Binge drinking

Binge' drinking is defined as episodic excessive drinking, but there is no worldwide consensus on how many drinks constitute a 'binge'. BEACH (Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health) used three questions from the World Health Organization's Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) to gather information on alcohol consumption of patients aged 18 years or over from a subsample (40%) of participants. We defined regular binge drinkers as those who have six or more standard drinks on one occasion, either weekly or monthly.     

Concurrent binge drinking and depression among Canadian youth: prevalence,patterns, and suicidality

This study compared differences in risk for suicidality among youth living in the community who met criteria for comorbid depression and binge drinking, depression without binge drinking, and binge drinking without depression relative to a reference group with neither condition. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze data from the Canadian Community Health Survey, Cycle 3.1 (CCHS 3.1, 2005): a cross-sectional survey of respondents from the Canadian population. To restrict the sample to youth, respondents were excluded who were younger than 15 or older than 24 years. Over 17,000 respondents were assessed to determine whether they met criteria for depression, binge drinking, the comorbid condition, or neither condition (reference group). Binge drinking was defined as five drinks or more on an occasion. The 12-month prevalence rates for comorbid binge drinking and depression were 2.7% for male respondents and 2.1% for female respondents. When adjusted for demographic factors and when compared with the reference group, the risk of suicidality was increased for the depressed group (odds ratio [OR] 5.23, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.34–8.2) and the comorbid group (OR 6.28, 95% CI: 3.68–10.70), but not for the binge-drinking group. With the exception of increasing age, sociodemographic factors were not correlates of comorbidity. In conclusion, binge drinking was not associated with an increased risk of suicidality among Canadian youth living in the community, although depression and comorbidity were associated with suicidality.     

Binge drinking in pregnancy--frequency and methodology

Independent of average alcohol intake, the effect of binge drinking on adverse pregnancy outcomes in humans is only sporadically reported, but most studies in humans have found little or no effect of binge drinking on several adverse pregnancy outcomes. In a representative sample of 371 pregnant Danish women, the agreement between two different measures of binge drinking during the first half of pregnancy obtained from interviews and questionnaires was assessed, and the frequency and pattern of binge drinking were described. The percentage of agreement between the methods ranged between 81% and 86%. The proportion of women who reported binge drinking depended on the definition of pregnancy, but the proportion peaked in week 3 measured from the last menstrual period and thereafter declined to approximately 1 percent in week 7. On the basis of this 1998 study, it is suggested that most human studies on binge drinking in pregnancy may have failed to find any association because of methodological problems. It is suggested that future studies should take into account the number of binge episodes as well as the time of binge drinking. This information may easily be obtained from most pregnant women by asking two questions in interviews or questionnaires.     

Binge eating and binge drinking: an integrative review

The primary goal of this review is to provide a framework for understanding two highly overlapping behaviors: binge eating and binge drinking. Research is presented that suggests binge eating and drinking behaviors may share several important features, including personality correlates such as neuroticism and urgency, as well as affective characteristics, such as elevated levels of negative affect. Additionally, the review describes common explanatory models, which are helpful in terms of their potential to link these common features to the functions of, or reasons why individuals engage in, binge eating and drinking behaviors. Implications for understanding potentially common etiological pathways and development of interventions designed to target multiple behaviors are discussed.     

Binge drinking: an exploration of a confused concept

Binge drinking is a matter of current social, media and political concern, and the focus of much policy activity in the UK. Binge drinking is associated with causing a wide range of harm to individuals (e.g. accidents), and the wider community (e.g. crime and disorder). Within the current discourse, binge drinking is seen primarily as a youth issue. Binge drinking is sometimes portrayed as a recent phenomenon, but we know from history that heavy drinking has been endemic in British society over many centuries. Using a contemporary history perspective, this paper explores the concept of binge drinking. It considers the definitions in use, recent shifts in meaning and also the way in which different definitions of binge drinking impact on perceptions of the extent and nature of binge drinking. The paper concludes with some thoughts and questions about the usefulness of the concept of binge drinking as it currently used, and areas for further research.     

At-risk drinking in an HMO primary care sample: prevalence and health policy implications.

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to determine the prevalence of at-risk drinking using varying alcohol use criteria. METHODS: A period prevalence survey was conducted in 22 primary care practices (n = 19372 adults). RESULTS: The frequency of at-risk alcohol use varied from 7.5% (World Health Organization criteria) to 19.7% (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism criteria). A stepwise logistic model using National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism criteria found male gender, current tobacco use, never married status, retirement, and unemployment to be significant predictors of at-risk alcohol use. CONCLUSIONS: Public health policy needs to move to a primary care paradigm focusing on identification and treatment of at-risk drinkers.     

Binge drinking and nitric oxide metabolites in chronic liver disease

AIMS: The effect of binge drinking in the production of nitric oxide metabolites has not been studied in patients with chronic viral liver disease. METHODS: We therefore studied serum levels of nitrites and nitrates (NOx) in 13 patients with chronic viral hepatitis and nine patients with compensated viral cirrhosis, after administration of 80 g alcohol. 15 patients with compensated alcoholic cirrhosis and seven healthy individuals were used as controls. Serum NOx levels were measured by a modification of the Griess reaction before and at 2, 12 and 24 h after alcohol consumption. RESULTS: An increase of serum NOx levels, that was statistically significant at 12 h, was found in healthy controls (P < 0.05). A similar pattern of NOx levels was observed in patients with chronic hepatitis. By contrast, in patients with cirrhosis, either viral or alcoholic, no significant increase was found after alcohol administration. However, basal levels in cirrhotics were significantly elevated (82.2 +/- 13.8 vs. 43.1 +/- 7.2 micro mol/l, P < 0.01) compared to healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: Binge drinking causes a significant increase of serum NOx evident after 12 h with a return after 24 h at pre-drinking levels in healthy controls and patients with chronic viral hepatitis. In cirrhosis, such an increase is not observed serum levels being constantly elevated throughout the study period.     

Team awareness, problem drinking, and drinking climate: workplace social health promotion in a policy context

PURPOSE: (1) To determine the effectiveness of classroom health promotion/prevention training designed to improve work climate and alcohol outcomes; (2) to assess whether such training contributes to improvements in problem drinking beyond standard workplace alcohol policies. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey assessed employee problem drinking across three time periods. This was followed by a prevention intervention study; work groups were randomly assigned to an 8-hour training course in workplace social health promotion (Team Awareness), a 4-hour informational training course, or a control group. Surveys were administered 2 to 4 weeks before and after training and 6 months after posttest. SETTING AND SUBJECTS: Employees were surveyed from work departments in a large municipality of 3000 workers at three points in time (year, sample, and response rates are shown): (1) 1992, n = 1081, 95%; (2) 1995, n = 856, 97%; and (3) 1999, n = 587, 73%. Employees in the 1999 survey were recruited from safety-sensitive departments and were randomly assigned to receive the psychosocial (n = 201), informational (n = 192), or control (n = 194) condition. INTERVENTION: The psychosocial program (Team Awareness) provided skills training in peer referral, team building, and stress management. Informational training used a didactic review of policy, employee assistance, and drug testing. MEASURES: Self-reports measured alcohol use (frequency, drunkenness, hangovers, and problems) and work drinking climate (enabling, responsiveness, drinking norms, stigma, and drink with co-workers). RESULTS: Employees receiving Team Awareness reduced problem drinking from 20% to 11% and working with or missing work because of a hangover from 16% to 6%. Information-trained workers also reduced problem drinking from 18% to 10%. These rates of change contrast with changes in problem drinking seen from 1992 (24%) to 1999 (17%). Team Awareness improvements differed significantly from control subjects, which showed no change at 13%. Employees receiving Team Awareness also showed significant improvements in drinking climate. For example, scores on the measure of coworker enabling decreased from pretest (mean = 2.19) to posttest (mean = 2.05) and follow up (mean = 1.94). Posttest measures of drinking climate also predicted alcohol outcomes at 6 months. CONCLUSION: Employers should consider the use of prevention programming as an enhancement to standard drug-free workplace efforts. Team Awareness training targets work group social health, aligns with employee assistance efforts, and contributes to reductions in problem drinking.     

Women''s drinking and drinking problems: patterns from a 1981 national survey

A 1981 national survey of women's drinking interviewed 917 women in the general population, stratified on the basis of screening interviews to include 500 moderate-to-heavy drinkers. The survey found no evidence of any major recent increase in women's drinking, and no evidence of unusually heavy drinking among working wives. Adverse drinking consequences and episodes of extreme drinking were most common among women aged 21-34; women who were unmarried, divorced or separated, or cohabiting; and women with frequent drinkers as spouses or companions. Alcohol-related behavior problems and symptoms of alcohol dependence were closely related to levels of alcohol consumption. Among women averaging one ounce or more of ethanol per day, 45 per cent had driven while intoxicated in the past year, and 36 per cent reported memory lapses while drinking. Women at this consumption level were also more likely to report experiences with depression (61 per cent). Women with extremely high consumption levels were more likely to have histories of obstetrical and gynecological problems. Some women with alcohol-related problems reported periods of temporary abstention, a pattern not studied heretofore.     

Binge eating in adolescents: Its relation to behavioural problems and family-meal patterns

The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between binge eating, behavioural problems and family-meal patterns in a sample of adolescents. Two hundred and fifty-nine adolescents from a public secondary school completed the Bulimic Investigatory test, Edinburgh (BITE) [Henderson, M., & Freeman, C. P. (1987). A self-rating scale for bulimia. The “BITE”. British Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 18–24.] and the Youth Self-Report (YSR) [Achenbach, T. M. (1991). Manual for the Youth Self-Report and 1991 profile. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont.], as well as 13 additional questions regarding the eating episodes and family-meal patterns. The results show that binge eating is a frequent behaviour in adolescence with 33.2% of the sample reporting binge eating at least once in the last six months. The adolescents who reported binge eating had higher scores on most of the YSR first-order factors compared to those who do not engage in this behaviour. No differences were found in family meal patterns. Questions regarding the binge-eating episodes were also analysed making comparisons by age and gender.     

Smoking policy and prevalence in Greece: an overview

BACKGROUND: Smoking is one of the largest public heath problems and a cause of major concern not only among European members such as Greece but also worldwide. Greece over the past years has been suffering from a smoking epidemic with dramatic consequences on the economy and the cost of health services. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to describe the extent of tobacco usage, the methods used to control tobacco consumption, and the main reasons of anti-tobacco legislation failure over the past decades in Greece. METHODS: Data were collected from the international PubMed database and from the Greek database, Iatrotek, during January 2006 and the tobacco legislation was discussed with other counterparts in Greece and was rechecked with the Greek ministry of Health and Social Welfare. RESULTS: Currently Greece has the highest smoking prevalence not only among members of the European Union but also among all members of the OECD. Recent epidemiological studies estimate that 40% of the adult population are daily smokers, with one in two adolescents in certain areas also current smokers. Although anti-smoking policies do exist, and have been enforced over the years, many factors have contributed to their failure with a pro-tobacco culture and an increasing number of adolescent smokers exacerbating the problem. CONCLUSIONS: It is obvious that the strict enforcement of a nationwide anti-tobacco policy must be a priority on the national health agenda, if we are to ever effectively combat the high prevalence of smoking in Greece.