Criminality among female drug abusers

Criminality among female (n=351) drug abusers is compared to that of men (n=798) as part of a longitudinal study of persons in treatment in Sweden (the SWEDATE project). The extent of criminality was much less among females than among males, and fewer women than men were criminal. The pattern of criminality varied between the sexes. Women's crime debuts occurred later, and they committed less violent crimes and more drug-related crimes. The majority of women supported themselves in other ways than with criminality. Also, women tended to have a more severe pattern of abuse, a more rapid drug career, and more complex psychological problems than men. A subgroup of prostitutes whose drug of choice was heroin often began drug use early with cannabis and went on to amphetamine for their first injection, which often took place in a junkie pad. There was also a criminal group (as there was among men) with a very early and intensive juvenile delinquency pattern, early drug debuts and a rapid transition to regular abuse and extensive adult criminality. Forty-two percent of the women had no criminal records; they had more extensive multiple drug abuse than the other women (this was also true for the noncriminal male addicts). The study shows that drug abuse and criminality are interrelated for certain individuals, but not for others.     

酒后驾车的血液酒精浓度限制标准

酒后驾车是人们所面临的公共卫生问题之一 ,也是导致交通事故中人员伤亡的一个主要因素。1999年 ,与酒有关的车祸使美国 15 786人丧生及 30万人受伤[1] 。新加坡 2 2 6例因交通事故而死亡的人当中 ,18 7%的人是酒后驾车者[2 ] 。酒后驾车也是导致法国交通事故中死亡的主要因素 ,对以往事故的回顾性研究中发现 ,78 7%的司机在事故前有饮酒行为 ,在有严重人员伤亡的交通事故中 ,酒后驾车者占 31 5 % [3 ] 。目前公众已经意识到酒后驾车的危害 ,许多国家通过不同途径采取各种措施来减少酒后驾车及其危害。制定血液酒精浓度标准 (bloodal coholc…     

Changes in serum thioredoxin among individuals chronically exposed to arsenic in drinking water

It is well known that oxidative damage plays a key role in the development of chronic arsenicosis. There is a complex set of mechanisms of redox cycling in vivo to protect cells from the damage. In this study, we examined the differences in the levels of serum thioredoxin1 (TRX1) among individuals exposed to different levels of arsenic in drinking water and detected early biomarkers of arsenic poisoning before the appearance of skin lesions. A total of 157 subjects from endemic regions of China were selected and divided into arsenicosis group with skin lesions (total intake of arsenic: 8.68-45.71 mg-year) and non-arsenicosis group without skin lesions, which further divided into low (0.00-1.06 mg-year), medium (1.37-3.55 mg-year), and high (4.26-48.13 mg-year) arsenic exposure groups. Concentrations of serum TRX1 were analyzed by an ELISA method. Levels of water arsenic and urinary speciated arsenics, including inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylated arsenic (MMA), and dimethylated arsenic (DMA), were determined by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry. Our results showed that the levels of serum TRX1 in arsenicosis patients were significantly higher than that of the subjects who were chronically exposed to arsenic, but without skin lesions. A positive correlation was seen between the levels of serum TRX1 and the total water arsenic intake or the levels of urinary arsenic species. The results of this study indicate that arsenic exposure could significantly change the levels of human serum TRX1, which can be detected before arsenic-specific dermatological symptoms occur. This study provides further evidence on revealing the mechanism of arsenic toxicity.     

Problem-free drinking over 16 years among individuals with alcohol use disorders

BACKGROUND: Limited data exist on the rates and long-term stability of non-problem drinking in individuals who sought help for an alcohol use disorder. METHODS: A sample of initially untreated individuals with alcohol use disorders (n=420) was surveyed at baseline and 1 year and was re-assessed at 8 and 16 years. RESULTS: In the 6 months prior to the 1-year assessment, 36% (n=152) of participants reported abstinence from alcohol, 48% (n=200) reported drinking with problems, and 16% (n=68) reported non-problem drinking. At each follow up, 16-21% of the sample reported non-problem drinking. Compared to individuals in the abstinent and problem-drinking groups, individuals who were drinking in a problem-free manner at 1 year had reported, at baseline, fewer days of intoxication, drinks per drinking day, alcohol dependence symptoms, and alcohol-related problems, less depression, and more adaptive coping mechanisms. Over time, 48% of participants who engaged in non-problem drinking at 1 year continued to report positive outcomes (either non-problem drinking or abstinence) throughout the long-term follow-up, whereas 77% of those abstaining at 1 year reported positive outcomes throughout the same time period. Additionally, 43% of individuals with problematic alcohol consumption at 1 year reported positive outcomes over the remaining follow-up interval, a rate that was not significantly different from the rate of positive outcomes of 48% observed in those with initial problem-free drinking. CONCLUSIONS: Although some individuals report non-problem drinking a year after initially seeking help, this pattern of alcohol use is relatively infrequent and is less stable over time than is abstinence. An accurate understanding of the long-term course of alcohol use and problems could help shape expectations about the realistic probability of positive outcomes for individuals considering moderate drinking as a treatment goal.     

Legislated policies and recidivism for driving under the influence of liquor in Massachusetts

Legislation on driving under the influence of liquor was changed significantly in Massachusetts on 1 December 1975; it permitted courts to continue cases without a finding if defendants were place probation and assigned to driver alcohol education. The effect of the revisions on the incidence of rearrest was assessed. The 3-yr arrest records of 522 individuals arrested for drunken driving 2 yr before the changes (1973) were compared with 716 and 690 offenders arrested 1 (1976) and 2 (1977) yr post-law modification. Sample participants were selected randomly. The legislation strongly affected court dispositions. Over 70% of the 1976-1977 cases were continued without findings and more offenders were sanctioned. The proportion found not guilty dropped from 1973 to 1976-1977. Absolute rearrest rates were similar for each cohort. Probability of arrest, however, rose substantially between 1973 and 1980. Relative to the increased arrest rate, there was a significant decline in rearrests 2 and 3 yr after a drunken driving arrest during the post-law period. The legislation apparently contributed to an amelioration of the drunken driving problem by encouraging judicial reforms and educational interventions.     

Varenicline effects on drinking,craving and neural reward processing among non-treatment-seeking alcohol-dependent individuals

Rationale

The α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor partial agonist varenicline has been reported to reduce drinking among both heavy-drinking smokers and primary alcoholics, and this effect may be related to varenicline-mediated reduction of alcohol craving. Among smokers, varenicline has been reported to modulate cigarette cue-elicited brain activation in several reward-related areas.

Objectives

This pilot study tested varenicline’s effects on drinking, alcohol craving, and alcohol cue-elicited activation of reward-related brain areas among non-treatment-seeking alcohol-dependent individuals.

Methods

Thirty-five such individuals (mean age?=?30, 57 % male, 76 % heavy drinking days in the past month, 15 smokers) were randomized to either varenicline (titrated to 2 mg) or placebo for 14 days, and were administered an alcohol cue reactivity fMRI task on day 14. A priori regions of interest (ROIs) were bilateral and medial orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), right ventral striatum (VS), and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC).

Results

Despite good medication adherence, varenicline did not reduce heavy drinking days or other drinking parameters. It did, however, increase self-reported control over alcohol-related thoughts and reduced cue-elicited activation bilaterally in the OFC, but not in other brain areas.

Conclusions

These data indicate that varenicline reduces alcohol craving and some of the neural substrates of alcohol cue reactivity. However, varenicline effects on drinking mediated by cue-elicited brain activation and craving might be best observed among treatment-seekers motivated to reduce their alcohol consumption.     

Britain's Christmas Crusade against drinking and driving

Great Britain's 1983 "Christmas Crusade" against drunken drivers, during which the police of England and Wales administered an average of 1350 breath tests daily, is discussed. Although not deliberately planned and organized, the campaign, fueled by press reports, was perceived by many observes to be a national organized deterrent effort. To test the hypothesis that the crusade reduced drunken driving, the index of total automobile crash-related fatalities was used in the analysis. Results showed that the index declined significantly during the month of the crusade, providing support for the hypothesis of deterrent effect. The experience of the Christmas Crusade reinforces the expectation that deterrent interventions involving highly publicized campaigns increasing the certainty of punishment for illegal behavior can be successful over a limited period of time.     

Negative consequences and cognitions about drinking and driving

OBJECTIVE: Drinking and driving has been found to be a highly persistent behavior, even after experiencing negative consequences, such as arrest. This study tested the association between consequences of drinking and driving and cognitions related to drinking and driving (e.g., attitudes, normative beliefs). We tested whether exposure to negative consequences was associated with perceptions of risk associated with drinking and driving. METHOD: Participants were 938 college students. The sample was 57% female and primarily white (86%). Questionnaire measures were used to assess alcohol use, drinking and driving behaviors, drinking and driving cognitions, and lifetime drinking and driving consequences. RESULTS: Results indicated that participants who had experienced consequences of drinking and driving (either as a driver or rider) reported more current drinking and driving and greater alcohol consumption. Analyses indicated that most cognition measures differentiated those reporting lifetime consequences from the rest of the sample, with the consequence groups reporting more risky cognitions. However, experiencing a personal consequence of drinking and driving was associated with perceiving negative consequences of drinking and driving to be more likely. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide evidence that most cognitive risk factors for drinking and driving remain high even after experiencing a negative consequence. This may contribute to the persistence of drinking and driving in prior offenders. The finding that the perception of negative consequences may be influenced by experiencing consequences may have implications for intervention and treatment efforts.     

Beverage sales and drinking and driving: the role of on-premise drinking places

OBJECTIVE: The relationships between on-premise drinking places, beverage specific alcohol sales and drinking and driving were examined in a time series cross-sectional study of place-of-last-drink data from Perth, Western Australia. METHOD: At arrest, 2,411 drinking drivers reported their last location of consumption. Tabulated by 57 premises over 4 years, the rates at which individual premises were referenced as the place-of-last-drink were taken to reflect the relative distributions of numbers of drinking drivers coming from different premise types (hotels, taverns and nightclubs). The data were then statistically related to measures of premise types and characteristics and beverage specific alcohol sales. RESULTS: Significant cross-sectional relationships were obtained between measures of premise types, alcohol sales and drinking and driving. Greatest numbers of drinking drivers came from taverns and from places selling greater amounts of beer and spirits. Significant longitudinal effects were obtained for sales of beer, proportions of high alcohol beer sold and sales of spirits. CONCLUSIONS: As a whole, the results suggest that, at least for Western Australia, outlets selling greater amounts of beer and spirits, and greater amounts of high alcohol beer, will produce larger numbers of drinking drivers.     

Age of first intoxication,heavy drinking,driving after drinking and risk of unintentional injury among U.S. college students

OBJECTIVES: This study explored whether college students who were first intoxicated by alcohol at ages younger than 19 are more likely to become alcohol dependent and frequent heavy drinkers, drive after drinking, ride with intoxicated drivers and be injured after drinking. It also investigated whether these results occur because these students believe they can drink more and still drive legally and safely. METHOD: In 1999, 14,138 of 23,751 full-time 4-year students from a random sample of 119 college and universities nationwide completed self-administered questionnaires (response rate: 60%). This analysis focused on 12,550 who were aged 19 or older. Respondents were asked the age at which they first got drunk, as well as questions about recent alcohol-related behaviors and consequences. RESULTS: Compared with respondents first drunk at age 19 or older, those first drunk prior to age 19 were significantly more likely to be alcohol dependent and frequent heavy drinkers, to report driving after any drinking, driving after five or more drinks, riding with a driver who was high or drunk and, after drinking, sustaining injuries that required medical attention. Respondents first intoxicated at younger ages believed they could consume more drinks and still drive safely and legally; this contributed to their greater likelihood of driving after drinking and riding with high or drunk drivers. CONCLUSIONS: Educational, clinical, environmental and legal interventions are needed to delay age of first intoxication and to correct misperceptions among adolescents first drunk at an early age about how much they can drink and still drive safely and legally.     

Reasons for drinking among DWI arrestees

The present study investigated the reasons given for drinking episodes that led to arrests for driving while intoxicated (DWI). DWI arrestees completed a self-report checklist of the psychological and situational factors associated with their drinking-related arrest. Three general categories of reasons for drinking were factor analytically derived. These included (a) drinking in response to negative feelings primarily of an interpersonal nature, (b) drinking in response to negative feelings primarily of an intrapersonal nature, and (c) social factors involved in drinking.     

Mixed messages: Contributions to adolescent drinking and driving

This qualitative study focused on the discrepancies in messages concerning alcohol use presented by adults to young people. The purpose was to investigate how these discrepancies might impact adolescents’ drinking, and drinking and driving behavior. The data consisted of semi-structured interviews with 44 adolescents who in a previous survey had admitted having been involved in drinking and driving, riding with a drunk driver, or both. The analysis of the interviews focused on the discrepancies between messages presented by adult authorities and the respondents’ experience of actual behavior from these authorities. The findings indicate that there are serious problems in the communication between adult authorities and adolescents. Parents, schools, and police are not consistent and persistent in their communication with adolescents concerning alcohol and drinking and driving. This inconsistency seems to prevent teenagers from understanding the extent of the problem of drinking and driving. Implications for research and prevention are discussed.     

Hazardous drinking and drinking patterns among the reindeer-herding Sami population in Sweden

The objective of this study was to investigate hazardous drinking among reindeer-herding Sami in Sweden. A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted in 2007, which included the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test. A total of 319 reindeer-herding Sami were compared with urban and rural reference populations of 1,393 persons. Data were analyzed with regard to population, gender, age group, education, anxiety, depression, and work-related stress. The Sami population did not report a higher prevalence of hazardous drinking compared with the reference groups; however, subgroups of Sami men with symptoms of depression were revealed as at risk, in contrast to Sami women who were not found to be at risk at all. Limitations of the study are discussed.     

Predicting driving after drinking over time among college students: the emerging role of injunctive normative perceptions

ABSTRACT. Objective: Despite prevention efforts, driving after drinking (DAD) is a prevalent high-risk behavior among college students and is a leading cause of death and injury. Examination of factors predicting future DAD behavior is necessary to develop efficacious targeted interventions to reduce this behavior among college students. The current study evaluated demographic, social cognitive, and behavioral predictors of DAD using longitudinal data. Method: Participants were 655 nonabstaining college students (67.2% female; 60.3% White; Mage = 19.3 years) who completed online surveys at two time points 12 months apart. Results: Results revealed that participants consistently overestimated their peers' approval (injunctive norms) of DAD. In a three-step hierarchical logistic regression model, injunctive norms, age, and past DAD behavior uniquely contributed to the prediction of this behavior 12 months later. Neither sex nor membership in a sorority or fraternity emerged as significant predictors. Conclusions: The findings provide important new insights into the longitudinal predictors of DAD among college students and highlight the need for DAD interventions, particularly among older students. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 73, 726-730, 2012).     

Reasons for drinking among the elderly in rural Arizona

Reasons for drinking, and past and present drinking patterns among the elderly in rural Arizona were examined. Interviews were conducted with 444 individuals (219 women) aged 65 +. Responses to a list of 20 reasons for drinking wee divided into six groups: social, mood change, food, health, personal coping and interpersonal coping. Respondents were grouped into categories on the basis of their quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption--abstainers, light drinkers, moderate drinkers or heavy drinkers. Approximately 80% of the positive responses were for the more acceptable reasons; only 12% indicated a positive response to one or more of the coping reasons. Light, moderate and heavy drinkers wee differentiated according to reasons for drinking, as were the various age groupings. Findings indicated that the rural elderly's alcohol use is generally at an acceptable level and style, that alcohol use diminishes with age, and that drinking patterns and reasons generally remain consistent into old age.     

Positive drinking consequences among hazardous drinking college students

Negative drinking consequences in college students have been well studied, but emerging evidence points to a role for positive drinking consequences in predicting alcohol related problems. Positive drinking consequences appear to be distinct from other drinking constructs such as drinking expectancies and drinking motives. However, no work has evaluated the role of positive drinking consequences in hazardous drinking college students, a population at high risk for alcohol related problems. The goal of the current study was to examine the effect of positive drinking consequences on problem drinking and alcohol problem recognition in a hazardous drinking college sample. Participants (N=222) were hazardous drinking undergraduate students completing a battery of self-report measures about alcohol use. Findings indicated that positive drinking consequences predicted problem drinking above and beyond other related constructs including positive drinking motives (i.e. enhancement and social). However, positive drinking consequences did not appear to play a significant role in alcohol problem recognition. Future research directions and implications for interventions with hazardous drinking college students are discussed.     

Self-efficacy and motivation for controlling drinking and drinking/driving: an investigation of changes across a driving under the influence (DUI) intervention program and of recidivism prediction

Measures of (a) self-efficacy and (b) motivation to change (stage) for controlling drinking and drinking/driving were examined at the beginning and the end of a four-week intervention in a sample of 670 Driving Under the Influence (DUI) offenders in a court-mandated program. Hypotheses regarding stability of stage classifications over the course of intervention, and the relation between stage classification, stage scores, self-efficacy, and DUI recidivism were examined. Based on results of an earlier study it was expected that most offenders would be classified into the action stage at entry and that classifications would tend to remain stable from pretest to posttest. Action was the most frequent stage classification in both drinking and drinking/driving domains at both test periods, with precontemplation being the least frequent classification. When tracked over the four weeks, stage classifications for drinking and drinking/driving were stable for 74 to 89% of offenders in the two domains, respectively. As predicted, higher action and self-efficacy scores were related to lower recidivism, and action scores in the drinking/driving domain were the best early recidivism predictors among a predictor set that included traditional recidivism indicators. Drinking contemplators (i.e., those with the highest stage score on the contemplation scale) had higher recidivism rates than other drinking stage classifications. Implications for DUI intervention programs are discussed.     

Drinking motives,drinking restraint and drinking behaviour among young adults

Motives to drink alcohol are widely thought to be the proximal cognitive factors involved in the decision to consume alcohol beverages. However it has also been argued that the ability to restrain drinking may be a more proximal predictor of drinking behaviour. The current study aimed to examine the relationships between drinking motives, drinking restraint and both alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems in a sample of young adults. A sample of 221 young adults (aged 17–34 years) completed self-report measures assessing drinking behaviour, motives for drinking and drinking restraint. Multiple regression analyses revealed that coping, enhancement and social motives were related to alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems, while Cognitive and Emotional Preoccupation with drinking was related to all criterion variables. Further, the relationship between coping motives and drinking behaviour was mediated by preoccupation with drinking. The results are discussed in light of the roles of drinking motives and drinking restraint in risky drinking among young people, and implications for prevention and early intervention are presented.     

Outlets,drinking and driving: a multilevel analysis of availability

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the degree to which the physical availability of alcohol as measured by outlet densities is related to self-reported individual drinking patterns, preferred drinking location, as well as both driving after drinking (DAD) and driving while intoxicated (DWI). METHOD: Data from 7,826 drinkers were obtained from a general-population telephone survey of 1,353 zip code areas in California. Measures of individual alcohol consumption included drinking frequency, drinks per occasion and variance in quantities consumed per occasion. Preferred drinking locations included bars, restaurants and the homes of drinkers and of their friends. DAD was defined as driving a motor vehicle within 4 hours of having one or more alcoholic drinks, and DWI was defined as driving after having too much to drink and drive safely. Geographic measures of outlet densities were obtained for bars, restaurants and off-premises establishments, using zip codes as geographic units of analysis. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to relate outlet densities within and surrounding respondents' area of residence to respondents' drinking and to respondents' drinking and driving. RESULTS: Whereas restaurant densities were directly related to greater drinking frequencies and DAD, bar densities were inversely related to DAD. There were no direct effects of drinking patterns on drinking and driving. Drinking and driving was strongly related to drinking location preference (e.g., bars and restaurants) only when considered simultaneously with individual drinking patterns, particularly drinking frequency. CONCLUSIONS: Increased restaurant density is strongly related to higher rates of both self-reported driving after drinking and drinking frequency. The strongest influence on both driving after drinking and driving while intoxicated is preferred drinking location considered together with individual drinking patterns. Outlet density and preferred drinking location when considered together with individual drinking patterns support driving after drinking and thereby increase the potential for alcohol-related accidents.