AGE-RELATED DIFFERENCES IN THE EFFECTS OF ETHANOL ON PERFORMANCE AND BEHAVIOUR IN HEALTHY MEN

Four age groups of healthy men; 20–29, 30–39, 40–49,and 50–59 years (N = 12 per group), drank 0.68 g of ethanol/kgbody weight as neat whisky in the morning after an overnight(10 hr) fast. The concentration of ethanol in fingertip blood,various signs and symptoms of intoxication, body-sway (openand closed eyes), hand-tremor, positional alcohol nystagmus(PAN) and roving ocular movements (ROM) were measured at 30–60min intervals after drinking. Body-sway and hand-tremor increasedwith advancing age in tests made before the ingestion of alcohol(P < 0.05). After drinking alcohol, body-sway and hand-tremorincreased in the four age groups (P < 0.05), being most pronouncedat or near the time of reaching the peak blood alcohol concentration(BAC). The initial impairment subsided when the post-absorptivephase of ethanol kinetics commenced. At 60 min post-drinking,body-sway was most pronounced in men aged 40–49 yearswhen their eyes were closed (P < 0.05). Otheiwise, age-relateddifferences in alcohol impairment in the other age groups werenot statistically significant. Positional alcohol nystagmus(PAN) developed mainly during the acute phase of intoxication,decreasing in intensity as the time after drinking progressed.Roving ocular movements (ROM) were most apparent during thepost-absorptive phase (120–420 min). We conclude thatthe acute effects of a moderate dose of ethanol on sensory andmotor functions are not much different in men aged between 20and 59 years.     

Socio-demographic correlates of alcohol consumption in the Danish general population

AIMS: Little is known about specific Danish drinking patterns. This paper investigates how various socio-demographic factors are related to Danish alcohol consumption with special focus on age and sex. METHODS: Data come from a national telephone survey of the Danish general population conducted in 2003 with a final sample size of 2,030 cases. Measures of beverage specific current drinking, overall drinking, daily drinking, heavy episodic drinking, mean consumption, volume per drinking occasion and frequency of drinking were analysed. RESULTS: A little over 5% of the population are abstainers. Fourteen per cent of men and 9% of women are heavy drinkers; 38% of men and 18% of women are heavy episodic drinkers. Youth of both sexes drink heavily, and especially in a binge drinking style. Regular, more temperate drinking is associated with increasing age. Multivariate analyses suggest that other than age and sex, classical socioeconomic factors do not play a great a role in determining drinking patterns. Social integrative factors in particular influence women's drinking. CONCLUSIONS: With respect to the rest of Europe and North America, Danes consume high levels of alcohol with a large percentage of youth drinking in a binge pattern. Classical socioeconomic factors play a lesser role in determining drinking patterns compared to other Western countries. Longitudinal studies and studies of alcohol-related consequences in the Danish general population should be conducted to better formulate alcohol and public health policy.     

The social pattern of heavy drinking in Russia during transition: Evidence from Taganrog 1993

Background: we examined the pattern of Russian alcohol consumption,in particular its link with the social and economic situationin Russia after the first year of ‘shock therapy’and super-inflation in a middle-sized Russian city, Taganrog.Methods: face-to-face Interviews were conducted, with a samplingframe consisting of dwellings selected from an official registerand stratified by type and size. Results: In 1993–1994heavy alcohol drinking (>0.5 I of 40% alcohol/week) was verycommon among men in Taganrog (34%), while it was uncommon amongwomen (3%). Male heavy drinking was closely related to social,economic and family characteristics. The lowest educationalgroups and those In manual occupations reported heavy drinkingmore frequently than others, independently of household income.Among men, quarrels and conflicts in the family were associatedwith a sixfold higher frequency of heavy drinking compared tofamilies reporting good relations. The social transformationtaking place at present is being accompanied by increased socialand economic pressures on families. Conclusions: we suggestthat heavy alcohol consumption Is particularly common amongmen who are likely to have lost out during this transition.Russia's mortality crisis seems to be closely linked to itssocial transformation, but in different ways for men and women.     

Unemployment, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and body weight in young British men

The relationship of unemployment experienced between the agesof 16 and 33 years with smoking, alcohol consumption and obesitywas examined in 2, 887 men who were members of the 1958 longitudinalBritish birth cohort study (NCDS). Cigarette smoking, alcoholconsumption, measured as units consumed in the past week andas problem drinking using the CAGE questionnaire and the bodymass index (BMI) were measured at age 33 years. Both the amountof unemployment accumulated between the ages of 16 and 33 yearsand recent unemployment experienced in the year prior to interviewat age 33 years were examined. When compared with men who hadnever been unemployed, the adjusted relative odds amongst menwith over three years of accumulated unemployment (after adjustmentfor possible confounding socioeconomic and behavioural factorsmeasured prior to unemployment) were 2.11 (95% Cl: 1.42–3.12)for smoking, 2.13 (95% Cl: 1.32–3.42) for a low BMI andnon-significant for a high BMI; 1.52 (95% Cl: 1.04–2.24)for no alcohol consumed; non-significant for high alcohol consumption,but 2.15 (95% Cl: 1.39–3.33) for problem drinking. Menwho had experienced unemployment in the year prior to the interview,compared to those who had not, after adjustment, were significantlymore likely to smoke (RO 2.92, 95% Cl: 2.13–4.01), drinkheavily (RO 1.73, 95% Cl: 1.18–2.54) and to have a drinkproblem (RO 2.90, 95% CI: 1.99–4.21). Unemployment mayplay a significant part in establishing life-long patterns ofhazardous behaviour in young men.     

DRINKING AND SMOKING PATTERNS AMONGST WOMEN ATTENDING AN ANTENATAL CLINIC-I. BEFORE PREGNANCY

This paper provides basic epidemiological data on smoking anddrinking patterns before pregnancy amongst 1117 pregnant womenattending a London antenatal clinic. Similar data are alreadyavailable from North America and surveys have been done in Scotlandbut there is a dearth of information from England and Wales. In the early stages of pregnancy, prior to recognition, heavyalcohol consumption (in excess of 56 units of alcohol per week)is associated with the Foetal Alcohol Syndrome. More moderatelevels of intake (as little as 10 units of alcohol per week)have been associated with Foetal Alcohol Effects such as growthretardation. In our sample 19% of the mothers were drinkingmore than 10 units of alcohol per week. Six per cent were consumingmore than the 14 units of alcohol currently recommended by threeof the medical Royal Colleges as ‘safe’ for non-pregnantwomen. Average weekly alcohol consumption was related to both the usualfrequency and amount drunk, but also to binge drinking, beveragechoice and combination, and reasons for drinking. In general,drinking was frequent and light. Those women who drank moreper week tended to drink more frequently than those in the lowerweekly consumption bands. Fourteen per cent of the sample admittedto binge drinking (more than 14 units of alcohol in a singlesitting). Wine was the most popular beverage type. The rangeof beverages consumed was wider in the higher alcohol consumptionbands. Those in the lower bands were more likely to drink onlyone beverage type. Social reasons for drinking were of far greaterimportance than reasons which emphasised the effects of drinking.However, heavy drinkers were unlikely to drink solely for socialreasons. Seventy-seven per cent of the mothers were non-smokers, butthe incidence of smoking increased in the higher alcohol consumptionbands. The demographic characteristics of the smokers were inmarked contrast to those of the heavier drinkers. Smokers tendedto be younger, of lower social status and multiparous, whereasthe heavier drinkers were more likely to be older, of highersocial status and primiparous. This finding is of fundamentalimportance to those interested in planning screening or interventionprogrammes.     

PREVALENCE OF ALCOHOL PROBLEMS IN GENERAL PRACTICE: AN EXPERIENCE FROM SOUTHERN ITALY

The Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) and the responseto a question about heavy alcohol consumption were used to assessthe prevalence of alcohol problems in consecutive patients (77males and 46 females) consulting a general practitioner in anurban area in the South of Italy (Castellammare di Stabia).Alcohol problems, which were defined by a cut-off score of 5on the MAST and/or by heavy alcohol consumption (correspondingto at least 60 g of ethanol daily for males and 36 g of ethanoldaily for females for at least 2 years), were identified in54 patients [43.9%: 95% confidence interval (CI) 35.0–53.1%].45 males (58.4%. 95% Cl 46.6–69.6%) and nine females (19.6%.95% CI 9.4–33.9%). The prevalence of MAST positive patientswas 32.5% (95% CI 24. 4–41.6%) in the total patient sample.45.5% (95% CI 34.1–57.2%) among males and 10.9% (95% CI3.6–23.6%) among females. The question about heavy alcoholconsumption had a predictive negative value of 97.2% (95% CI90.2–99.7%) and a predictive positive value of 73.1 %(95% CI 59.0–84.4%) in relation to MAST positive patients.It is suggested that general practitioners should incorporatethis question about heavy alcohol consumption as a screeningquestion in order to detect alcohol problems and give adviceregarding reduction of alcohol consumption.     

Dietary and alcohol intake patterns of a sample of homeless men in Sydney, Australia

Dietary intakes of food and beverages, including alcohol, were collected by questionnaire and prompted 24-h recall on a sample of 107 homeless men living in Inner Sydney. Over 70% reported drinking at least twice a week and drinking heavily (> 80g alcohol) on those occasions. Forty-one per cent reported regularly drinking beverages supplying over 240 g at a time and over half (60%) claimed not to eat while drinking, which would increase their chances of developing disorders such as the Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Biochemical markers of high alcohol consumption, such as alkaline phosphatase and γ-glutamyl transferase, were elevated in 35–41% of the men and were significantly correlated with reported high alcohol consumption. Using 24-h recall methodology, thiamin, magnesium, zinc, pyridoxine, folate and energy appeared to be the nutrients most at risk for this group.     

Health factors and longevity in men and women: a 26-year follow-up study

Health factors have the power to prevent and postpone diseases and death; however, studies using the same methodology in both men and women are sparse. We aimed to study the ability of health factors to prevent mortality in a population-based, 26-year follow-up of Swedish men and women. During 1969–70, a health-screening programme was offered to a stratified sample of 3,064 individuals aged 18–64 years to estimate health-care needs. Missing data (largely according to protocol) for physical fitness, BMI, and smoking habits left 935 subjects, 463 men and 472 women. Alcohol consumption in grams per week and BMI was calculated. Tobacco smoking was recorded as yes/no. Multivariate analysis was performed by Cox regression with age adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Moderate alcohol consumption did not lead to any decrease in mortality. Having two health factors halved the mortality risk in men and women (hazard ratio (HR) 0.52, confidence interval (CI) 0.39–0.70). A further risk reduction was seen in men with three health factors (HR 0.17, CI 0.074–0.41). Men had about 70 per cent higher risk of mortality compared with women after adjustments for all health factors (HR 1.67, CI 1.26–2.23). Men compared to women had greater benefit of all three health factors. This in combination with the overall higher mortality risk in men makes a healthy lifestyle more important for them. The benefit of moderate alcohol consumption could not be detected in this study, and may be explained by an unhealthy drinking pattern in Sweden.     

INFLUENCE OF TEMPERANCE ON SHORT-TERM MORTALITY AMONG ALCOHOL-DEPENDENT MEN IN SRI LANKA

The influence of temperance on short-term mortality was assessedin a group of alcohol dependent men admitted to a rehabilitationunit in Sri Lanka. Of the 234 men initially admitted to theprogramme, 188 were followed up for at least 3 years (mean ±SD 49.5 ± 12.6 months) or until death. All 188 were totallyabstinent from alcohol on leaving the 6 week residential moduleof the programme. During follow-up, 115 relapsed to continuedheavy drinking, whereas 73 remained either totally abstinentor drank infrequently. There were no significant differencesin the age, duration of dependence, number of previous interventions,duration of follow-up or smoking habits between the two groupsof patients. The overall mortality for the whole sample populationwas 9.6%. The mortality among those who relapsed to heavy drinking(13.9%) was more than five times that of those who were abstinentor drank infrequently (2.7%) (P < 0.04). Fifteen of the 16deaths (93.8%) among those who relapsed to heavy drinking werealcohol-related, and included five suicides and accidents whilstunder the influence of alcohol. Temperance significantly reducesshort-term mortality in alcohol-dependent men when comparedto those who relapse to continued heavy drinking. This differencewas primarily due to reduction in the risk of alcohol-relateddeaths.     

ALCOHOL INTAKE CORRELATED WITH SERUM TRACE ELEMENTS

Alcohol intake and serum copper, selenium, magnesium, iron andzinc were investigated in 85 subjects, 48 males and 37 females.Alcohol intake was measured with a questionnaire probing alcoholintake during the preceding 30 days. Mean average daily intakeamong males was 119.7 g (range 0–622.3 g) and among females32 1 g (range 0–378.5 g), and the mean consumption perdrinking day among males was 208.5 g (range 0–666.7 g)and among females 63.8 g (range 0–63.8 g). Among malesalcohol intake per drinking day correlated positively with serumcopper (r = 0.50; P < 0.001) and negatively with serum selenium(r = -0.49; P < 0.001) and magnesium (r = 0.40; P < 0.01).Likewise, among females alcohol intake per drinking day correlatedpositively with serum copper (r = 0.54; P < 0.01) and negativelywith serum magnesium (r = –0.36; P < 0.05). Serum seleniumconcentration was negatively and significantly correlated withaverage daily intake (r = –0.34; P < 0.05) but notwith intake per drinking day. No significant correlations werefound between alcohol intake and serum zinc or iron levels.Only two men, both abstainers, had abnormally low serum zinclevel, and two other men (average daily alcohol intake <37g) and two women (average daily alcohol intake <15 g) hadabnormally high serum iron level. Alcohol intake was associatedwith high serum copper and low serum magnesium and seleniumlevels.     

Epidemiology of alcohol abuse in military and civilian populations.

Results from a random sample survey of US Air Force personnel show that 4.6 per cent exhibit alcohol dependence, indicated by symptoms of withdrawal and impaired control over drinking. An additional 9.3 per cent can be identified as nondependent alcohol abusers, indicated by serious adverse effects of drinking (such as arrest, accident, hospitalization, or significant work impairment) or by heavy alcohol consumption (over 150 ml of ethanol daily). Compared with data from supervisors and official records, survey results did not understate alcohol-related problems. Survey reports of alcohol consumption did underestimate alcoholic beverage sales by about 20 per cent, but adjustments for this discrepancy increased the prevalence rate by less than one percentage point. Rates of serious alcohol abuse among representative samples of males in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and civilian populations were also compared. Although the rates were higher in the military than among civilians, most of the difference was associated with the higher-risk demographic characteristics of military personnel, who are more likely than civilians to be young unmarried males. Results indicate that the rate of alcohol abuse in the military is about the same as in civilian groups with comparable demographic characteristics.     

Alcohol intake in a healthy elderly population.

The relationship between amount of alcohol consumption and social, psychological, and cognitive status was examined in 270 healthy, independently living men and women over age 65. Forty-eight per cent of the sample recorded some alcohol intake during a three-day diet record, with 8 per cent drinking 30 or more grams of alcohol daily. Alcohol intake was positively associated with male gender, income, and amount of education and negatively associated with age. Alcohol intake was not associated with any changes in social or psychological status, but was positively associated with several measurements of cognitive status. These correlations were weak, however, and tended to disappear after controlling for income, education, gender, and age. Past alcohol intake was not associated with any indicators of present social, psychological, or cognitive functioning.     

Patterns of common drug use in teenagers

Abstract: To ascertain current levels of drug use among teenagers and to examine interrelationships in use, a two-stage cluster sample of Victorian secondary school students in years 7 (aged 12 to 13 years), 9 (14 to 15 years) and 11 (16 to 17 years) were surveyed using a questionnaire on computer. Tobacco use and alcohol consumption were evaluated by self-reported frequency of use and seven-day retrospective diaries. Marijuana and coffee consumption were assessed by self-reported frequency of recent use. The questionnaire was completed by 2525, a participation rate of 83 per cent Tobacco use rose with year, with 24 per cent of young women and 16 per cent of young men in year 11 being regular smokers. Trends across year level for heavier alcohol consumption were also observed, with just under 10 per cent of year 11 students reporting a weekly consumption higher than the current recommended guidelines for adults. Strong interrelationships in drug use were found, with a pattern of association between smoking and drinking consistent with a mutual elevation of risk. Frequent use of tobacco and alcohol had a high risk for associated marijuana use. Coffee consumption carried a significant independent association with regular smoking. Teenage substance use is common and most occurs at low level and frequency. However, for a substantial and increasing minority across the teenage years, high levels of tobacco and alcohol consumption potentially compromise health. Frequent alcohol or tobacco use rather than heavy intermittent consumption is most likely to be associated with concurrent substance use potentially damaging to health.     

Alcohol consumption and lipodystrophy in HIV-infected adults with alcohol problems

Lipodystrophy is a common long-term complication of HIV infection that may lead to decreased quality of life and less adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). A complete understanding of the etiology of HIV-associated lipodystrophy has not yet been achieved, although factors related to the virus, per se, and use of ART appear to be related. Alcohol use is common among HIV-infected patients and has biological effects on fat distribution, yet alcohol's relationship to HIV-associated lipodystrophy has not been examined. The goal of this clinical study was to assess the effect of alcohol consumption on lipodystrophy in HIV-infected adults with alcohol problems. This was a prospective study (2001-2006) of 289 HIV-infected persons with alcohol problems. The primary outcome was self-reported lipodystrophy, which was assessed at one time point (median 29 months after enrollment). Alcohol use was assessed every 6 months and classified as: abstinent at all interviews; ≥1 report of moderate drinking but no heavy drinking; 1 or 2 reports of heavy drinking; or ≥3 reports of heavy drinking. Multivariable logistic regression models were fit to the data. Fifty-two percent (150/289) of subjects reported lipodystrophy. Alcohol consumption was: 34% abstinent at all interviews; 12% ≥1 report of moderate drinking, but no heavy drinking; 34% 1-2 reports of heavy drinking; and 20% ≥3 reports of heavy drinking. Although not statistically significant, subjects with alcohol use had a higher odds of lipodystrophy (adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence interval: ≥1 report of moderate drinking, 2.36 [0.89, 6.24]; 1-2 reports of heavy drinking, 1.34 [0.69, 2.60]; ≥3 reports of heavy drinking, 2.07 [0.90, 4.73]). Alcohol use may increase the odds of developing HIV-associated lipodystrophy among subjects with alcohol problems. However, larger studies are needed to fully elucidate the role and impact of alcohol consumption on the development of this common long-term complication of HIV infection and its treatment.     

ASSESSING ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION IN GENERAL PRACTICE PATIENTS--A COMPARISON BETWEEN QUESTIONNAIRE AND INTERVIEW (FINDINGS OF THE MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL'S GENERAL PRACTICE RESEARCH FRAMEWORK STUDY ON LIFESTYLE AND HEALTH)

A self-administered questionnaire, the Health Survey Questionnaire(HSQ) was distributed to patients registered with 47 group generalpractices. The HSQ assesses alcohol consumption using a quantityfrequency scale and includes the four CAGE questions and a questionon whether respondents think they have an alcohol problem. Arandom stratified sample of those patients who returned an HSQ(2666 men and 1537 women) were subsequently invited to attendtheir general practice for an interview with the practice nurse,where weekly alcohol consumption was estimated using both aquantity frequency scale and a systematic enquiry about alcoholconsumption for the week immediately preceding the interview.The latter method was taken as the ‘gold standard’.Excessive drinkers were defined as men whose weekly consumptionby this method was not less than 35 units per week and womendrinking at least 21 units per week. After weighting the results to take account of the samplingbias in favour of the excessive drinkers, 11.7% of men and 2.9%of women were excessive drinkers according to the estimate ofalcohol consumption at interview. This compares with the 7.6%of men and 2.7% of women who were heavy drinkers by the HSQquantity frequency scale. The two interview estimates were comparable but in general theHSQ tended to underestimate consumption compared with theseestimates. The questionnaire was found to be most effective in screeningfor excessive drinkers if all the patients who indicated concernabout their drinking (i.e. those who were with CAGE positiveor had a self-assessed drinking problem), as well as all ofthose who were above the limits for the trial on the quantityfrequency scale, were selected as being potentially excessivedrinkers. In the weighted sample, 14.8% of men and 6.9% of womenwere in this group. Using these selection critena and takingthe interview as the standard for determining the excessivedrinkers a sensitivity of 58.6% and specificity of 91.08% wasobtained for men, with a positive predictive value of 46.1%and a negative predictive value of 94.3%. For women the testwas more sensitive (69.7%) and more specific (95.0%) and hada better negative predictive value (99.1%) than for men. Thepositive predictive value for women at 29.6% was not as goodas that obtained for men. This analysis shows that the HSQ is a fairly effective toolfor detecting excessive drinkers in general practices with asmall proportion of false positive results. It is both economicaland acceptable to patients in a wide range of practice settings.     

Alcohol consumption profile by time in middle-aged men: a longitudinal study based on three different diagnostic instruments

This longitudinal study aimed at comparing aggregate measures of heavy or problem drinking and their variations across time among the same subjects. We examined middle-aged men participating in a health survey over a 5-year interval. Of the 133 consecutive men in the whole age group interviewed as 40-year-olds in 1989, 114 were reached and re-interviewed in 1994. Alcohol consumption was measured by self-report, Malmo-modified Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (Mm-MAST), and serum carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT). Self-reported alcohol consumption decreased with years (142 vs 105 g/week, P = 0.01), as did CDT (16.9 vs 14.4 U/l, P = 0.02), but there was no change in the Mm-MAST results. There was no significant difference in the number of heavy drinkers (either Mm-MAST score > or = 3, or by self-reported alcohol consumption > or = 280 g/week, or by CDT > or = 20 U/l) at 40 and 45 years of age (37 and 47% respectively). At the individual level, alcohol consumption both increased and decreased with age. At 45 years of age 5/114 (4%) of the men reported that they had increased their alcohol consumption by more than 80 g/week and 25/114 (22%) said that they had reduced their drinking by the same amount. The remaining 84 (74%) reported drinking the same amount as 5 years earlier (+/- 80 g/week). This indicates that alcohol drinking habits are not stable in middle age. Most heavy drinkers in both age groups were detected by Mm-MAST and this proportion increased with age while the proportion of positive self-reports and CDTs decreased. Thus, the social consequences, measured here by the Mm-MAST, may be more readily experienced with years even at smaller consumption levels.     

URINARY EXCRETION OF METHANOL AND 5-HYDROXYTRYPTOPHOL AS BIOCHEMICAL MARKERS OF RECENT DRINKING IN THE HANGOVER STATE

Twenty healthy social drinkers (9 women and 11 men) drank either50 g of ethanol (mean intake 0.75 g/kg) or 80 g (mean 1.07 g/kg)according to choice as white wine or export beer in the eveningover 2 h with a meal. After the end of drinking, at bedtime,in the following morning after waking-up, and on two furtheroccasions during the morning and early afternoon, breath-alcoholtests were performed and samples of urine were collected foranalysis of ethanol and methanol and the 5-hydroxytryptophol(5-HTOL) to 5-hydroxyindol-3-ylacetic acid (5-HIAA) ratio Theparticipants were also asked to quantify the intensity of hangoversymptoms (headache, nausea, anxiety, drowsiness, fatigue, muscleaches, vertigo) on a scale from 0 (no symptoms) to 5 (severesymptoms). The first morning urine void collected 6-11 h afterbedtime as a rule contained measurable amounts of ethanol, being0.09 ± 0.03 g/l (mean ± SD) after 50 g and 0.38± 0.1 g/l after 80 g ethanol. The corresponding breath-alcoholconcentrations were zero, except for three individuals who registered0.01–0.09 g/l. Ethanol was not measurable in urine samplescollected later in the morning and early afternoon. The peakurinary methanol occurred in the first morning void, when themean concentration after 80 g ethanol was {small tilde} 6-foldhigher than pre-drinking values. This compares with a {smalltilde} 50-fold increase for the 5-HTOL/5-HIAA ratio in the firstmorning void. Both methanol and the 5-HTOL/5-HIAA ratio remainedelevated above pre-drinking baseline values in the second andsometimes even the third morning voids. Most subjects experiencedonly mild hangover symptoms after drinking 50 g ethanol (meanscore 2.4 ± 2.6), but the scores were significantly higherafter drinking 80g (78 ± 7.1). The most common symptomswere headache, drowsiness, and fatigue A highly significantcorrelation (r = 0.62–0.75, P <0.01) was found betweenthe presence of headache, nausea, and vertigo and the urinarymethanol concentration in the first and second morning voids,whereas 5-HTOL/5-HIAA correlated with headache and nausea. Theseresults show that analysing urinary methanol and 5-HTOL furnishesa way to disclose recent drinking after alcohol has no longerbeen measurable by conventional breath-alcohol tests for atleast 5–10 h. The results also support the notion thatmethanol may be an important factor in the aetiology of hangover.     

DRUG USE AMONG SYDNEY TEENAGERS IN 1985 AND 1986

To investigate adolescent drug use behaviour, a random community sample of Sydney teenagers aged 14 to 19 years was interviewed at home in 1985 (N=996) and again in 1986 (N=756). Respondents were asked about current use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, other illicit drugs, medications and inhalants. Drug use was common: 16 per cent of respondents were heavy drinkers, 28 per cent smoked tobacco, 10 per cent used marijuana and 4 per cent used drugs other than alcohol, tobacco or marijuana. Seventeen per cent were multiple drug users. Drug use was more common among boys than girls, except for tobacco smoking, and increased with age: older males had particularly high prevalences of heavy drinking, tobacco and marijuana use. The prevalence of heavy drinking, tobacco and marijuana use increased by 2–3 percent over the one year follow-up period. About half of the heavy drinkers and marijuana users, and 80 per cent of tobacco smokers had not changed one year later, which indicates the stability of these behaviours. One-third of eligible teenagers contacted at the first interview declined to participate: it is likely that this study underestimates the prevalence of drug use in the community. Heavy drinking, tobacco smoking and marijuana use remain important target behaviours for adolescent drug use prevention programs.     

Alcohol consumption and associated factors in a city in Northeast Brazil

This cross-sectional study focused on alcohol consumption according to gender, age, income, and schooling in Jequié, Bahia State, Brazil. The random sample consisted of 270 individuals over 14 years of age living in the urban area of Jequié from January to March 2010. Alcohol consumption was assessed using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Of the total sample, 21.8% consumed four or more drinks on a typical day, 14.1% admitted having caused any harm after drinking, and 26.3% reported that someone had already suggested they should stop drinking. Forty percent of men had more than four drinks on a typical day, and 50.5% of young people drank frequently. Distribution of the variables was consistent with higher frequency and greater amounts of alcohol among men and young people. There was a large proportion of heavy episodic alcohol consumption. The study identified vulnerable groups that are still not addicted to alcohol, and that should be targeted for public health promotion and prevention policies.     

Alcohol consumption as a major risk factor for the rise in liver cancer mortality rates in Japanese men

BACKGROUND: Age-adjusted liver cancer mortality rates have been increasing for both men and women in Japan since 1970; however, increases in mortality rates in men are much greater than those in women. Hepatitis C virus infections and heavy alcohol consumption are considered to be the major risk factors of liver cancer deaths in Japanese. The purpose of this study is (1) to examine the pattern of liver cancer mortality by gender and birth year to compare those with the pattern of other alcohol-related mortality and (2) to estimate the attributable risk per cent of heavy alcohol consumption for liver cancer deaths in Japanese men. METHODS: Age-specific liver cancer mortality rates by gender were compared with those of cirrhosis mortality rates. Then male-to-female mortality rate ratios were calculated by birth cohort and compared with cirrhosis mortality rate ratios and oesophageal cancer mortality rate ratios. The attributable risk per cent of alcohol consumption for liver cancer death was calculated, using female liver cancer mortality rates as standard rates. RESULTS: Examination of both gender and birth cohort mortality rates revealed that male-to-female liver cancer mortality rate ratios by birth cohort correspond well with those rate ratios for liver cirrhosis and oesophageal cancer mortality. The attributable risk per cent of alcohol consumption for liver cancer deaths in Japanese men was 70%. CONCLUSION: Alcohol consumption is more important than hepatitis C virus infections as a major cause of liver cancer deaths in Japanese men.