Binge Drinking Episodes Research Articles

Binge Drinking in Madrid, Spain

In Mediterranean countries, the information on the prevalence of binge drinking and associated socio-demographic variables is very scarce. Moreover, there are no reported data on the amount of alcohol ingested and the type of beverage consumed during drinking episodes. This study describes the prevalence and characteristics of binge drinking in the adult population of Madrid, Spain. Data were taken from a telephone survey conducted during the period 2000 to 2005 on 12,037 persons, representative of the population aged 18 to 64 years in the Madrid Region. Binge drinking was defined as the intake of >or=80 g of alcohol in men or >or=60 g in women, during any drinking session in the preceding 30 days. In this analysis, the threshold between moderate and heavy average weekly alcohol consumption was set at 40 g/d for men and 24 g/d for women. Prevalence of binge drinking was 14.4% (95% confidence interval, CI: 13.5 to 15.3%) in men and 6.5% (95% CI: 5.8 to 7.1%) in women. Prevalence was higher among persons: in the youngest age group (30.8% among men and 18.2% among women aged 18 to 24 years); having the highest educational level (14.5% in male and 9.2% in female university graduates); and with a heavy average consumption of alcohol (55.3% in men and 50.0% in women). However, 3 of 4 binge drinkers of both sexes showed a moderate average consumption. Among binge-drinkers, average monthly episodes of binge drinking were 3.2 in men and 2.6 in women, with 5.4 and 2 episodes/person/year, respectively. During each episode, a mean of 119 g of alcohol was ingested by men and 83 g by women, with spirits accounting for 72% of total alcohol intake. Prevalence of binge drinking is high in Madrid, particularly among younger men with higher education, and heavy average alcohol consumption. Binge drinking is characterized by frequent episodes, where large amounts of alcohol are ingested, mainly from spirits.

Alcohol Consumption and Fatty Acid Intakes in the 2001–2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Alcohol consumption has the potential to affect dietary intakes of nutrients; however, little is known about fatty acid intakes among alcohol consumers in the U.S. population. We examined the relation between self-reported alcohol consumption and dietary fatty acid intake in 4,168 adults in the cross-sectional National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001-2002. Fatty acid intake was determined from a single, interviewer-administered 24-hour recall. The adjusted, weighted mean level of dietary fatty acid intakes, as characterized by nutrient density, was calculated as grams of fatty acid per 1,000 kcal of energy consumed according to average daily alcohol consumption and binge-drinking episodes. Energy intake showed a significant increasing trend across alcohol consumption categories in both genders and binge-drinking categories in men. Women binge drinkers also showed a higher energy intake compared with nonbinge drinkers. Among men, decreased nutrient densities of saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, linoleic, and alpha-linolenic acids were associated with increasing alcohol consumption. Binge-drinking men but not women had significantly decreased intakes of total saturates, monounsaturates, polyunsaturates and linoleic, alpha-linolenic, eicosapentaenoic, and docosahexaenoic acid. When alcohol energy was excluded from calculation of nutrient densities, the results were similar to those with alcohol energy included, except that total saturated and monounsaturated fatty acid differences were no longer significant. In addition, there was an inverse relationship among men between binge-drinking frequency and total polyunsaturates, linoleic, alpha-linolenic, and eicosapentaenoic acids. Our cross-sectional results suggest that alcohol consumption may impact the dietary intake of essential fatty acids (EFAs). Given the public health importance of both alcohol consumption and intakes of EFAs, prospective studies of the relation should be considered.

Álcool e adolescentes: estudo para implementar políticas municipais

To build students' profile regarding alcohol consumption and risk behavior. A total of 1,990 students were included in the study, aged 11 to 21 years old, from both genders, enrolled in public and private schools, in Southeastern Brazil, in 2004. A self-administered questionnaire was answered in the classroom without the presence of the teacher. The questionnaire also assessed the perception of how easy it was to get alcoholic beverages, the contexts where they drunk, and the consequences of drinking. Prevalence of lifetime alcohol use was 62.2%. Regarding consumption in the last 30 days, 17.3% of students reported at least one episode of binge drinking (five or more drinks). Adolescents reported that they had gotten alcoholic drinks very easily from shops, and also in social contexts with relatives and friends. Only 1% of underaged reported that they had tried and could not buy alcoholic beverages. As negative consequences of alcohol use in the last 12 months, students reported feeling sick due to drinking (17.9%), regret for doing something under the influence of alcohol (11%), blackouts (9.8%), and getting involved in a fight after drinking (5%). Over half of the students (55%) reported knowing someone who had been involved in a car accident because of a drunk driver. Data showed high prevalence of alcohol use among adolescents studied and how easy access to alcoholic beverages is, including to underaged people. Youngsters put themselves at risk and presented negative consequences of alcohol consumption. Prompt actions regarding public alcohol policies in Brazil are needed.

Relationships among self-report assessments of craving in binge-drinking university students

To assess the relationships among self-report craving questionnaires, and between craving and alcohol consumption, we administered four previously published measures of craving (Alcohol Urge Questionnaire, Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale, Penn Alcohol Craving Scale, Temptation-Restraint Inventory), five single-item Visual Analog Scales ( need, urge, craving, desire, compulsion), and measures of alcohol consumption and drinking consequences to 112 university students attending a large, public state university who reported at least two binge-drinking episodes (5+ drinks in a row by men; 4+ drinks in a row by women) in the previous 30 days. The associations among the multi-item self-report measures of craving were often larger for men than women, but the coefficients were typically statistically significant and meaningful regardless of gender, indicating good convergent validity despite differences in phrasing of items, response formats, and time periods over which craving was assessed. Generally smaller correlations among the VAS items indicated that these five terms were not inter-changeable among themselves (nor were they inter-changeable with scores on the multi-item questionnaires). Similarly to investigations using clinical samples, regression analyses revealed that recent drinking by binge-drinking students was associated with certain measures of self-reported craving.

A Survey of Alcohol Consumption Among First-Year Military Medical Students

First-year medical students (n = 138) at the U.S. Military's Medical School report frequent binge drinking. Nearly one fifth of female and one third of male students report at least one episode of binge drinking in the two weeks preceding a survey of alcohol use. Only one fifth of the medical students reported an interest in an expanded addiction medicine curriculum. The authors' promoted the use of a survey to bridge the gap between self assessment and learning.

BINGE DRINKING AS AN UNUSUAL CAUSE OF CENTRAL PONTINE MYLELINOLYSIS.

Introduction Central pontine myelinolysis (CPM) is a symmetric acquired demyelination of the basis pontis. Although hyponatremia and its acute correction have been postulated as causative factors, the etiology remains obscure. We describe an unusual case of alcoholic female who suffered CPM after an episode of binge drinking. Case Presentation A 34-year-old white female with a history of alcoholism had an alcoholic binge for a 2-week period 1 month ago. Initially, the patient had severe nausea and vomiting, limiting her food and water intake; and once she began to recover she began experiencing incoordination and truncal ataxia, which worsened progressively over a 3-week period. Later she developed slurring of speech and dysphagia, which made her ultimately seek medical attention. Patient denied any sensory loss, memory deficits, fever, chills, pain, or weight loss. Laboratory investigations reported Na 142 mmol/L, K 2.3 mmol/L, HCO3 33 mmol/L, total protein 5.1 g/dL, albumin 3.0 g/dL, normal LFTS; negative serum/urine drug screen and heavy metal screen. Lumbar puncture findings were nonspecific. CT scan of the head was unremarkable. MRI of the head demonstrated symmetric high intensity in the central portion of the pontine base, which was further confirmed with the magnetic resonance spectroscopy to be consistent with CPM. Patient was treated supportively with motor function rehabilitation. She had a favorable prognosis and her neurologic symptoms regressed completely in 6 months. Discussion This case highlights an interesting cause of CPM related to binge drinking without any acute iatrogenic correction of hyponatremia. Various pathophysiologic mechanisms can be proposed, including direct toxicity of alcohol on pons; the possibility of an undocumented rapid rise in the serum sodium (as her symptoms occurred during the late stages of binge drinking when the intake of food and water increased and ethanol intake decreased), potentially causing an osmotic injury to the endothelium, resulting in the release of myelinotoxic factors or production of vasogenic edema in the central pons. This case demonstrates that central pontine myelinosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a patient with a history of binge drinking presenting with acute neurologic symptoms. It also illustrates that although, in general, the prognosis is unfavorable, some patients may recover favorably.

Relationship of Binge Drinking and Other Health-Compromising Behaviors among Urban Adolescents in China

Purpose To describe frequency and patterns of alcohol use and explore the association between binge drinking and other health-compromising behaviors among adolescents in urban China. Methods Data on alcohol use and other behavioral risk factors were obtained from the 2004 China Adolescent Behavioral Risk Factor Survey conducted in 18 provincial capitals. Chi-square test was used to estimate the prevalence of alcohol use and compare differences in drinking frequency by gender, school type, and grade. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association between binge drinking and other health-compromising behaviors. Results Data were available on 54,040 students in grades 7 to 12. In all, 51.1% of students reported ever using alcohol (male: 58.6%; female: 44.3%), 29.7% reported drinking before 13 years of age, and 14.1% had gotten drunk at least once during the past year. In the 30 days preceding the interview, 25.2% students reported consuming at least one alcoholic drink (male: 31.4%; female: 19.6%) and 10.3% reported at least one episode of binge drinking (male: 14.4%; female: 6.6%). Male students from vocational senior high schools reported the highest frequency of alcohol use. The prevalence of other risk behaviors, such as smoking, drug use, and fighting were significantly higher among students with a positive history of binge drinking. Conclusions Alcohol use among urban adolescents is a major problem in China. A comprehensive alcohol control policy is needed, incorporating measures to educate the public about the dangers of adolescent alcohol use and regulating access and purchase of alcohol by minors.

A prospective study of stage of change for general health promotion action and health-related lifestyle practices among Chinese adults

In a previous study we proposed the notion of general health promotion action (GHPA) defined as “a general intention and actual practices to take action aimed to promote health.” GHPA is a subjective measure of health-promoting lifestyle which may reflect practices aimed to promote health and practices which are taken for non-health reasons but which nonetheless have health benefits. The present prospective study aimed to examine whether baseline stage of change for GHPA predicted health-related lifestyle practices at 24-month follow-up in a representative community-based cohort of 3129 Hong Kong Chinese adults. Overall, 37% of the subjects remained in the same stage, 43% had progressed to later stages, and 20% had regressed to earlier stages of change at follow-up. Baseline maintainers were the most likely to report desirable lifestyle practices at follow-up. They were significantly more likely to have exercised in the past month, consumed at least 2 portions of fruit a day, consumed at least 3 portions of vegetable a day, consumed at least 5 portions of fruit or vegetable a day, have had no episodes of binge drinking in the past month, and have had a dental examination at least once a year. The association remained significant after adjusting for age, gender, education, income and baseline level of respective lifestyle practices, with significantly increasing trends from precontemplation to maintenance stage. We conclude that the predictive validity of stage of change for GHPA was supported from these longitudinal findings, and further research on how GHPA can guide health promotion strategies is warranted.

PRISM-E: Comparison of Integrated Care and Enhanced Specialty Referral in Managing At-Risk Alcohol Use

PRISM-E: Comparison of Integrated Care and Enhanced Specialty Referral in Managing At-Risk Alcohol Use

Binge Drinking, Drinking and Driving, and Riding with a Driver Who Had Been Drinking Heavily among Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Personnel

Heavy drinking is associated with significant health problems and increased risk for injury and death. Although several studies have investigated alcohol use among active duty and civilian populations, little is known about the alcohol use patterns of reserve personnel. This study examined the prevalence and correlates of binge drinking, driving after drinking, and riding in a vehicle with a driver who had consumed alcohol among 4,836 guardsmen and reservists who were taking part in basic military training (mean age = 21.3 years; 29.4% female). Forty-six percent reported one or more binge drinking episodes in the month before basic military training. Four percent drove after consuming five or more drinks, while 8.9% rode as a passenger with a driver who had been drinking heavily. Several demographic, behavioral, and attitudinal correlates of risky drinking patterns were identified. Findings have potentially important implications for the health, safety, and military readiness of reserve personnel.

Effects on High School Students of Teaching a Cross-Age Alcohol Prevention Program

This study examined the impact on high school students who taught elementary students MADD's Protecting You/Protecting Me (PY/PM), an alcohol use prevention and vehicle safety program. High school students (N = 188) enrolled in a peer helping course completed surveys before and after teaching PY/PM, and a comparison group of peer helper students (N = 141) from matched schools completed surveys at the same times. Results indicated that, relative to the comparison group, those exposed to PY/PM gained knowledge of alcohol's effects, increased their perceptions of the risks of high levels of alcohol use, gained teaching skills, and showed less frequent episodes of binge drinking. No effects were found for attitudes toward future drinking, perceptions of the risk of low levels of alcohol use, alcohol use, or vehicle safety. This cross-age prevention program may be successful in changing high school students' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding high levels, but not low levels, of alcohol use.

Two brief alcohol interventions for mandated college students.

Encouraging but limited research indicates that brief motivational interventions may be an effective way to reduce heavy episodic drinking in college students. At 2 campuses, students (83% male) mandated to a substance use prevention program were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 individually administered conditions: (a) a brief motivational interview (BMI; n = 34) or (b) an alcohol education session (AE; n = 30). Students in the BMI condition reported fewer alcohol-related problems than the AE students at 3-and 6-month assessments. Trends toward reductions in number of binge drinking episodes and typical blood alcohol levels were seen in both groups. Process measures confirmed the integrity of both interventions. The findings demonstrate that mandated BMIs can reduce alcohol problems in students referred for alcohol violations.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of an Emergency Department–Based Interactive Computer Program to Prevent Alcohol Misuse Among Injured Adolescents

To determine whether an emergency department (ED)-based laptop computer intervention reduces the normative age-related increase in alcohol misuse compared with standard of care. This was a randomized controlled trial conducted from October 11, 1999, to April 14, 2001, in a community teaching hospital and university medical center. Subjects were aged 14 to 18 years and with a minor injury. Controls and intervention participants completed a computer-based questionnaire. Intervention participants also completed a laptop-based interactive computer program to affect alcohol misuse. Main outcome measures were Alcohol Misuse Index (Amidx) and binge-drinking episodes. Follow-up occurred by telephone at 3 and 12 months. Analysis included repeated-measures analysis of variance (alpha=0.05; power 0.80; effect size 0.10). Three hundred twenty-nine participants were randomized to the intervention group, and 326 participants were randomized to the control group. Two hundred ninety-five (89.7%) intervention subjects and 285 (87.4%) control subjects completed 3- and 12-month follow-ups. For intervention and control groups, respectively, mean age was 16.0 and 15.9 years and men composed 66.8% and 66.3% of the groups; Amidx scores were 2.2 and 2.0; binge-drinking episodes were 1.2 and 1.0. Outcomes for intervention and control, respectively, were Amidx (3 months) 1.5 and 1.4; Amidx (12 months) 1.8 and 2.1; binge drinking (3 months) 0.9 and 0.8; and binge drinking (12 months) 1.4 and 1.2. Overall, there were no significant effects (effect size 0.04). No detrimental effects were noted. Subgroup analysis suggested that the intervention may have an effect among subjects with experience drinking and driving (5% of the sample). The intervention was not effective in decreasing alcohol misuse among the study population. Further research will be required to determine effectiveness among the subgroup of adolescent minor injury patients who have experience drinking and driving.

‘Think before you buy under-18s drink’: evaluation of a community alcohol intervention

Hazardous consumption of alcohol by teenagers is a significant public health problem in New Zealand. Concern about supply of alcohol to minors motivated 'Think before you buy under-18s drink', a campaign to reduce alcohol-related harm by discouraging inappropriate supply of alcohol by adults. Two intervention districts and a comparison district, in the South Island of New Zealand, were selected for the purpose of evaluating the campaign. Primary outcome measures were changes in the prevalence of parent supply to their teenager (13-17 years) for unsupervised drinking (SUD), and changes in the prevalence of binge drinking among teenagers. At baseline, 49% of teenagers reported a recent episode of binge drinking. SUD in the past month was reported by 36% of teenagers. Recent purchases of alcohol by under-18s were common (bottle shops: 16%; pubs/bars: 11%). In contrast to teenagers, only 2% of parents reported SUD in the past month. Levels of binge drinking decreased in all three districts. Analysis of data from 474 teenagers who completed questionnaires, at baseline and follow-up, showed decreased SUD in Ashburton and Waitaki relative to Clutha, although this was not significant (OR=0.73; 95% CI: 0.43, 1.25). Discrepancies between teenager and parent reports of SUD may be due to the latter providing a socially desirable survey response and to differences in the interpretation of what constitutes adult supervision. The lack of a significant association between changes in SUD and binge drinking may be a consequence of teenagers obtaining relatively small amounts of alcohol from their parents and larger quantities from other sources, e.g. peers (some of whom may be able to purchase alcohol legally) and from licensed premises.

Brief Physician Advice For High-Risk Drinking Among Young Adults

High-risk alcohol use in persons 18 to 30 years of age is a critical public health problem. It is the number 1 cause of death in this population. This article reports the results of a subanalysis of young adults (aged 18 to 30 years) who participated in Project TrEAT (Trial of Early Alcohol Treatment) conducted in the offices of 64 primary care physicians located in 10 counties in southern Wisconsin. Project TrEAT was a randomized clinical trial designed to test the efficacy of a brief intervention protocol to reduce alcohol use, improve health status, and decrease health care utilization. A total of 226 young adults were randomly assigned to either a usual care or brief intervention group. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups at baseline on a number of potential confounders. During the 4-year follow-up period, there were significant reductions in number of persons drinking more than 3 drinks per day, average 7-day alcohol use, number of persons drinking 6 or more drinks per occasion, and number of binge drinking episodes in the previous 30 days (P < .01 to P < .001). There were also significant differences (P < .05) in emergency department visits (103 vs 177), motor vehicle crashes (9 vs 20), total motor vehicle events (114 vs 149), and arrests for controlled substance or liquor violation (0 vs 8). In this 4-year subanalysis of young adults who participated in Project TrEAT, we found long-term reductions in high-risk drinking behaviors and consequences. The findings of this study support more widespread implementation of brief interventions in primary care settings.

Relationship of onset of cigarette smoking during college to alcohol use, dieting concerns, and depressed mood: Results from the Young Women's Health Survey

To investigate the issue of smoking initiation during college, we administered a survey of women's health behavior to college women during freshman orientation, at the end of their freshman year and again during their senior year. Never smokers (NS; n=374), early-onset smokers (EOS; n=52), and late-onset smokers (LOS; n=64) were compared on dieting concerns, mood problems, alcohol-related problems, and frequency of binge drinking episodes. By the senior year of college, 55% (64/116) of those who had smoked in the past month had started smoking during college, although they were more likely than never smokers to have experimented with cigarettes prior to college. Escalating depression during the first year of college, dieting concerns, and alcohol-related problems were significant risk factors for smoking initiation during college, while binge drinking appeared to covary with cigarette smoking. Results suggest that prevention efforts should target nonsmokers with high dieting concerns and escalating depression early in college, while intervention efforts may need to target not only smoking but also problematic alcohol use among smoking college women.

Predictors of Undergraduate Student Binge Drinking

The relative importance of a number of predictors of binge drinking and of high‐versus low‐frequency binge drinking among undergraduate students was studied. Findings demonstrated that race, class, fraternity or sorority membership, use of other drugs in the past 30 days, positive alcohol expectancies, perception of minimal risk, perception that friends do not disapprove of binge drinking, and perception of high normative drinking were factors in predicting episodes of binge drinking. Being male, having fraternity or sorority membership, perceiving that friends do not disapprove, and using other drugs distinguished high‐frequency from low‐frequency binge drinkers.

Readiness to Change Alcohol Use after Trauma

Alcohol is the leading risk factor for severe injury. This study examined whether patients hospitalized after an alcohol-related injury are motivated to change alcohol use, thus making them potential candidates for brief motivational interventions. Fifty patients hospitalized in a Level I trauma center, admitted with a positive blood alcohol concentration, were assessed for motivation to change alcohol-related behavior using validated questionnaires. Information was gathered regarding level of alcohol use, consequences of use, and motivation to change drinking habits. Demographic variables, alcohol use measures, perception of alcohol's contribution to the current injury, and negative consequences of use were evaluated by linear regression to predict readiness to change drinking. Mean blood alcohol concentration was 197 mg/dL at admission. Patients reported a pattern of binge drinking, with 86% reporting at least one binge-drinking episode in the past month, and a mean of 3.4 days of binge drinking per month. Most patients (84%) reported considering making a change (cutting down or quitting) in their drinking. Finally, patients reported experiencing an average of 22.5 negative lifetime consequences to their drinking. Having more negative consequences was found to significantly predict readiness to change drinking (p < 0.001). In this study, most patients were motivated to change their drinking. An increased number of negative consequences of alcohol use before admission predicted readiness to change drinking habits. Brief motivational interventions would be a reasonable option in this group of patients.

At 10 year follow up, brief interventions had no effect on harmful alcohol consumption

(2002) Addiction 97, 665; Wutzke S, Conigrave K, Saunders J, et al. . The long-term effectiveness of brief interventions for unsafe alcohol consumption: a 10-year follow-up. . June; . :...

Binge drinking among US adults.

Binge drinking (consuming > or =5 alcoholic drinks on 1 occasion) generally results in acute impairment and has numerous adverse health consequences. Reports indicate that binge drinking may be increasing in the United States. To quantify episodes of binge drinking among US adults in 1993-2001, to characterize adults who engage in binge drinking, and to describe state and regional differences in binge drinking. The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a random-digit telephone survey of adults aged 18 years or older that is conducted annually in all states. The sample size ranged from 102 263 in 1993 to 212 510 in 2001. Binge-drinking prevalence, episodes, and episodes per person per year. Between 1993 and 2001, the total number of binge-drinking episodes among US adults increased from approximately 1.2 billion to 1.5 billion; during this time, binge-drinking episodes per person per year increased by 17% (from 6.3 to 7.4, P for trend =.03). Between 1995 and 2001, binge-drinking episodes per person per year increased by 35% (P for trend =.005). Men accounted for 81% of binge-drinking episodes in the study years. Although rates of binge-drinking episodes were highest among those aged 18 to 25 years, 69% of binge-drinking episodes during the study period occurred among those aged 26 years or older. Overall, 47% of binge-drinking episodes occurred among otherwise moderate (ie, non-heavy) drinkers, and 73% of all binge drinkers were moderate drinkers. Binge drinkers were 14 times more likely to drive while impaired by alcohol compared with non-binge drinkers. There were substantial state and regional differences in per capita binge-drinking episodes. Binge drinking is common among most strata of US adults, including among those aged 26 years or older. Per capita binge-drinking episodes have increased, particularly since 1995. Binge drinking is strongly associated with alcohol-impaired driving. Effective interventions to prevent the mortality and morbidity associated with binge drinking should be widely adopted, including screening patients for alcohol abuse in accordance with national guidelines.