Sex differences in alcohol drinking patterns during forced and voluntary consumption in rats.

Wistar rats were studied during forced and voluntary alcohol consumption, and continuous or periodic access to ethanol (6%) v/v with different availability of fluids. Absolute volume of alcohol consumption was not different between sexes in any condition; however, females consumed significantly more alcohol than males on a g/kg basis in all conditions. These differences were significantly more extensive during continuous free-choice to alcohol and water than during forced alcohol consumption. Females showed greater alcohol preference than males only during continuous free-choice to alcohol and water. During periodic free-choice to alcohol and water condition, alcohol consumption was distributed during more hours throughout the day in females than males. During periodic free-choice to alcohol and to an isocaloric sweetened solution (ISS), intakes of ISS were very high compared to regular intakes of daily water; nevertheless, alcohol consumption was maintained to similar levels observed in continuous free-choice to alcohol and water and represented almost 50% of regular daily consumes of water in males and females. Free-choice for alcohol and ISS modified the usual pattern of alcohol consumption during the daily light-dark cycle in males and females and reduced the time devoted to drinking alcohol compared to other conditions, in which similar intakes were observed. Results show that the extent of the higher alcohol consumption in females than males and the changes in patterns of alcohol intake were dependent on the nature of the ingestion schedule.     

Regional differences in alcohol consumption, alcohol addiction and drug use among Swedish adults

Introduction: Alcohol consumption and drug use, as well as alcohol- and drug-related problems, vary considerably in different regions in Sweden, and between men and women of different ages. AIM: The aim of the present study was to examine the regional, gender and socioeconomic distribution of risk consumption of alcohol, alcohol dependency and drug use in a random sample in Sweden. Material and METHODS: In both May 2003 and 2004, 7200 gender-stratified adults (a total of 14,400), randomly selected from 12 regions in Sweden, were contacted by mail, and asked to fill out an enclosed questionnaire. The questionnaire concerned use of alcohol, alcohol-related problems, and use of illicit drugs. RESULTS: Heavy alcohol consumption and cannabis use were more frequent in the south of Sweden than in the north, and the further north, the lower the frequency. Alcohol and drug use decreased with age, and was higher for men than for women. On average, 11.5% of all men and 5.0% of all women consumed alcohol intensively at least weekly, 8.6% of men and 4.5% of women had a generally high alcohol consumption, 4.1% of men and 2.5% of women were alcohol addicted, and 2.9% of men and 1.3% of women had used cannabis during the last 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: High alcohol consumption and use of illegal drugs seem to be more prevalent in those parts of Sweden that are closer to the European continent. In our opinion, this might be an effect of the closeness to other European countries with lower prices for alcohol, less strict alcohol control policies, and higher availability of drugs. Consideration of regional, gender and age differences in problems related to alcohol and drugs seem to be important in the planning and development of preventive activities.     

The regional geography of alcohol consumption in England: Comparing drinking frequency and binge drinking

Alcohol consumption frequency and volume are known to be related to health problems among drinkers. Most of the existing literature that analyses regional variation in drinking behaviour uses measures of consumption that relate only to volume, such as ’binge drinking’. This study compares the regional association of alcohol consumption using measures of drinking frequency (daily drinking) and volume (binge drinking) using a nationally representative sample of residents using the Health Survey for England, 2011–2013. Results suggest the presence of two differentiated drinking patterns with relevant policy implications. We find that people in northern regions are more likely to binge drink, whereas people in southern regions are more likely to drink on most days. Regression analysis shows that regional variation in binge drinking remains strong when taking into account individual and neighbourhood level controls. The findings provide support for regional targeting of interventions that aim to reduce the frequency as well as volume of drinking.     

Vodka and violence: alcohol consumption and homicide rates in Russia

In Russia, rates of alcohol consumption and homicide are among the highest in the world, and already-high levels increased dramatically after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Rates of both, however, vary greatly among Russia's 89 regions. We took advantage of newly available vital statistics and socioeconomic data to examine the regional covariation of drinking and lethal violence. Log-log models were employed to estimate the impact of alcohol consumption on regional homicide rates, controlling for structural factors thought to influence the spatial distribution of homicide rates. Results revealed a positive and significant relationship between alcohol consumption and homicide, with a 1% increase in regional consumption of alcohol associated with an approximately 0.25% increase in homicide rates. In Russia, higher regional rates of alcohol consumption are associated with higher rates of homicide.     

Eating, drinking and being depressed: the social, cultural and psychological context of alcohol consumption and nutrition in a Brazilian community

Much has been written about the socioeconomic distribution of nutritional status, both in more economically developed, and in developing nations. In general, persons of lower socioeconomic status suffer adverse consequences of poor nutritional status, although these consequences can vary depending on the level of development, i.e. in more developed countries the problem tends to be one of over-nutrition and obesity, while in developing countries the problem tends to be one of under-nutrition and nutritional deficiencies. In this paper, we explore the socioeconomic distribution of dietary intake in a Brazilian city, in an area that in some ways is neither prototypically developed or underdeveloped. The analysis presented here was stimulated by the surprising observation of no socioeconomic differences in total caloric intake in the context of extreme differences in income distribution. Further examination showed that socioeconomic differences in total caloric intake appeared after controlling for alcohol intake. A complete analysis of the data suggests that lower income leads to lower cultural consonance, which in turn leads to higher depression, higher alcohol intake, and higher total caloric intake. In this model, alcohol ingestion can be seen as both a psychological and nutritional adaptive strategy to economic, social and cultural marginality in a highly stratified society.     

The association between age at first use of alcohol and alcohol consumption levels among adult general drinking population

Aim

The goal of the study was to investigate the association between age at first alcohol use and current levels of alcohol consumption among the adult Australian general drinking population.

Subject and methods

A retrospective cohort study was performed using self-report data collected by the 2004 and 2007 Australian National Drug Strategy Household surveys. Participants were selected using a multi-stage, stratified-area, random sample design. Male and female participants aged 20–49?years at the time of the survey, who were current drinkers and consumed their first full serve of alcohol before the age of 25?years, were included in this study. Poisson regression models (with robust estimations of variance) were used to explore associations between age when a full serve of alcohol was first consumed and relative likelihood of consuming alcohol above low risk levels at the time of survey, while adjusting for a number of potential confounders.

Results

Younger age at first use of alcohol was associated with increased likelihood of consuming alcohol at levels associated with increased risk of long- and short-term harms in adulthood, even among a subsample of participants with good mental health status as measured by the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale.

Conclusion

Younger age at first use of alcohol was associated with increased likelihood of high level alcohol use in adulthood. Effective strategies to delay onset of alcohol use are needed in order to reduce the future prevalence of high risk drinking adults.     

Contribution of drinking patterns to differences in rates of alcohol related problems between three urban populations

OBJECTIVES: To examine, on empirical data, whether drinking patterns, in addition to overall alcohol consumption, contribute to differences in rates of alcohol related problems between populations. DESIGN: Cross sectional survey. SETTINGS: One Russian, one Polish, and one Czech city. PARTICIPANTS: 1118 men and 1125 women randomly selected from population registers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Problem drinking; negative social consequences of drinking; alcohol consumption and drinking pattern. RESULTS: Rates of problem drinking and of negative consequences of drinking were much higher in Russian men (35% and 18%, respectively) than in Czechs (19% and 10%) or Poles (14% and 8%). This contrasts with substantially lower mean annual intake of alcohol reported by Russian men (4.6 litres) than by Czech men (8.5 litres), and with low mean drinking frequency in Russia (67 drinking sessions per year, compared with 179 sessions among Czech men). However, Russians consumed the highest dose of alcohol per drinking session (means 71 g in Russians, 46 g in Czechs, and 45 g in Poles), and had the highest prevalence of binge drinking. In women, the levels of alcohol related problems and of drinking were low in all countries. In ecological and individual level analyses, indicators of binge drinking explained a substantial part of differences in rates of problem drinking and negative consequences of drinking between the three countries. CONCLUSIONS: These empirical data confirm high levels of alcohol related problems in Russia despite low volume of drinking. The binge drinking pattern partly explains this paradoxical finding. Overall alcohol consumption does not suffice as an estimate of alcohol related problems at the population level.     

High-risk alcohol consumption and late-life alcohol use problems

OBJECTIVES: We used several different guidelines for appropriate alcohol use to identify patterns of high-risk alcohol consumption among older women and men and examined associations between these patterns and late-life alcohol use problems. METHODS: A sample of 1291 older adults participated in a survey of alcohol consumption and alcohol use problems and was studied again 10 years later. RESULTS: Depending on the guideline, 23% to 50% of women and 29% to 45% of men engaged in potentially unsafe alcohol use patterns. The likelihood of risky alcohol use declined over the 10 years; however, the numbers of drinks consumed per week and per day were associated with alcohol use problems at both assessment intervals. CONCLUSION: Our findings imply that guidelines for alcohol consumption should be no more liberal for older men than for older women.     

Screening for alcohol use disorders and at-risk drinking in the general population: psychometric performance of three questionnaires

Most screening questionnaires are developed in clinical settings and there are few data on their performance in the general population. This study provides data on the area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve, sensitivity, specificity, and internal consistency of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), the consumption questions of the AUDIT (AUDIT-C) and the Lübeck Alcohol Dependence and Abuse Screening Test (LAST) among current drinkers (n = 3551) of a general population sample in northern Germany. Alcohol dependence and misuse according to DSM-IV and at-risk drinking served as gold standards to assess sensitivity and specificity and were assessed with the Munich-Composite Diagnostic Interview (M-CIDI). AUDIT and LAST showed insufficient sensitivity for at-risk drinking and alcohol misuse using standard cut-off scores, but satisfactory detection rates for alcohol dependence. The AUDIT-C showed low specificity in all criterion groups with standard cut-off. Adjusted cut-points are recommended. Among a subsample of individuals with previous general hospital admission in the last year, all questionnaires showed higher internal consistency suggesting lower reliability in non-clinical samples. In logistic regression analyses, having had a hospital admission increased the sensitivity in detecting any criterion group of the LAST, and the number of recent general practice visits increased the sensitivity of the AUDIT in detecting alcohol misuse. Women showed lower scores and larger areas under the ROC curves. It is concluded that setting specific instruments (e.g. primary care or general population) or adjusted cut-offs should be used.     

Consumed with worry: 'unsafe' alcohol consumption and self-reported problem drinking in England

Using data from the 1994 Health Survey for England, logistic multivariate multilevel modelling techniques are used to investigate the simultaneous effect of individual demographic characteristics and socio-structural factors on self-reported problem drinking as revealed by CAGE scores and 'unsafe' levels of alcohol consumption. Whilst the influence of key socio-structural variables is broadly similar for both unsafe alcohol consumption and high CAGE scores, there are notable exceptions when results are examined by tenure group: those in the rented sector are more likely to be problem drinkers as revealed by CAGE, but less likely to consume 'unsafe' amounts of alcohol. Both dimensions of drinking behaviour are influenced by the consumption patterns of others in the household, with both likelihoods increasing as the average consumption of others in the household rises. After taking into account individual compositional variables, the research indicates that there is very little evidence for geographical variation remaining in these two dimensions of drinking behaviour. It is found that the proportion of the population whose drinking behaviour may be classed as (potentially) problematic via the CAGE responses is substantially less than the proportion consuming above recommended 'safe' levels. The research concludes, however, that the two measures are broadly similar in their relationship to social and structural variables. Tenure provides an exception to this conclusion and indicates a continuing need to take account of housing circumstances in developing an understanding of drinking behaviour.     

Self-reported alcohol use among Dutch emergency room patients: variations in prevalence rates owing to methodological differences

AIMS: This study compared different methods of assessing self-reported alcohol use among emergency room patients in order to explain the variations in reported prevalence rates. METHODS: Alcohol use prior to patient's injury or illness was assessed in one hospital by a self-report questionnaire in three different ways: (i) administered by emergency room staff, (ii) administered by research staff, or (iii) sent to the patient's home by post. RESULTS: Results show variations in self-reported alcohol use 6 h prior to the injury or illness ranging from 4.6 to 9.1%; these variations may be explained by sample selection bias and characteristics of the included study populations. When self-report is combined with staff judgement the corresponding prevalence rates are 6.8% for research staff and 16.2% for emergency room staff. This shows that the latter judge the patient's alcohol use more efficiently than the research staff. Using research staff 24 h a day resulted in almost no sample bias. Data collection via emergency room staff leads to the highest alcohol use prevalence rates and to the highest sample bias; this was influenced by the emergency room characteristics. A retrospective mail survey results in an older sample with age-related (lower) alcohol use and emergency room characteristics related to this age group. CONCLUSIONS: Future studies using patient self-report among emergency room samples should consider carefully the influence of sample selection bias. The combination of the research staff handing out the questionnaire and the emergency room staff giving their judgement on the patient's alcohol use seems to be a useful method.     

'I drink spirits to get drunk and block out my problems...' beverage preference, drinking motives and alcohol use in adolescence

Aims: To investigate among adolescents whether (i) drinkingmotives are related to beverage preference; (ii) beverage preferenceis related to alcohol use (drinking levels and risky drinkingoccasions); (iii) the association between beverage preferenceand alcohol use is moderated or mediated by drinking motives.Method: Data from a national representative sample of 5379 8th–10thgraders in Switzerland (mean age 15.1, SD = 0.95) were analysedusing multiple regression analyses. Beverage preference wasbased on the proportion of a specific beverage in the totalamount of drinks consumed at the last drinking occasion. Drinkingmotives were assessed by the drinking motive questionnaire revised(DMQ-R). Results: A significant positive association was foundbetween enhancement motives and a preference for beer and spirits;the association was negative with regard to a preference forwine and alcopops. Conformity motives were positively relatedto a wine preference but negatively to a beer preference. Onlya preference for beer and spirits was significantly associatedwith alcohol use in models that exclude motives. However, theassociation between beer preference and adolescent alcohol usewas mediated by drinking motives. A preference for alcopopsand spirits was moderated by motives: social drinkers who preferredalcopops drank less than those who did not prefer alcopops.Coping drinkers who preferred spirits drank more than thosewho preferred other alcoholic drinks. Conclusions: Drinkingmotives are potential explanatory factors for the associationbetween beverage preference and alcohol use. Prevention approachesshould target coping motives, particularly for adolescents whoshow a preference for spirits.     

Eating disorders among women receiving treatment for an alcohol problem

To evaluate the frequency of eating disorder features among women receiving treatment for an alcohol problem, 52 female attenders at an alcohol clinic were assessed using a standardized research clinical interview, and the findings compared with data on a general population sample. The results suggest that eating disorder features are overrepresented among women who present for treatment for an alcohol problem. © 1993 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Hazardous drinking in New Zealand sportspeople: level of sporting participation and drinking motives

AIMS: To examine the relationship between athlete drinking motives and hazardous drinking across differing levels of sporting participation (club vs elite-provincial vs elite-international). METHODS: Data from 1214 New Zealand sportspeople was collected. We assessed hazardous drinking with the WHO's AUDIT questionnaire and sportspeople's psychosocial reasons for drinking with the ADS. Level of sporting participation (club/social, provincial/state, or international/olympic level) was also assessed. RESULTS: Hazardous drinking behaviours differed across levels of sporting participation, with elite-provincial sportspeople showing the highest level of hazardous drinking, club/social sportspeople the next highest and elite-international sportspeople the lowest. Sportspeople who placed a greater emphasis on drinking as a reward for participating in their sports tended to display more hazardous drinking behaviours, but other ADS motives differed over level of sporting participation. Elite-provincial sportspeople and elite-international sportspeople placed more emphasis on drinking as a way to cope with the stresses of participating in their sports. A relationship between team/group motives and AUDIT scores was fully mediated by positive reinforcement motives, and partially mediated by stress-related coping motives. CONCLUSIONS: These findings have implications for alcohol education programs targeted at sportspeople and sport administration, and may help improve the efficacy and focus of intervention programs.     

Eating disorders and substance use: be aware of this dual diagnosis

In summary, dual-diagnosis patients are challenging; their symptoms interact and may lead to dangerous medical sequelae. Their addiction and addiction-like behaviors are therefore best addressed in settings equipped to offer a parallel and simultaneous treatment course for both ED and SUD.     

Circadian drinking rhythms and blood alcohol levels in two rat lines developed for their alcohol consumption

The circadian drinking behavior of the AA (Alko Alcohol) and ANA (Alko Non-Alcohol) rat lines developed for high and low voluntary alcohol consumption was studied by using a microcomputer lick-counting system. The blood alcohol concentrations of AA rats were measured during the drinking peaks. The results showed that AA rats voluntarily drink intoxicating amounts of alcohol. The highest blood alcohol levels were about 25 mmol/l. Differences in circadian drinking rhythms between AA and ANA lines were also found. AA rats had a trimodal drinking pattern for alcohol intake during the dark period but ANA rats drank alcohol rather evenly throughout the period.