients met inclusion criteria. Among patients with documented drinking >2 d/d immediately prior to surgery, postoperative risk varied widely depending on past-year AUDIT-C score; scores ≥5 were associated with increased risk of complication(s), and scores ≥9 with increased hospital LOS and ICU days. Among patients without documentation of drinking >2 d/d, increasing AUDIT-C scores were not associated with these outcomes.

Clinical documentation of drinking >2 d/d immediately prior to surgery contributed additional information about postoperative risk beyond past-year AUDIT-C score. However, among patients with documented drinking >2 d/d, postoperative risk varied widely depending on the AUDIT-C score.

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Request Reprint E-Mail:      Anna.Rubinsky@va.gov

Impulsivity-related personality traits and adolescent alcohol use: A meta-analytic review

Heightened impulsivity has been identified as a risk marker for excessive and problematic alcohol use, particularly during adolescence when impulsive behaviour is elevated and alcohol use is often initiated. Recent advances in personality theory indicate that impulsivity comprises several discrete traits which may influence alcohol use through different pathways.

This review used meta-analysis to assess the degree to which the impulsivity-related traits of lack of premeditation, lack of perseverance, sensation seeking, negative urgency, positive urgency, and reward sensitivity are associated with alcohol consumption and problematic alcohol use in adolescent samples.

All traits were positively associated with both alcohol outcomes. Sensation seeking and positive urgency showed the largest associations with alcohol consumption. Positive and negative urgency showed the largest associations with problematic alcohol use, although this was limited to older adolescent samples. A number of demographic and methodological variables were assessed as potential moderators of these associations.

Results indicate that excessive alcohol consumption during adolescence may be driven in part by the desire to seek novel and exciting experiences. Problematic use, specifically amongst older adolescents, may be a consequence of a tendency to act rashly when in a heightened positive or negative mood.


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Request Reprint E-Mail:    k.stautz@gold.ac.uk

Creating a Culturally Appropriate Web-based Behavioral Intervention for American Indian/Alaska Native Women in Southern California: The Healthy Women Healthy Native Nation Study,

Health disparities in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are of high importance to American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities.

We conducted focus groups and interviews with 21 AI/AN women and key informants in Southern California to modify a brief, Web-based program for screening and prevention of prenatal alcohol use.

This process resulted in several important program modifications and was essential for fostering partnerships between researchers and the community, engaging community members in research, and identifying community priorities.


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Trends in Tobacco and Alcohol Brand Placements in Popular US Movies, 1996 Through 2009

Tobacco and alcohol use in movies could be influenced by product placement agreements. Tobacco brand placement was limited by the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) after 1998, while alcohol is subject to self-regulation only.
To examine recent trends for tobacco and alcohol use in movies. We expected that the MSA would be associated with declines in tobacco but not alcohol brand placement (hypothesis formulated after data collection).
Content analysis.

Top 100 box-office hits released in the United States from 1996 through 2009 (N = 1400).

The MSA, an agreement signed in 1998 between the state attorneys general and tobacco companies, ended payments for tobacco brand placements in movies.

Trend for tobacco and alcohol brand counts and seconds of screen time for the pre-MSA period from 1996 through 1999 compared with the post-MSA period from 2000 through 2009.

Altogether, the 1400 movies contained 500 tobacco and 2433 alcohol brand appearances. After implementation of the MSA, tobacco brand appearances dropped exponentially by 7.0% (95% CI, 5.4%-8.7%) each year, then held at a level of 22 per year after 2006. The MSA also heralded a drop in tobacco screen time for youth- and adult-rated movies (42.3% [95% CI, 24.1%-60.2%] and 85.4% [56.1%-100.0%], respectively). In contrast, there was little change in alcohol brand appearances or alcohol screen time overall. In addition, alcohol brand appearances in youth-rated movies trended upward during the period from 80 to 145 per year, an increase of 5.2 (95% CI, 2.4-7.9) appearances per year.

Tobacco brands in movies declined after implementation of externally enforced constraints on the practice, coinciding also with a decline in tobacco screen time and suggesting that enforced limits on tobacco brand placement also limited onscreen depictions of smoking. Alcohol brand placement, subject only to industry self-regulation, was found increasingly in movies rated for youth as young as 13 years, despite the industry's intent to avoid marketing to underage persons.


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Request Reprint E-Mail:    james.d.sargent@dartmouth.edu

Longitudinal Relationships Between College Education and Patterns of Heavy Drinking: A Comparison Between Caucasians and African-Americans

The current study compared longitudinal relationships between college education and patterns of heavy drinking from early adolescence to adulthood for Caucasians and African-Americans.

We analyzed data from 9,988 non-Hispanic Caucasian and African-American participants from all four waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Growth curve modeling tested differences in rates of change and levels of heavy drinking from ages 13 to 31 years among non-college youth, college withdrawers, 2-year college graduates, and 4-year college graduates, and compared these differences for Caucasians and African-Americans

There were significant racial differences in relationships between college education with both changes in and levels of heavy drinking. Rates of change of heavy drinking differed significantly across the college education groups examined for Caucasians but not for African-Americans. In addition, Caucasians who graduated from 4-year colleges showed the highest levels of heavy drinking after age 20 years, although differences among the four groups diminished by the early 30s. In contrast, for African-Americans, graduates from 2- or 4-year colleges did not show higher levels of heavy drinking from ages 20 to 31 years than the non-college group. Instead, African-American participants who withdrew from college without an associate's, bachelor's, or professional degree consistently exhibited the highest levels of heavy drinking from ages 26 to 31 years.

The relationship between college education and increased levels of heavy drinking in young adulthood is significant for Caucasians but not African-Americans. Conversely, African-Americans are likely to be more adversely affected than are Caucasians by college withdrawal.


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Request Reprint E-Mail:     pchen2@yoda.bsd.uchicago.edu

Alcohol News - 21/2013

 

New Europe (Turkey) - The law is placing curbs on consumption and advertising

On 24 May, the Turkish anti-alcohol law was adopted by the national Parliament. According to critics, the adoption of the law is a sign of increasing conservative policies followed by the Turkish government.

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YLE.fi (Finland) - Baby boomers' alcohol "time bomb" set to hit Finland

Experts fear that retiring baby boomers may over indulge to such an extent that Finland could soon be forced to deal with a large cohort with unusually high levels of alcohol dependence. Incorporating messages about alcohol into basic healthcare will be key to fighting the problem.

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Journal of Adolescent Research (Denmark) - Communicating Trust Between Parents and Their Children. A Case Study of Adolescents’ Alcohol Use in Denmark

This article discusses how Danish parents and their children communicate trust. Based on Niklas Luhmann’s sociological theory, the article explores new aspects of communication about alcohol-related rules.

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New York Times (Turkey) - Turkey: Legislation Would Limit Sales of Alcohol and Ban Advertising for It

The Turkish Parliament passed legislation on Friday to ban advertising of alcohol. The measure also bans the sale of alcoholic drinks between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., except in tourist zones, and prohibits alcohol sales near mosques and schools.

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TIME - If Drinking Starts at Puberty, It’s More Likely to Lead to Alcohol Problems

Taking your first drink in your early teens may put you at greater risk of developing alcohol problems later on, according to new research.

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WAVE - Doctors warn against 'smoking' alcohol

There's a new trend in the bar scene that involves your favorite hard liquor and dry ice. Breathing in the alcohol vapors gets you buzzed fast and some say you don't ingest any empty calories.

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The Guardian (UK) - Alcohol advertising on television to be reviewed

Ofcom has ordered a review into whether to cut the amount of alcohol advertising on TV, after finding that large numbers of children are tuning into shows such as The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent, which are aimed at more adult audiences and could potentially carry alcohol ads under existing rules.

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YLE News (Finland) - Greens vote for push to allow alcohol take-outs

The Green League’s congress has voted to support a proposal to allow restaurants to sell mild alcoholic beverages to drink off the premises. Party members also favoured a proposal that small breweries and farms that produce berry liqueurs should be allowed to sell their produce on the premises.

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CTV News (Canada) - Survey finds N.S. youth more likely to try alcohol over drugs

Nova Scotia students in four selected grades who attend junior and senior high schools were more likely to try alcohol over drugs last year, a new survey says.

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Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) - Regulator seeks to put big alcohol promos in 'high-risk' basket

Discounts at bottle shops of more than 50 per cent off wine, beer and liquor will be classified as high-risk promotions likely to cause alcohol-related harm under tough draft guidelines by the liquor regulator.

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swissinfo.ch (Switzerland) - Alcohol abuse linked to domestic violence

Alcohol plays a role in many cases of domestic violence in Switzerland. Almost every second woman who is subject to abuse says that alcohol consumption is a problem in her relationship, according to a study.

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AllAfrica.com (Tanzania) - Alcohol Abuse On the Increase, House Told

TWENTY five per cent of males in Tanzania consume excessive alcohol, while the rate of females stood at 13.4 per cent, the National Assembly was told.

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VtDigger (USA) - Health Dept. launches campaign: ‘049’ = Zero Alcohol for Nine Months of Pregnancy

A mother’s use of even small amounts of alcohol can cause health problems for her baby, a fact that many women and their health care providers may not realize. Drinking can affect development in the very first weeks – even before a woman knows she’s pregnant – and throughout pregnancy.

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Herald Scotland (Scotland) - EU warned to respect ruling over drink price

BRUSSELS has been warned to listen to Scotland's senior judges after they ruled in favour of the Scottish Government's policy of minimum pricing for alcohol.

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stv.tv (Scotland) - Drop in alcohol sales linked to law banning multi-buy promotions

The amount of alcohol sold per adult fell by 2.6% in Scotland in the year after the introduction of the Alcohol Act in October 2011, according to a report by NHS Health Scotland and the University of Glasgow.

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SunLive (New Zealand) - Reduced hours for buying booze

Tauranga supermarkets could be forced to fence off their wine racks and beer chillers as the city looks at a proposal to reduce the hours for off-licences in the city’s suburbs.

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Perth Now (Australia) - 'Alcopop' tax fails to deter teen binge drinking, raises $4.5 billion in revenue

AUSTRALIAN drinkers have spent $4.5 billion in "alcopop" taxes that have failed to curb teen binge drinking. A federally-funded study to be released today reveals the tax has not dinted the number of teenagers and young people with alcohol-related injuries.

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Alcohol consumption, at-risk and heavy episodic drinking with consideration of injuries and alcohol-specific medical advice : Results of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Adults (DEGS1).

The German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Adults (DEGS1) was conducted from 2008-2011 and comprised interviews, examinations and tests. The target population was the resident population of Germany aged from 18-79 years (n = 8,152). Data on alcohol consumption, at-risk drinking and heavy episodic drinking was collected in a self-administered questionnaire with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C).

At-risk drinking is most common among young individuals aged from 19-29 years (men 54.9 %; women 36 %), becoming less common from an age of 65 years. With 41.6 %, at-risk drinking is more prevalent in men than in women (25.6 %). Men are three times more likely to be heavy episodic drinkers than women.

Injuries are more common among individuals with at-risk or heavy episodic drinking. They receive advice on alcohol consumption during visits to general practitioners/specialists or outpatient departments more often than individuals without these drinking patterns.



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