Blood Alcohol Concentration Levels Research Articles

Using mobile phone technology to treat alcohol use disorder: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundA primary concern within the healthcare system is to make treatment more accessible as well as attractive for the great majority of alcohol-dependent people who feel reluctant to participate in the treatment programs available. This paper presents the protocol for a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the efficacy of two different technical devices (mobile phone application and breathalyzer) on alcohol consumption.MethodsThe study is a three-armed RCT with follow-ups 3 and 6 months after randomization. In total, 375 adults (age 18+ years) diagnosed with alcohol use disorder (AUD) will be invited to participate in a 3-month intervention. The primary outcome is the number of days with heavy drinking, defined as four or more standard drinks (12 g alcohol/drink) and measured by the timeline follow back (TLFB) and Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) instruments at 3-month and 6-month follow-up. Secondary outcome measures include weekly alcohol consumption, measured by the TLFB, AUDIT, and phosphatidylethanol in blood values at 3-month and 6-month follow-up (number of days with blood alcohol concentration levels exceeding 60 mg/100 ml).DiscussionImproving ways of collecting data on alcohol consumption, as well as the treatment system with regards to AUD, is of vital importance. Mobile phone technology, with associated applications, is widely recognized as a potentially powerful tool in the prevention and management of disease. This study will provide unique knowledge regarding the use of new technology as instruments for measuring alcohol consumption and, also, as a possible way to decrease it.Trial registrationISRCTN, ISRCTN14515753. Registered on 31 May 2018.

276 No Evidence of Sedation of Tolperisone Compared to Cyclobenzaprine in a Crossover Driving Simulation Study

Tolperisone is a centrally acting muscle relaxant being developed in the US as a treatment for acute and painful symptoms of neck and low back muscle spasms. This study explores the impact of tolperisone on driving simulation endpoints, sedation, and cognition compared to placebo (PBO) and cyclobenzaprine (CYC). The CYC half-life is long (>19 hours) and accumulated over the 3 days of the trial. Tolperisone has a Tmax of 1 hour, and a 2- to 3-hour half-life. This was a 3-way, randomized, blinded, crossover study of tolperisone in 31 healthy volunteers. Treatment groups were 450 mg tolperisone administered 3-times a day (150 mg TID), 30 mg CYC (10 mg TID), and PBO (TID). Participants spent 3 days of 3 consecutive weeks in the research unit. Dosing occurred in the morning (AM) and at midday (PM) on Days 1-3 and at bedtime on Days 1 and 2. Subjects were administered a DSST followed by 100 km (60 minute) of simulated driving on Day 1 one hour after their midday dose (at drug Tmax), and the morning of Day 2 (pre-dosing) to assess next day residual effects. Tests were the morning of Day 3 (post-dose) to assess the drug at steady-state. Subjects returned to the clinic on Days 7 and 14 to repeat these procedures. For the primary endpoint of Standard Deviation of Lateral Position (SDLP) over 100-km of driving, tolperisone was no different than PBO, whereas CYC showed significant impairment (p=<0.001). The distribution of SDLP for PBO and tolperisone showed symmetry around zero, while CYC was markedly different; a subset of subjects had a level of impairment associated with increased crash risk, demonstrated by SDLP values above 4.4 cm (consistent with normative Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) levels of above 0.05%). Secondary measures confirmed a lack of sedation for tolperisone relative to PBO: Digit Symbol Coding Day 1 p= 0.84, Day 2 p= 0.21, Day 3 p= 0.12; and Karolinska Sleepiness Scale: Day 1 p= 0.47, Day 2 p= 0.47, and Day 3 p= 0.49. Additional measures of driving indicated no impairment for tolperisone versus PBO. Tolperisone 150 mg TID had no impact on various measures of driving, self-reported sleepiness, and cognition, in contrast to CYC 10 mg TID. Data confirms impairment in cognition and driving for healthy subjects taking CYC.Table 1Secondary Driving Endpoints: p values for Treatment ComparisonsTOL vs PBOTOL vs CYCCYC vs PBOMaintenance of Lane PositionLane exceedance number0.8181<0.001<0.001Lane exceedance Maximum0.41270.00090.019Lane Exceedance Duration0.8064<0.001<0.001Speed ControlAverage Speed0.67510.67160.3871Speed Deviation0.1533<0.0010.0009Speedings Count0.65870.06680.0207Speedings Ratio0.84780.05000.0272Divided AttentionCorrect Response0.21350.87400.1537Omission Errors0.27190.65510.1196Commission Errors0.92970.16590.1903Reaction Time (RT)0.01550.00010.1130Std Deviation of RT0.03420.06930.7215Other SafetyTotal Crashes0.50000.06250.0938Excessive Cornering0.76830.03090.0148Patients taking CYC perceived a lack of effect discrimination and reported feeling safe to drive on Days 2 and 3. Open table in a new tab

Characteristics of Adolescents With Acute Alcohol Intoxication: Role of Population Density

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible differences between adolescents with an acute alcohol intoxication living in high- and low-population-density areas. Data were used from the Dutch Pediatric Surveillance System, which monitors acute alcohol intoxication among treated adolescents. During treatment, questionnaires are completed by the pediatricians involved, covering socio-demographic characteristics and circumstantial and treatment data. Adolescents eligible for inclusion in the current study had to be under the age of 18 years and have a positive blood alcohol concentration, and the living region was known. This resulted in analyzing data from the years 2007 until 2015, with a total of 4,895 questionnaires. This study shows that treated adolescents who are living in a high-population-density area are significantly younger (15.3 versus 15.5 years) and have a lower blood alcohol concentration at admittance (1.86 versus 1.90 g/l). The patients in the high-population-density areas are less from an autochthonous Dutch origin (86.0% versus 90.7%) and are more often enrolled in a higher educational level (45.4% versus 38.1%). Adolescents in urban areas drink more on the streets (27.7% versus 16.3%), in contrast to those living in a lower-population-density area, who drink in a bar or comparable place. Adolescents living is urban areas are overrepresented in the intoxication sample. This article is the first to describe the differences between alcohol-intoxicated adolescents in high- and low-population-density areas in the Netherlands. These findings are important for the awareness of alcohol abusers, and the design of future prevention strategies.Key messagesDemographic, drinking, and intoxication characteristics during alcohol intoxication treatment differ for youngsters coming from high- and low-population-density areas.Youngsters from low-population areas turn out to be older, lower educated, more often Dutch, and drink more in bars, than their counterparts from high-population-density areas.Youngsters from lower density areas have higher blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels, and more often have parental approval to drink. Hospitalization periods are equal for both groups.

Activation of amylin receptors attenuates alcohol-mediated behaviours in rodents.

Alcohol expresses its reinforcing properties by activating areas of the mesolimbic dopamine system, which consists of dopaminergic neurons projecting from the ventral tegmental area to the nucleus accumbens. The findings that reward induced by food and addictive drugs involve common mechanisms raise the possibility that gut–brain hormones, which control appetite, such as amylin, could be involved in reward regulation. Amylin decreases food intake, and despite its implication in the regulation of natural rewards, tenuous evidence support amylinergic mediation of artificial rewards, such as alcohol. Therefore, the present experiments were designed to investigate the effect of salmon calcitonin (sCT), an amylin receptor agonist and analogue of endogenous amylin, on various alcohol‐related behaviours in rodents. We showed that acute sCT administration attenuated the established effects of alcohol on the mesolimbic dopamine system, particularly alcohol‐induced locomotor stimulation and accumbal dopamine release. Using the conditioned place preference model, we demonstrated that repeated sCT administration prevented the expression of alcohol's rewarding properties and that acute sCT administration blocked the reward‐dependent memory consolidation. In addition, sCT pre‐treatment attenuated alcohol intake in low alcohol‐consuming rats, with a more evident decrease in high alcohol consumers in the intermittent alcohol access model. Lastly, sCT did not alter peanut butter intake, blood alcohol concentration and plasma corticosterone levels in mice. Taken together, the present data support that amylin signalling is involved in the expression of alcohol reinforcement and that amylin receptor agonists could be considered for the treatment of alcohol use disorder in humans.

Impact of alcohol exposure on the development and maturation of the cerebral cortex

Event Abstract Back to Event Impact of alcohol exposure on the development and maturation of the cerebral cortex Laura Van Hees1*, Sophie Laguesse1 and Laurent Nguyen1 1 University of Liège, Belgium Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is known to damage the fetal brain and leads to life-long cognitive and behavioral dysfunctions. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), which collectively describes the constellation of effects resulting from alcohol consumption during pregnancy, is a complex syndrome that affects up to 5% of children and is the leading cause of preventable intellectual disability. Despite prevention campaigns discouraging alcohol drinking during pregnancy, the number of children suffering from FASD has not decreased over the past years. The consequences of PAE have become a global public health problem and understanding the alcohol-related mechanisms is crucially needed to develop new pharmacological strategies and treatments. Studies have shown that alcohol interferes with the cerebral cortex development in a variety of ways, including defects in neurogenesis, impaired cell proliferation and cell migration, reduced survival and disrupted neurotransmission. However, the precise pathophysiological mechanisms underlying alcohol’s actions on cortical development are yet poorly understood. In this study, we set up a mouse model of FASD, using an alcohol consumption paradigm in which mice voluntarily drink high amounts of alcohol throughout pregnancy. Importantly, this model avoids any bias resulting from maternal stress that could be introduced by stressful alcohol consumption procedures such as gavage or injection. We first showed that this model accurately reflects alcohol consumption in human, as mice reach blood alcohol concentration levels comparable to those reported in binge-drinking humans. In order to investigate alcohol-dependent corticogenesis defects, we are analyzing the number, proliferation and specification of glutamatergic projection neurons during embryonic development and at postnatal stages. By using in utero electroporation, we are investigating the migration pattern of projection neurons during neurogenesis. Our preliminary results reveal an abnormal accumulation of neurons in deep layers of the cortex of alcohol-exposed embryos, suggesting impaired neuronal migration or dysregulated layer specification. Analysis of radial migration at postnatal stage showed that projection neurons have finally reached the upper layer, similar to control. However, the morphology of neurons seems to be affected by prenatal alcohol exposure, especially at the level of apical dendrites. We thus plan to investigate more specifically the terminal differentiation and dendritogenesis of projection neurons of alcohol-exposed pups. We will also evaluate adult mice behavior and alcohol consumption in order to determine whether PAE has a long-term impact on adult behavior and drinking pattern. Acknowledgements This work is supported by the Marguerite-Marie Delacroix Foundation and the Fonds Léon Fredericq. Keywords: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), Projection neurons (PNs), Prenatal binge-type ethanol exposure, Cerebral cortex, Neurogenesis, neuronal migration and maturation Conference: Belgian Brain Congress 2018 — Belgian Brain Council, LIEGE, Belgium, 19 Oct - 19 Oct, 2018. Presentation Type: e-posters Topic: NOVEL STRATEGIES FOR NEUROLOGICAL AND MENTAL DISORDERS: SCIENTIFIC BASIS AND VALUE FOR PATIENT-CENTERED CARE Citation: Van Hees L, Laguesse S and Nguyen L (2019). Impact of alcohol exposure on the development and maturation of the cerebral cortex. Front. Neurosci. Conference Abstract: Belgian Brain Congress 2018 — Belgian Brain Council. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnins.2018.95.00037 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 14 Aug 2018; Published Online: 17 Jan 2019. * Correspondence: Ms. Laura Van Hees, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium, lauravanhees@gmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Laura Van Hees Sophie Laguesse Laurent Nguyen Google Laura Van Hees Sophie Laguesse Laurent Nguyen Google Scholar Laura Van Hees Sophie Laguesse Laurent Nguyen PubMed Laura Van Hees Sophie Laguesse Laurent Nguyen Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

A Control-Theoretic Assessment of Interventions During Drinking Events.

This paper employs control-theoretic tools to provide guidelines for in-situ interventions aimed at reducing high-risk alcohol consumption at drinking events. A dynamical directed network model of a drinking event with external intervention, suitable for mathematical analysis and parameter estimation using field data is proposed, with insights from pharmacokinetics and psychology. Later, a characterization of a bound on blood alcohol content (BAC) trajectories is obtained via Lyapunov stability analysis, and structural controllability guarantees are obtained via a graph-theoretic method. We use the degree of controllability, given to be the trace of the system's controllability Gramian, as a metric to compare the viability of network nodes for intervention based on theoretic and heuristic centrality measures. Results of numerical examples of bars and parties, informed by field data, and the stability and controllability results, suggest that intervening in the environment in wet bars, while targeting influential individuals with high alcohol consumption motivations in private parties efficiently yield lower peak BAC levels in individuals at the drinking events.

Comparing levels of blood alcohol concentration and indicators of impairment in nightlife patrons.

Breathalyser estimate of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is widely used as an objective intoxication measure, but is not always practical in nightlife contexts. This study uses in situ data collected in nightlife environments to explore how four measures of intoxication are related so as to inform the development of a more practical and reliable method of differentiating intoxication for people working in the night-time economy. Nightlife patron interviews were conducted in five Australian cities. Participants completed demographic questions and were asked about current session (past 12 h) alcohol use, and four different measures of intoxication were assessed: BAC, participant's self-reported intoxication (0-10), interviewer rating of the participant's intoxication (0-10) and interviewer-rated number of the participants' of physical signs of intoxication. A total of 7028 patrons were surveyed and n = 5273 included in analysis. Mean age was 23.9 years (SD = 6.36); 61.5% were male. There was a significant difference in occurrence of all observable intoxication symptoms across differing levels of BAC (P < 0.001). All visible symptoms became more common as intoxication increased, except for talking very quickly/talkative and giggly symptoms. As BAC levels increase, the extent of the disagreement between self-rated and interviewer-rated intoxication measures widens. Exhibiting four or more visible intoxication symptoms emerged as a reliable method for observers to identify intoxicated patrons. As BAC increases, people become worse at estimating their own intoxication, but sober observers remain relatively accurate. Findings provide support for efforts to strengthen and enforce responsible service of alcohol.

Alcohol use by suicide victims in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, 2011–2015

Excessive alcohol consumption is a serious public health issue, because drunkenness affects critical judgment and self-control which could trigger violent and self-harm behavior, with thus a potential association between alcohol consumption and suicide deaths. The objective of the present study was to assess the association between alcohol consumption and suicide deaths in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, from 2011 to 2015, and its relationship with socio-demographic characteristics of the victims and the circumstances of the suicide. A cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted by collection of data from 1,700 suicide victims subjected to examination of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) from toxicology reports from the Institute of Legal Medicine of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Alcohol was detected in blood samples of 30.2% of the victims and mean BAC levels were 1.73 ± 0.08 g/L. The mean age of the victims was 39.90 ± 0.75 years. The majority of the victims were male (74.6%) and the prevalence of positive BAC was higher amongst men (34.7%) than women (17.1%), p<0.05. The majority of the victims were white skinned (64.7%), but there was a higher proportion of victims with positive BAC among mulatto and black individuals, p<0.05. Hanging was the most prevalent suicide method in the sample (48.7%) and amongst men (55.4%), but amongst women it was jumping from a height (35%), p < 0.05.

Alcohol intoxication at Swedish football matches: A study using biological sampling to assess blood alcohol concentration levels among spectators.

Alcohol use and alcohol-related problems, including accidents, vandalism and violence, at sporting events are of increased concern in Sweden and other countries. The relationship between alcohol use and violence has been established and can be explained by the level of intoxication. Given the occurrence of alcohol use and alcohol-related problems at sporting events, research has assessed intoxication levels measured through biological sampling among spectators. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the level of alcohol intoxication among spectators at football matches in the Swedish Premier Football League. Spectators were randomly selected and invited to participate in the study. Alcohol intoxication was measured with a breath analyser for Blood Alcohol Concentration levels, and data on gender, age, and recent alcohol use were gathered through a face-to-face interview. Blood Alcohol Concentration samples from 4420 spectators were collected. Almost half (46.8%) had a positive Blood Alcohol Concentration level, with a mean value of 0.063%, while 8.9% had a Blood Alcohol Concentration level ≥ 0.1%, with a mean value of 0.135%. Factors that predicted a higher Blood Alcohol Concentration level included male gender (p = 0.005), lower age (p < 0.001), attending a local derby (p < 0.001), alcohol use prior to having entered the arena (p < 0.001), attending a weekend match (p < 0.001), and being a spectator at supporter sections (p < 0.001). About half of all spectators at football matches in the Swedish Premier Football League drink alcohol in conjunction with the match. Approximately one tenth have a high level of alcohol intoxication.

The need for accuracy and validity in research on nightlife and drinking: A commentary on Devilly et al. and recommendations for future research

Research on nightlife and drinking faces many unique challenges, and validity in research is an important concern. A recent publication by Devilly et al. entitled “SmartStart: Results of a large point of entry study into preloading alcohol and associated behaviours” contains definitions and assumptions about prior work that require more careful consideration. Important issues include: using a definition of pre-drinking which is the same as previous work so that valid comparison can be made, reporting of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels that comply with other work, accurate reporting of response rates, and careful consideration of sampling approaches to maximise ethical integrity. Ensuring consistency of definition and accurate representation of previous literature regarding BAC, pre-drinking and energy drink use, is important for supplying the broader community with reliable information on which policy decisions can be made.

Baseline breath alcohol concentration in Nigerian commercial drivers and motorcyclists

ABSTRACTObjective: We sought to determine breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) in a sample of consenting Nigerian commercial drivers and motorcyclists and relate values obtained to some social parameters and practices.Method: A cross-sectional study of randomly selected, consenting commercial drivers, and motorcyclists in two Nigerian cities was undertaken. We obtained data on subjects’ sociodemographics, driving/riding related experiences and practices with the aid of a pretested structured questionnaire. We determined their BrAC and analyzed data using SPSS version 17.0. Statistical significance was inferred at p ≤ 0.05.Result: One hundred ninety respondents aged 20–65 years mean (SD) 40 (11.28) were studied. They were 112 (58.9%) drivers, 78 (41.1%) motorcyclists, and predominantly males (98.9%). A significant proportion of motorcyclists were aged <40 years and most drivers >40 years (p < 0.001). Respondents’ educational attainment did not differ significantly with age groups and status; however, 6.8% had no formal education.Alcohol use decreased significantly with increasing years of experience (p < 0.001). Note that 68.9% of respondents tested positive with the breathalyzer with blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels 0.01–1.8 mg/ml with mean (SD) at 0.16 (0.32) mg/ml. In total, 51.1% of respondents had BAC values ≥0.1% while 7.9% had BAC ≥0.5 mg/ml. A total of 92.6% admitted use of various measures to enhance their performances and overcome fatigue.Conclusion: The drink driving/riding law in Nigeria needs to be revised to suit prevailing circumstance and enforced.

Perceptions of alcohol-impaired driving and the blood alcohol concentration standard in the United States

IntroductionAlthough the number of alcohol-impaired driving (AID) fatalities has declined over the past several years, AID continues to be a serious public health problem. The purpose of this effort was to gain a better understanding of the U.S. driving population's perceptions and thoughts about the impacts of lowering the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) driving standard below.08% on AID, health, and other outcomes. MethodsA questionnaire was administered to a nationally representative sample of licensed drivers in the U.S. (n=1011) who were of age 21 or older on driving habits, alcohol consumption habits, drinking and driving habits, attitudes about drinking and driving, experiences with and opinions of drinking and driving laws, opinions about strategies to reduce drinking and driving, general concerns about traffic safety issues, and demographics. ResultsOne-third of participants supported lowering the legal BAC standard, and participants rated a BAC standard of .05% to be moderately acceptable on average. 63.9% indicated that lowering 30 the BAC to .05% would have no effect on their decisions to drink and drive. Nearly 60% of respondents lacked accurate knowledge of their state's BAC standard. ConclusionsPublic support for lowering the BAC standard was moderate and was partially tied to beliefs about the impacts of a change in the BAC standard. The results suggest that an opportunity for better educating the driving population about existing AID policy and the implications for lowering the BAC level on traffic injury prevention. Practical applicationsThe study results are useful for state traffic safety professionals and policy makers to have a better understanding of the public's perceptions of and thoughts about BAC standards. There is a clear need for more research into the effects of lowering the BAC standard on crashes, arrests, AID behavior, and alcohol-related behaviors.

Drunk-Driver Detection and Alert System (DDDAS) for Smart Vehicles

One of the major causes of road accidents, crashes, mishaps and fatalities globally all over the world is drunk driving. Though driving under intoxication is illegal, even then people restore to such hard-core habits often. In order to combat such risky situation on road, technological innovation needs to be implemented in a cost-effective, efficient and legal manner. This paper discusses design, development and live-performance test of the prototype of drink and drive situation detection and alert cum vehicle control system to minimize road mishaps and enhance public safety on road. It also analyses the response of breath –alcohol semiconductor sensor with respect to variation in distance from source which is critical part of system design. Based upon the recent smart gas sensing and integration of satellite and cellular wireless communication technologies, the proposed device quickly senses the drunken state of the driver during start-up/driving by estimating the equivalent breath alcohol concentration level corresponding to the legally permissible state’s threshold blood alcohol concentration level. On detection of such situation, on-vehicle siren/audio alarm is activated to warn the persons on road and vehicle control system is triggered to lock ignition or stop the fuel inflow to the vehicle. Additionally, ‘alert SMS’ indicating drunk driver location, tracked by onboard GPS receiver, along with vehicle number is communicated remotely to authorized (family members, traffic police) mobile user using GSM cellular network to take appropriate action thereafter. The live experiment results highlighted the successful working performance of the device in-housed at the steering wheel of the vehicle with the drunk driver.

Perception of intoxication in a field study of the night-time economy: Blood alcohol concentration, patron characteristics, and event-level predictors

ObjectiveDetermine the relationship of subjective intoxication to blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and examine whether patron and event-level characteristics modify the relationship of BAC to subjective intoxication. MethodsAn in-situ systematic random sample of alcohol consumers attending night-time entertainment districts between 10pm and 3am on Friday and Saturday nights in five Australian cities completed a brief interview (n=4628). Participants reported age, sex, and pre-drinking, energy drink, tobacco, illicit stimulant and other illicit drug use that night, and their subjective intoxication and BAC were assessed. ResultsMale and female drinkers displayed equally low sensitivity to the impact of alcohol consumption when self-assessing their intoxication (BAC only explained 19% of variance). The marginal effect of BAC was not constant. At low BAC, participants were somewhat sensitive to increases in alcohol consumption, but at higher BAC levels that modest sensitivity dissipated (actual BAC had less impact on self-assessed intoxication). The slope ultimately leveled out to be non-responsive to additional alcohol intake. Staying out late, pre-drinking, and being young introduced biases resulting in higher self-assessed intoxication regardless of actual BAC. Further, both energy drinks and stimulant use modified the association between BAC and perceived intoxication, resulting in more compressed changes in self-assessment as BAC varies up or down, indicating less ability to perceive differences in BAC level. ConclusionsThe ability of intoxicated patrons to detect further intoxication is impaired. Co-consumption of energy drinks and/or stimulant drugs is associated with impaired intoxication judgment, creating an additional challenge for the responsible service and consumption of alcohol.

Alcohol Intoxication and Perpetrator Identification in Experimental Lineup

The eyewitness is a crucial source of evidence in the criminal judicial system. However, rely on the reminiscence of an eyewitness especially intoxicated eyewitness is not always judicious. It might lead to some serious consequences. Day by day, alcohol-related crimes or the criminal incidences in bars, nightclubs and restaurants are increasing rapidly. Tackling such cases is very complicated to any investigation officers. The people in that incidents are violated due to the alcohol consumption hence, their ability to identify the suspects or recall these phenomena is affected. The studies on the effects of alcohol consumption on motor activities such as driving and surgeries have received much attention. However, the effect of alcohol intoxication on memory has received little attention from the psychology, law, forensic and criminology scholars across the world. In the Indian context, the published articles on this issue are equal to none up to present day. This field experiment investigation aimed at to finding out the effect of alcohol consumption on identification accuracy in lineups. Thirty adult social drinkers, and thirty sober adults were randomly recruited for the study. The sober adults were assigned into “placebo” beverage group while social drinkers were divided into two group e. g. “low dose” of alcohol (0.2 g/kg) and “high dose” of alcohol (0.8 g/kg). The social drinkers were divided in such a way that their level of blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) will become different. After administering the beverages for the placebo group and liquor to the social drinkers for 40 to 50 minutes of the period the five-minute video clip of mock crime is shown to all in a group of four to five members. After the exposure of video clip subjects were given 10 portraits and asked them to recognize whether they are involved in mock crime or not. Moreover, they were also asked to describe the incident. The subjects were given two opportunities to recognize the portraits and to describe the events; the first opportunity is given immediately after the video clip and the second was 24 hours later. The obtained data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Scheffe’sposthoc multiple comparison tests. The results indicated that the “high dose” group is remarkably different from the “placebo” and “low dose” groups. But, the “placebo” and “low dose” groups are equally performed. The subjects in a “high dose” group recognized only 20% faces correctly while the subjects in a “placebo” and “low dose” groups are recognized 90 %. This study implied that the intoxicated witnesses are less accurate to recognize the suspects and also less capable of describing the incidents where crime has taken place. Moreover, this study does not assert that intoxicated eyewitness is generally less trustworthy than their sober counterparts.

الأهمية القانونية لقيم التراكيز الحدية للكحول في الدم عند قيادة المركبات في القانون الجنائي الألماني؛ دراسة مقارنة بالقانون الإماراتي والمصري

Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (DUI) is a crime or offence according to the laws of most countries. DUI increases the risk of traffic accidents as well as the severity and outcome of injuries that result from them. Some countries have a sophisticated control system to monitor DUI of alcohol in all traffic accidents. There is variation between different countries regarding the concept of driving under the influence of alcohol as well as the legal limits of Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) and the requirements to test the victims of accidents. This paper reviews the limit values for BAC in German traffic law (Administrative Offences Act), which stipulates a BAC value of 0.50 mg/g and a breath alcohol value of 0.25 mg/L as a marginal value for the application of punitive measures. German criminal law defines the minimum BAC values of relative unfitness to drive and absolute unfitness to drive as 0.3 mg/g and 1.10 mg/g, respectively (1.60 mg/g for cyclists).The minimum BAC values representing significant impairment and absolute impairment in criminal cases are 2.00 mg/g and 3.00 mg/g, respectively. Different penalties and legal consequences result according to the BAC level of an offender. In contrast, only eight out of twenty-two Arab countries recognise BAC limit values only in traffic laws. In Jordan, the BAC limit is 0.75 mg/g (0.08 g/dL).in the UAE, the BAC limit is 0.094 mg/g (0.01 g/dL), while Egyptian law does not recognise BAC values in the application of sanctions: the mere presence of alcohol in blood, regardless of its concentration and effect, is a sufficient and adequate condition for punishment. Accordingly, this study encourages lawmakers in Arab countries to define the limit values for BAC when investigating any crime in general and traffic offences in particular, in close cooperation with forensic doctors and toxicologists. It urges them to consider different BAC and their effects in relation to traffic offences. It also encourages them to take into account the principle of hierarchy in criminal liability when a crime is committed under the influence of alcohol.

Estimated blood alcohol concentrations achieved by consuming supersized alcopops

ABSTRACTBackground: Producers of supersized alcopops have ignored requests from a number of state attorneys general to reduce the alcohol concentration in these products. To the contrary, new flavor options have since been released that contain even greater alcohol content so that some alcopop products now contain 5.5 standard alcoholic drinks in a single-serving can. Though alcohol content of supersized alcopops has risen, little attention has been paid to the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level consumers can expect to achieve from drinking these products. Objectives: To estimate BAC levels expected from consuming one or two cans of supersized alcopop, relative to beer. Methods: Median weight data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used in Matthews and Miller’s (1979) BAC estimation formula. Results: Consuming a single supersized alcopop over the course of 2 hours can put youth and young adults well over the legal per se driving limit of 0.08 g/dL. Consuming two cans puts them at risk of alcohol poisoning. Conclusions: Estimates provided here show that supersized alcopop consumers obtain dangerously high BAC levels. Reductions in the alcohol content of supersized alcopops should be an urgent priority for public health policy and law.

SmartStart: Results of a large point of entry study into preloading alcohol and associated behaviours

BackgroundThere is a growing trend of preloading with alcohol before entering entertainment districts. It is claimed that this occurs to save money and that preloading may be a good indicator of harmful drinking and risk taking behaviours more generally. No study has collected data from a large sample as the participants entered entertainment districts and measured blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels and self-reported drinking and risk taking behaviours in a systematic way. MethodsIn this research, police and academics worked together to gauge the breadth and depth of preloading behaviours. In all, 3039 people completed a questionnaire and were breathalysed as they entered entertainment districts in Queensland, Australia. Of those, 2751 represented people from Brisbane and this data, collected every Thursday night to Sunday morning during the warm months, was analysed. ResultsMore than 79% of people reported to preload and 71% returned a BAC greater than zero, both with little difference between the genders. Of preloaders, the mean BAC was 0.071, with ‘to socialise with friends’ being the primary reason given for preloading. Increasing preloading BAC was related to increasing risk taking and antisocial behaviours, as well as alcohol abuse and dependence. Older people entering entertainment districts had more accurate estimates of their BAC, yet 20% of our sample did not understand how the BAC system worked. Conducting the research was associated with a higher access rate to police and a lower arrest rate in the areas of data collection in comparison to the same nights 1year earlier. ConclusionPreloading is widespread and involves moderate to heavy drinking in the Australian population visiting entertainment districts. Any interventions to curb drinking behaviours and reduce violence in night time entertainment districts need to involve approaches aimed at cultural phenomena, such as preloading behaviours.

The Effects of Alcohol Use on Economic Decision Making

In a controlled laboratory experiment, we study the causal effect of alcohol on economic decision making. A treatment group was given a dose of alcohol designed to target a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 while the BAC of those in the control group remained 0.00. We investigate the behavior of control and treatment groups in the following types of tasks: math, uncertainty, overconfidence, strategic games, food choice, anchoring, and altruism. Our results indicate that alcohol consumption has little systematic effect on economic behavior, at least for the BAC level considered. Further, there is little evidence that alcohol differentially impacts the choices of male and female subjects.

Closed-Course Study to Examine the Effect of Alcohol Impairment on a Driver’s Ability to Identify and Read Signs

Because alcohol has been found to be the primary contributing factor in many wrong-way crash studies, researchers at Texas A&amp;M Research Institute conducted a nighttime closed-course study to investigate the behaviors of alcohol-impaired drivers and determine their interpretations of various traffic control devices. Researchers found that alcohol-impaired drivers tended to look less to the left and right and more toward the pavement in front of the vehicle. In addition, researchers confirmed that alcohol-impaired drivers did not actively search the forward-facing scene as much as nonimpaired drivers. Instead, alcohol-impaired drivers concentrated their glances in a smaller area within the forward-facing scene. Researchers also confirmed that drivers at higher blood alcohol concentration levels took longer to locate signs and had to be closer to a sign before they could identify the sign background color and read the sign legend. In addition, alcohol-impaired drivers had to be closer to signs with flashing red LEDs around the border before they could read the legend compared with signs without flashing LEDs.