Actual Alcohol Research Articles

Temptation, restriction, and alcohol consumption among American and German college students.

To assess relationships between alcohol consumption and two dimensions of drinking restraint (temptation and restriction), American and German college students were given the Khavari Alcohol Test (KAT) and the Temptation and Restraint Inventory (TRI). As hypothesized, drinking temptation was a positive predictor of students' alcohol consumption in both countries, but there was no main effect for drinking restriction. Also as hypothesized, American students who were high on drinking temptation drank greater (not smaller) quantities of alcohol if they were also high on drinking restriction. Conversely, German students who were high on drinking temptation drank more alcohol if they were also low on drinking restriction. The results point to cross-cultural similarities and differences in relationships between drinking temptation and restriction and actual alcohol consumption.

A Part of the Game – alcohol, football fans and male comradeship

Football is one of the world's most popular sports, both when it comes to the number of players involved in the game and the number of spectators or fans. A lot of attention has been drawn to the supporters' consumption of alcohol, most often in combination with violence. Less interest has been taken in the role and involvement of alcohol for the large number of supporters who do not become involved in violence. This study describes the role of alcohol for ordinary football supporters. What do fans drink and why? Our starting point is the research of supporter culture where we identify three important concepts for the understanding of fandom: masculinity, belonging and participation. We then analyze the importance of alcohol in relation to these concepts. Our empirical data consists of transcripts from four focus-group interviews with Swedish football supporters during the European Championship in Eindhoven 2000. Alcohol is a central part of the supporter culture. The supporters are quite clinical in their discussion of why, how and how much alcohol they consume in connection with football. Fans claim that alcohol in general, and more specifically beer, helps them to achieve a moment of joy, relaxation and a sense of collectiveness. We did, however, find evidence that made this explicit attribution to the positive effects of alcohol more complex. The perceived alcohol intake was more important than the actual alcohol intake in achieving a desired level of intoxication. We therefore argue that beer has a symbolic importance for football supporters and that it is the specific situation that our supporters are experiencing, as much as the alcohol itself, that creates the effect of alcohol.

Alcohol Servers' Estimates of Young People's Ages

Alcohol servers were asked to rate the age of individuals shown in head and shoulders photographs. The subjects of the photographs were males and females aged 13, 16, 20 and 22. Respondents consistently overestimated the ages of the 13- and 16-yearolds; these errors were substantially greater for the girls, and increased with the age of the server. However, the same respondents underestimated the ages of the 20- and 22-yearolds. A response of 18 or greater was made in 3% of estimates of the age of 13-year-old boys. This figures increased to 18% for 13-year-old girls, 38% for 16-year-old boys, and 56% for 16-year-old girls. These data suggest that alcohol servers may sometimes sell alcohol to underage customers in good faith, and that training servers in age perception may decrease underage alcohol sales. However, a comparison of the present data with earlier data on actual alcohol sales, to the same 13- and 16-year-olds whose photographs were used in the present study, suggests that only around half of underage alcohol sales can be accounted for by misperceptions of age.

Craving: what can be done to bring the insights of neuroscience, behavioral science and clinical science into synchrony.

Alcohol self-administration behavior is the common thread that is necessary to bring the insights of neuroscience, behavioral science and clinical science into synchrony around the concept of craving. Animal models should address the molecular and cellular changes that take place in behaviorally relevant brain regions of rats consequent to chronic self-administration of ethanol. Animal models can focus on the biology of the anticipatory state in alcohol preferring/consuming rats, as well as studies of the effects of possible medications on this state in the animal model, on actual alcohol consuming behavior, and on the residual effects of chronic alcohol on the non-human mammalian brain. In human studies of craving, cue-reactivity in the absence of the opportunity to drink alcohol does not have the same salience as cue-reactivity in which drinking is possible. Moreover, actual drinking behavior serves to validate self-reports of craving. Studies of limited alcohol self-administration in the laboratory are an essential element in screening new medications for the treatment of alcoholism. Studies to date suggest no adverse reaction to the participation of alcoholic subjects in limited alcohol self-administration studies, but the research community should continue to monitor carefully the outcomes of alcohol-dependent subjects who participate in this type of research, and efforts should always be made to encourage these subjects to enter active treatment. In outpatient clinical trials of new treatments for alcoholism, the assessment of craving should include queries regarding symptoms and signs of protracted abstinence such as sleep disturbances, as well as questions regarding situational craving. Field observations of alcoholics in their favorite drinking environments would contribute greatly to our understanding of the real-world phenomenology of craving.

Cognitive remediation — Predictors of success and durability of improvements

The balanced placebo design (BPD) has been used to understand the etiology and maintenance of alcohol consumption. The utility of this design lies in its ability to examine both actual alcohol consumption and the expectation of alcohol consumption. A meta-analysis of the BPD literature was conducted in the context of cue-reactivity, which may be characterized as an experimental phenomenon observed in studies utilizing alcohol. Sixty-four studies were obtained in literature searches and coded for type of experimental setting and cues present during the actual beverage consumption. Lab setting was a moderator for both pharmacological (alcohol) and expectancy effects with the largest effects (in the same direction) noted in natural environment labs (i.e., an easy chair and casual environment). Contrary to predictions, the bar lab produced the smallest effects. Cues present during alcohol consumption served as a moderator of pharmacological effect, with the largest effect observed when alcohol was placed on the rim of the glass. Implications of these findings for cue-reactivity studies and the treatment of alcohol abuse are discussed.

Estimates of total alcohol consumption in Russia, 1980–1994

It is important to estimate real alcohol consumption in Russia in the past 15 years because large quantities, and in recent years the bulk, of consumed alcohol evades state registration. In this study, trends in total consumption are estimated indirectly using an indicator of alcohol-related harm derived from forensic reports on accidental and violent deaths (Nemtsov, A.V., 1998. Anti-alcohol campaign, consequences, and actual alcohol consumption in Moscow, Addiction, in press). Using blood alcohol coefficients (BAC), the regression coefficients are estimated using the ratio of BAC-positive and BAC-negative accidental and violent deaths in 1983–1986 in connection with the Moscow anti-alcohol campaign; the coefficients are then used to estimate consumption as a total sum of legal sales of alcoholic beverages and illegal spirits made from sugar. Data were obtained of violent BAC-positive and BAC-negative deaths in 17–25 oblasts of Russia in 1981–1994. The derived estimates indicate that in 1984 consumption exceeded 14 l per capita, per annum (10.5 registered+4.2 unregistered); that consumption fell to 10.8 l in 1986 (during the anti-alcohol campaign), and that it then began to rise owing to a sharp increase in estimated unregistered alcohol consumption-climbing to 13.6 l (5.0+8.6) in 1993, and followed by a slight decline to 13.3 in 1994. These estimates are broadly consistent with estimates that have been made using unrelated methods, thus allowing some confidence in the overall picture obtained. Russia probably remains one of the heaviest-drinking countries in Europe. The reasons why indicators of alcohol-related harm in the mid-1990s exceed those recorded before the anti-alcohol campaign remain to be clarified.

Alcohol Attitudes and Beliefs Related to Actual Alcohol Experience in a Fifth‐Grade Cohort

Despite a gradual overall decrease in alcohol consumption in the United States, alcohol remains the most widely used and abused drug in society. This study assessed lifetime and recent alcohol use in a cohort of fifth graders, and examined attitudes and beliefs held by these youth concerning alcohol. An instrument addressing alcohol use, other substance use, and other health-related problem behaviors was completed by 813 fifth graders in a west central Florida school district. Among respondents, 48.9% had "ever tried" alcohol, and 17.9% had consumed alcohol in the past 30 days (active drinkers). Significant differences in alcohol-related attitudes and beliefs were found according to current drinking status, gender, and race/ethnicity. Possible reasons for these differential findings are presented, and implications for prevention and intervention are discussed.

Analysis of breath alcohol with a multisensor array: instrumental setup, characterization and evaluation

The purpose of this work was to evaluate if it was possible to measure the alcohol concentration in breath by a multisensor array, i.e. an electronic nose. The most important aspects were to clarify technical advantages and disadvantages and if the technique is at all suitable for forensic breath alcohol analysis. Even though the system set-up was far from optimal it is clear that it was possible to quantify breath alcohol with a best-case root mean square error=16.8 mol ppm ethanol (=0.037 mg/l). However, the method needs significant development especially of the sensor devices. The sensor array was composed of ten metal oxide silicon field effect transistors (MOSFET) with various catalytic gates and one infrared-based CO 2 sensor. The system was evaluated by monitoring the breath ethanol concentration of five test persons after intake of alcohol. Gas chromatography was used in parallel to measure the actual breath alcohol concentration. Different data evaluation techniques applied were projection to latent structure (PLS) and artificial neural networks (ANN).

The effects of alcohol and alcohol expectancies on subjective reports and physiological reactivity: A meta-analysis

The balanced placebo design (BPD) has been used to understand the etiology and maintenance of alcohol consumption. The utility of this design lies in its ability to examine both actual alcohol consumption and the expectation of alcohol consumption. A meta-analysis of the BPD literature was conducted in the context of cue-reactivity, which may be characterized as an experimental phenomenon observed in studies utilizing alcohol. Sixty-four studies were obtained in literature searches and coded for type of experimental setting and cues present during the actual beverage consumption. Lab setting was a moderator for both pharmacological (alcohol) and expectancy effects with the largest effects (in the same direction) noted in natural environment labs (i.e., an easy chair and casual environment). Contrary to predictions, the bar lab produced the smallest effects. Cues present during alcohol consumption served as a moderator of pharmacological effect, with the largest effect observed when alcohol was placed on the rim of the glass. Implications of these findings for cue-reactivity studies and the treatment of alcohol abuse are discussed.

Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin: marker of actual alcohol consumption or chronic alcohol misuse?

Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) is a useful indicator of excessive alcohol consumption with higher sensitivity and specificity than other markers that are used. In the present study, CDT was analysed in 161 patients hospitalized in a surgical ward to evaluate whether history of drinking and chronic alcohol misuse are important determinants of CDT elevations. Fifty-one of the patients were diagnosed as alcohol-dependent and they all reported a long history of alcohol abuse. Several of these, as well as many of the non-dependent patients, reported a high, recent alcohol consumption (> or = 60 g/day for the previous 2 weeks). CDT performed better in detecting patients with alcohol dependency than in detecting patients with high alcohol consumption irrespective of dependency, showing higher sensitivity (47 vs 37%), likelihood ratio (4.7 vs 3.4), and a statistically significant difference in the receiver-operating characteristic curve areas (P = 0.04 in a two-tailed comparison test). In two subgroups, one with alcohol-dependent and one with non-dependent patients, consuming similar amounts of alcohol (range: 60-170 g/day), the sensitivity of CDT was 52 and 5%, respectively. We conclude that CDT is a better marker for patients with chronic alcohol misuse than as a marker for high actual alcohol consumption alone.

Young Children, Adolescents and Alcohol—Part I: Exploring Knowledge and Awareness of Alcohol and Related Issues

ABSTRACT This article explores young children's and adolescents' views pertaining to: knowledge and awareness of alcohol and alcohol related issues; social situations in which alcohol use is present; orientation to alcohol risk; preceived and actual alcohol use; social image and reputation; and short and long term health beliefs in relation to alcohol. Forty focus groups were conducted with 240 primary school students (118 males and 122 females) and 24 focus groups were conducted with 192 high school students (90 males and 102 females); the total being 64 focus groups comprising 432 school students. Participants ages ranged from five years three months to 16 years 10 months. the videotaped discussions revealed that approximately 75% of the primary school-aged children and almost all of the high school students reported that they had tasted alcohol. Parents were primsry responsible for providing the alcohol. Virtually all participants recognised and were able to correctly name a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and levels of knowledge and awareness of the health and safety aspects of alcohol were relatively mixed. Presentation of bottles and cans was reported as being important in attracting young persons. These data suggest there is an urgent need for research addressed to the development of prevention/intervention education curriculum materials for use with primary school-aged children.

METHODS FOR DETERMINING THE FERMENTABILITY AND PREDICTED SPIRIT YIELD OF DISTILLING MALTS

Fermentability and predicted spirit yield (PSY) are two fundamental quality parameters of distilling malt, both of which rely on empirical factors for their calculation. Experiments were carried out using modern barley varieties to assess whether these factors were still valid for use in today's distilling industry. Using the 450 g IOB mash, an average attenuation factor of 81.46 from fifty-two determinations was found which was not significantly different from the existing factor of 81.4. A novel method to calculate the attenuation factor at different alcohol strengths was demonstrated which confirmed the factor to be 81.46. The PSY factor was shown to be 6.11 for a 450 g IOB mash, calculated using methods based on predicted and actual alcohol produced. However, a high gravity mashing procedure which more closely simulated distillery conditions confirmed that the current standard factor of 6.06 was still acceptable. Results indicated that it was not necessary to change either the attenuation or PSY factors when changing from the 515 ml mash to the 450 g mash in the standard IOB Recommended Methods.

Individual differences in perceived riskiness of drinking in pregnancy: antecedents and consequences.

This study examined whether differences in perceived riskiness of alcohol consumption during pregnancy were related to self-reported alcohol consumption among a community sample of pregnant women. Further, this study examined the impact of prior experiences on risk perceptions, focusing on previous pregnancy experiences and on previous alcohol-related problems. The hypothesized relationships among variables were tested simultaneously in a structural equation model. Subjects included 159 pregnant women, all of whom drank regularly before pregnancy recognition, who were recruited from prenatal clinics and through newspaper advertisements. Perceived riskiness of drinking during pregnancy was lower among women who had previously given birth to a healthy child and among women with greater numbers of previous alcohol problems. Prior adverse pregnancy experience did not predict perceived risk. Perceived risk negatively predicted actual alcohol consumption during pregnancy, suggesting that previous healthy pregnancy experiences and alcohol problems increase drinking in pregnancy indirectly, through perceived risk. A direct positive effect from previous alcohol problems to drinking in pregnancy also was observed. Findings suggest that risk perceptions play a role in drinking behavior among pregnant women and help to illuminate the relationship between parity and alcohol consumption. Interventions designed to reduce drinking among pregnant women, which have generally relied on providing information, may be improved by considering the impact of previous experiences and addressing erroneous beliefs.

Diabetic Patients' Alcohol Use and Quality of Life: Relationships with Prescribed Treatment Compliance among Older Males

One hundred fifty-four males attending an outpatient diabetes clinic were interviewed to determine the incidence of alcohol use among them and to identify mechanisms by which alcohol use adversely affects the control of diabetes. Specifically, we determined how diabetic patients' use of alcohol is related to compliance with their diabetes treatment regimen, and diabetic patients' expectations of benefits from drinking alcohol and actual alcohol use is related to their quality of life. Greater alcohol use was related to poorer prescribed insulin injection compliance (p < 0.01), and stronger expectations of immediate, positive consequences of drinking alcohol were related to several indices of lower quality of life (p < 0.005). These results imply interactive relationships among diabetics' alcohol use and expectancies, treatment compliance, and quality of life.

NEW 'STATE' MARKERS FOR THE DETECTION OF ALCOHOLISM

Specific laboratory tests can be used to identify patients who are alcohol-dependent. The laboratory values of a number of biological 'markers', including carbohydrate-deficient transferrin, are often elevated in cases of chronic and acute alcohol abuse. Trait markers reflect a predisposition for alcoholism; state markers reflect actual alcohol consumption. It has been suggested that state markers can be subdivided into screening and relapse markers, and even further subdivided into pre-relapse markers, i.e. craving markers. We hypothesize that methanol metabolism and the presence of condensation products in the blood may serve as state and pre-relapse markers for alcoholism. Since the sensitivities and specificities of laboratory screening tests vary, and an absolute marker for alcoholism has yet to be identified, research in the area of biological markers for alcoholism should continue.

Therapy of alcohol withdrawal syndrome in intensive care unit patients following trauma

To assess the effect of three different alcohol withdrawal therapy regimens in traumatized chronic alcoholic patients with respect to the duration of mechanical ventilation and the frequency of pneumonia and cardiac disorders during their intensive care unit (ICU) stay. A prospective, randomized, blinded, controlled clinical trial. A university hospital ICU. Multiple-injured alcohol-dependent patients (n=180) transferred to the ICU after admission to the emergency room and operative management. A total of 180 patients were included in the study; however, 21 patients were excluded from the study after assignment. Patients who developed actual alcohol withdrawal syndrome were randomized to one of the following treatment regimens: flunitrazepam/clonidine (n=54); chlormethiazole/haloperidol (n=50); or flunitrazepam/haloperidol (n=55). The need for administration of medication was determined, using a validated measure of the severity of alcohol withdrawal (Revised Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol Scale). The duration of mechanical ventilation and major intercurrent complications, such as pneumonia, sepsis, cardiac disorders, bleeding disorders, and death, were documented. Patients did not differ significantly between groups regarding age, Revised Trauma and Injury Severity Score and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score on admission. In all except four patients in the flunitrazepam/clonidine group, who continued to hallucinate, the Revised Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol Scale decreased to <20 after initiation of therapy. ICU stay did not significantly differ between groups (p=.1669). However, mechanical ventilation was significantly prolonged in the chlormethiazole/haloperidol group (p=.0315) due to an increased frequency of pneumonia (p=.0414). Cardiac complications were significantly (p=.0047) increased in the flunitrazepam/clonidine group. There was some advantage in the flunitrazepam/clonidine regimen with respect to pneumonia and the necessity for mechanical ventilation. However, four (7%) patients had to be excluded from the study due to ongoing hallucinations during therapy. Also, cardiac complications were increased in this group. Thus, flunitrazepam/haloperidol should be preferred in patients with cardiac or pulmonary risk. Further studies are required to determine which therapy should be considered.

The Beverage Alcohol Concentration at Intake and Estimated Blood Alcohol Concentrations

Belief in differential health risks for different alcoholic beverages continues despite a relative lack of supporting evidence, and continues to influence alcohol policy debate both in Finland and elsewhere. The present data from a survey of Finnish drinking habits conducted in 1992 suggest that the central issue is not the actual strength of the beverage itself but rather the solution at intake and the amount of alcohol imbibed. The results are based on a one week survey of all occasions on which alcohol was consumed from a general population survey of drinking habits. Spirits are diluted almost two times out of three when spirits are taken. The data indicate that the median alcohol content of spirits at intake was about 13 percent of volume: i.e. on half of the occasions when spirits were imbibed, the actual alcohol content was not higher than that of unfortified wines. Beer and wine were rarely diluted, white spirits and rum were almost always diluted, whereas cognac and liqueurs were taken unmixed. The data also provide a basis for estimating the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) reached on each drinking occasion. There was hardly any correlation between the BAC and the actual alcohol concentration of the beverages imbibed. More detailed analyses showed mixed results. Drinking to intoxication (estimated BAC &lt; 20 mM) was more likely with those spirits that are typically diluted than those drunk straight, but a higher percentage of the spirit intake in general occurred on such intoxicating occasions than was reported for other beverages. Older respondents reported that the primary beverage used when drinking to intoxication was spirits, but younger ones said beer. The results are only for Finland, but show little basis here for the traditional tripartite (beer, wine, spirits) division of beverages in prevention of alcohol-related harm.

Harm reduction for alcohol-use-related problems among college students.

Traditionally, the college Spring Break in the U.S. is used by a significant number of university students as an opportunity for excessive alcohol use. Thus, this fairly discreet time period lends itself to the introduction of a harm reduction intervention for problems related to alcohol use. During the week prior to the Spring Break, university students completed a diary for the eight days of the break (Saturday to Saturday). Students were asked to predict their alcohol consumption and the frequency and type of alcohol problems they would experience during the Spring Break. These same students were then asked to complete the diary one week after the Spring Break reporting their actual consumption and alcohol problems. A control group also completed the diary after Spring Break. Although consumption rates for beer, wine and liquor did not differ between groups, students who completed the diary before Spring Break reported a significantly lower frequency of alcohol problems for the eight day period. Results are discussed in terms of harm reduction strategies for high risk periods and targeting alcohol problems.

Assessing the relationship between craving and relapse

The value of craving as a construct in the substance use disorders literature stems from its purported ability to predict actual alcohol or psychoactive drug consumption. Empirical reports of craving's relationship to actual use, however, are quite mixed. It is argued that craving's relationship to use variables such as relapse will remain unclear until individual differences related to acting on craving are considered. Such potential mediators of craving's relationship to relapse, such as impulsivity, are evaluated. The implications of this argument for the construct of craving are discussed.

Legal Attitudes, Permissive Norm Qualities, and Substance Use: A Comparison of American Indian and Non-Indian Youth

Youthful drug use violates both formal law and informal norms for conventional behavior. Analyses of influences on permissive drug attitudes and behaviors among adolescents should, therefore, focus on both attitude toward the law and the informal normative climate of these youths. Legal attitude and norm qualities, however, can vary depending on the cultural and situational context. We examine the effect of legal attitude and norm qualities on drug permissiveness attitudes, as well as actual alcohol and marijuana use of 196 adolescents comprising three cultural groups: American Indian residents of a rural community, non-Indian residents of the same community, and transient Indians attending a job-training program in the community. In general, for all three groups, legal attitude primarily affects permissiveness toward drug use, while norm qualities of peers and personal permissiveness influence actual substance use. However, the three cultural groups vary in the relative salience of these variables.