Daily Drinking Research Articles

Risky sexual behavior in Veterans seeking substance use and mental health treatment

Veterans in the United States are at an elevated risk for substance use and risky sexual behaviors, either of which may function as coping responses to trauma exposure. The current study examined risky sexual behaviors in a sample of Veterans seeking therapy to reduce substance use behaviors and mental health symptoms as part of a larger randomized controlled trial. Self-report measures assessed substance use behaviors, PTSD, and risky sexual behaviors. Veterans (N = 834) were mostly male (93.4 %) and White (71.6 %) with an average age of 48.25 years. In the past 30 days, 50.5 % of Veterans had sex and 57.3 % of Veterans reported at least one day of heavy drinking. Among Veterans who had a regular sexual partner, 84.9 % did not always use a condom, whereas 77.1 % of Veterans who had a casual partner did not always use a condom. Of Veterans who endorsed sex in the past month, 49 % had a sexual encounter while intoxicated from alcohol and/or drugs, an outcome that was significantly associated with heavy drinking via multiple regression analysis. Nevertheless, other forms of risky sexual behavior (i.e., number of sexual partners and condom use) were not significantly associated with heavy drinking. Further, risky sexual behaviors were not directly associated with PTSD symptoms. Findings suggest that despite the high prevalence of risky sexual behaviors, these behaviors among this sample of treatment-seeking Veterans may be explained by other unexplored factors. Future research is necessary to explore alternative explanations for these behaviors to inform interventions.

Utilization of biomarkers for alcohol use in liver transplantation candidates with alcohol-associated liver disease.

Although a set period of abstinence is no longer a requirement for transplant consideration in many liver transplantation programs, it is imperative to utilize valid monitoring tools to detect ongoing alcohol use in transplant candidates. Urinary ethyl glucuronide (EtG) is an objective measure of alcohol use. This single centre retrospective study aims to describe the psychosocial characteristics of alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) patients who provided positive EtG tests in the pre-transplant phase. Data was collected between May 1, 2018 and November 30, 2021 for all ALD patients referred to our transplantation program (n=497). Psychosocial characteristics and transplant outcomes were recorded for all patients. Patients with a positive EtG test were compared to patients who did not have a positive EtG test. A backward logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the factors associated with a positive EtG test. Of the 497 patients evaluated, 40 (8%) provided a positive EtG test, including at initial clinic visit (n=20), during medical evaluation (n=14) and while on the waitlist (n=6). Severe alcohol use disorder (AUD) (p<.01), consuming less than 10 daily standard drinks (p=0.011) and longer duration of daily alcohol use (p=.028) were significantly associated with a positive EtG test. Psychiatric comorbidity, daily alcohol consumption amount and previous treatment for AUD were not significantly associated with positive tests. A minority of ALD patients provided a positive urine EtG in the pre-transplant phase. Alongside clinical interview, biomarker testing is an objective tool to identify ongoing alcohol use in ALD patients.

An 'explosion in the mouth': The oral health experiences of autistic children.

In England, one in four children have tooth decay by the age of 5 years. Tooth decay affects many autistic children. Communication differences, sensory sensitivities and preferred routines can make dental care difficult. Daily toothbrushing, healthy eating and drinking, and attending the dentist may be challenging for autistic children. We do not know much about how autistic children feel about looking after their teeth. Learning from them directly is important to understand their needs and make sure their voices are heard. We interviewed 10 autistic children aged between 7 and 13 years to discover how they care for their teeth, what helped and what did not. We talked about toothbrushing, healthy eating and drinking and visiting the dentist. To support our conversations, we used Talking Mats® - a tool that can help with communication. Autistic children described a wide range of sensory issues related to looking after their teeth. This finding shows how important it is to tailor care to each child's needs. Children wanted to be included in conversations about their teeth at home and at the dentist. This was felt to make a big difference in building trust and making them feel comfortable and supported. Overall, we found Talking Mats® can be used in dental research to engage with autistic children. By understanding children's views, we can better help professionals and parents to support their dental needs. Our research showed that every child's experience is unique, so dental support must be tailored and inclusive to meet children's needs.

Simultaneous use of alcohol, cannabis, and energy drinks predicts increased daily alcohol consumption and alcohol consequences.

Simultaneous alcohol and cannabis (SAM) use and alcohol mixed with energy drinks (AmED) days are associated with heavier drinking and negative consequences compared to alcohol-only days. However, it remains unclear if SAM and AmED days differ from one another in terms of consumption and negative consequences. It also remains unclear how often days characterized by both SAM + AmED occur and if these days are associated with incremental risk for heavier drinking and negative consequences. College students who engage in SAM use and AmED completed a 30-day timeline followback interview. Day-level data on drinking days were curated to test whether days characterized by alcohol only, SAM use only, AmED use only, or SAM + AmED were associated with increased drinking quantity, negative alcohol consequences, and positive alcohol consequences. Twenty-one percent of drinking days were AmED days, 19% were SAM days, and 15.4% were SAM + AmED days. SAM-only, AmED-only, and SAM + AmED days were associated with increased drinking and negative consequences compared to alcohol-only days. However, SAM-only and SAM + AmED (but not AmED-only) days were associated with more positive consequences than alcohol-only days. SAM-only and AmED-only days did not differ in drinking quantity or consequences, whereas SAM + AmED days were associated with increased drinking and negative (but not positive) consequences compared to both SAM-only and AmED-only days. Combined SAM + AmED days are common and associated with increased risk for negative outcomes. Prevention efforts should consider how to reduce the occurrence of SAM + AmED use and how to reduce risk on days when it does occur. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Day-level examination of ego-network effects on college students' alcohol consumption.

Egocentric social network analyses show that drinking habits of college students' friends predict personal alcohol consumption. To date, most of this research focused on between-person, cross-sectional, or long-term longitudinal designs to evaluate these effects. This study used intensive longitudinal methods to examine episode-specific effects of social networks (network drinking, network composition) on college students' drinking, comparing within-person and between-person effects on individual episodic drinking, and highlighted social network characteristics that might be targeted for intervention. College students (N = 1,151, 54% female, Mage = 19.26, 81% White) identified their ego network: five close alters (e.g., friends, family) whom they met frequently. For 30 days using an internet-based diary, participants reported their daily drinking levels, indicated whether they met with each alter the previous night, and reported how many drinks each alter consumed. Two-part multilevel models were used to examine participant drinking. At the within-person level, when a higher proportion of a participant's ego network drank and when network total drinks were higher than average, the odds that a participant drank were significantly increased, and if they did drink, they consumed more alcoholic drinks than usual. Participants were more likely to drink on days when their network was comprised of more friends and more opposite-gender alters. Findings provide preliminary evidence that daily network drinking appears to influence drinking patterns and quantities among students. Such information could be used within ecological momentary interventions to prevent harmful drinking patterns such as heavy drinking episodes and incapacitation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The Frequency of Meal-Replacement Products Drinking and All-Cause, CVD, and Cancer Mortality.

Our study aimed to assess the associations between meal-replacement (MR) drinking and risks of all-cause, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease (CVD), and cancer mortality. The study was based on 6770 adults aged 20 years or older from the National Health and Nutrition Examination (NHANES) 2003-2006 with linked mortality data from the National Death Index for linked mortality records (until 31 December 2019). Respondents were categorized into four groups according to the frequency of MR drinking: ≤1 time per month (seldom), 2-3 times per month (monthly), 1-6 times per week (weekly), and ≥1 time per day (daily). The adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) of MR drinking with all-cause, CVD, and cancer mortality were estimated by Cox proportional hazards regression models. Likelihood ratio tests were used to find potential interactions of MR drinking with age, sex, and BMI. During a median follow-up of 14.4 years, a total of 1668 death events were recorded among the study population. Compared to respondents who seldom drank MR, daily and weekly drinkers had greater risks of all-cause mortality (aHRs and 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.52 [1.17-1.97] for daily; 1.54 [1.24-1.91] for weekly). Stratified analyses indicated that the effects of MR on all-cause mortality were different between females and males and were more substantial among females (P for interaction: 0.003; daily female drinkers vs. daily male drinkers: 2.01 [1.40-2.90] vs. 1.24 [0.85-1.81]; weekly female drinkers vs. weekly male drinkers: 1.68 [1.26-2.24] vs. 1.36 [0.97-1.91]). Daily and weekly MR drinking might increase the risk of all-cause mortality.

Daily alcohol consumption among UK homeless people during COVID-19: a latent class and cross-sectional study

BackgroundAlcohol consumption and related issues among the homeless population are key public health concerns. The COVID-19 pandemic may have altered drinking patterns among homeless people. We aimed to examine the drinking patterns of homeless people and their association with housing status. Methods1129 participants (82·5% female) from the COVID-19 Homeless Rapid Integrated Screening Protocol (CHRISP) study reported their drinking behaviours (i.e, daily drinking, drinking after waking up, alcohol-related injury, and getting help to stop drinking) and their past housing status (e.g, rough sleeping, with family/friends, and prison). Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to assess the daily drinking patterns and multinomial logistic regression was used to explore the relationship between housing status and daily drinking patterns. FindingsThe prevalence of daily drinking was 14·3%. There were significant gender differences in alcohol-related injury and getting help to reduce/stop drinking (both p<0·05). The LCA identified an optimal three-class model: a high daily consumption group (Class 1, 7·6%), a low daily consumption group with alcohol-related injury (Class 2, 7·1%), and a low daily consumption group without negative consequences (Class 3, 85·3%). Using class 3 as the baseline, people who have lived in prison, as opposed to family/friends (reference group), were 8·6 times more likely to be classified into the high daily consumption group (Class 1). No significant drinking pattern differences were found between the reference group and other housing statuses. InterpretationThe prevalence of daily drinking among the UK homeless population during COVID-19 has been assessed for the first time. The findings suggest that different housing statuses are associated with different drinking patterns, and history of prison residence may reflect broader vulnerabilities or disadvantages. Authorities should enhance support for individuals leaving prison, including referrals and follow-up to alcohol and drug rehabilitation services. FundingNo funding was received in this study.

Impact of the transition to retirement on alcohol consumption: a longitudinal analysis within SHARE

Abstract In an ageing society, the impact of retirement on behavioural risk factors and health status needs to be carefully assessed. Evidence on the short-term and long-term effects of retirement on alcohol consumption are contrasting and inconsistent. A longitudinal study was conducted based on data from the Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement (SHARE) collected between 2004 and 2020 in 27 European countries and Israel. A repeated measure generalised estimating equation (GEE) model was fitted to estimate the relative risks (RR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) of alcohol consumption (frequency, quantity, and binge drinking) at different time periods before and after retirement. We selected a cohort of 8,998 individuals who were employed at baseline and retired during follow-up (median follow-up: 9 years; maximum: 16 years). Compared to the year of retirement, the RR for habitual daily or near-daily drinking was 0.88 (95%CI 0.76-1.02) 10 years before retirement and 0.92 (95%CI 0.83-1.02). This pattern reversed post-retirement with a RR of 1.12 (95%CI 1.01-1.23) 3-4 years after retirement and 1.28 (95%CI 1.11-1.48) 10 years or more after retirement. No significant changes in the consumption of high volumes (more than 8 units of alcohol) were observed: while the frequency of regular drinking might increase post-retirement, the instances of heavy episodic drinking do not necessarily rise. Additionally, a reduction in occasional heavy drinking episodes was noted both before (RR 0.86; 95%CI 0.77-0.95, 5-9 years prior) and after retirement (RR 0.78; 95%CI 0.66-0.93, more than 10 years after). These findings underscore the complexity of alcohol use behaviours in the context of retirement. The increase in regular drinking post-retirement might be attributed to changes in daily structure, social interactions, or coping mechanisms for life transitions. The decline in binge drinking suggests a shift towards more moderated consumption patterns as individuals age. Speakers/Panelists Licia Iacoviello University of Insubria, Varese, Italy João Vasco Santos University of Porto, CINTESIS, ARS Norte, Porto, Portugal

Changes in the frequency and amount of alcohol intake before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Concerns have been raised regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on alcohol consumption patterns, which can have implications for public health. In this descriptive study, we aimed to show the change in the frequency and amount of alcohol consumption in Japan before and during the COVID-19 pandemic periods. We analyzed data from annual health checkups among Japanese workers from April 2018 to March 2021. Changes in the frequency (daily, occasionally, rarely/never) and amount per one-time (4 categories by Japanese alcohol unit) of alcohol consumed among 331 200 participants were summarized by sex as 1-year changes in the periods before (fiscal year [FY] 2018 to FY 2019) and during (FY 2019 to FY 2020) the COVID-19 pandemic. Among daily drinkers and rarely/never drinkers, overall, 1-year changes in the frequency of alcohol consumption during the pandemic were mostly consistent with changes before the pandemic, for both sexes. The number of occasional drinkers who drank less frequently a year later increased during the pandemic compared with before the pandemic (from 9.6% to 11.6% among men and from 12.9% to 16.5% among women); however, occasional drinkers who drank more frequently showed a small increase. Collectively, both men and women showed a slight decrease in both the frequency and amount of alcohol consumption during the pandemic among occasional drinkers. No major shifts in alcohol consumption habits occurred during the pandemic in our study population. Occasional drinkers tended to drink less during the pandemic, suggesting that initial concerns about increased alcohol consumption owing to the pandemic were unfounded.

Within-episode relations among simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use and continued drinking: The role of momentary subjective responses, craving, and drinking context.

Simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use is associated with riskier daily drinking. However, little research has tested momentary mechanisms through which simultaneous use predicts continued drinking during acute drinking episodes. The current study tested whether simultaneous use moments predicted within-episode increases in subjective responses, craving, and continued drinking, and whether these relations were potentiated in social versus solitary settings. Emerging adults who co-use alcohol and cannabis (N = 85) completed 21 days of ecological momentary assessment with event-contingent reports during drinking episodes. Three-level multilevel models tested whether simultaneous (vs. alcohol-only) use moments indirectly predicted subsequent, continued drinking through subjective responses (i.e., high-arousal positive/stimulant, high-arousal negative/aggression, low-arousal positive/relaxation, low-arousal negative/impairment) and alcohol craving, and whether relations differed by social versus solitary contexts. Within drinking episodes, simultaneous (vs. alcohol-only) use moments were associated with increased stimulation, which was indirectly associated with continued drinking through increased alcohol craving. Additionally, the relation between simultaneous (vs. alcohol-only) use and stimulating effects was potentiated during solitary drinking moments, whereas the relation between stimulating effects and craving was potentiated during social drinking moments. However, stimulating effects were higher in social contexts across all moments. Finally, simultaneous (vs. alcohol-only) use moments were associated with increased relaxation, which was indirectly associated with a lower likelihood of continued drinking through lesser craving. Simultaneous use predicted both continued within-episode drinking and cessation of drinking, with acute subjective effects and craving as mechanisms, dependent upon context. Just-in-time interventions should consider targeting affect, craving, and context in event-specific interventions.

Clustering of restorative sleep and lifestyle habits in Japanese male working population

Non-restorative sleep (NRS) affects not only individuals’ health, but also company productivity, highlighting the importance of measures in the workplace to improve sleep. This study aimed to examine the clustering of the presence of restorative sleep (RS) and lifestyle habits in a Japanese working population and to explore the characteristics of these clusters. The subjects were 58,150 Japanese working men aged 40−59 years who underwent health check-ups across the country from April 2015 to March 2016. Data for the presence of RS, the frequency and amount of drinking, smoking/exercise habits, and body mass index obtained from health check-ups were clustered with latent class analysis. In addition, the characteristics of each cluster were examined from the perspectives of lifestyle-related disease-associated blood test results obtained from health check-ups and the status of medical treatment at medical institutions as determined from medical claims data. Consequently, RS and lifestyle habits were found to form five clusters. The “NRS, no exercise, drinkers” cluster showed the highest probability of not achieving RS. An “Obese, occasional binge drinkers” cluster with a higher percentage of patients with sleep-apnea syndrome and a “Nondrinkers” cluster with proportions of those taking sleeping pills/anxiolytics and antidepressants/antipsychotics were observed. Furthermore, the “Daily smokers and drinkers” and “RS and drinkers” clusters showed a relatively high probability of achieving RS. These findings suggest that some individuals may not be aware of the sleep disorders caused by their drinking and smoking habits. Measures to improve sleep must be tailored to the characteristics of each cluster.

A randomized trial testing digital medicine support models for mild-to-moderate alcohol use disorder

This paper reports the results of a hybrid effectiveness-implementation randomized trial that systematically varied levels of human oversight required to support the implementation of a digital medicine intervention for persons with mild-to-moderate alcohol use disorder (AUD). Participants were randomly assigned to three groups representing possible digital health support models within a health system: self-monitored use (SM; n = 185), peer-supported use (PS; n = 186), or a clinically integrated model CI; (n = 187). Across all three groups, the percentage of self-reported heavy drinking days dropped from 38.4% at baseline (95% CI [35.8%, 41%]) to 22.5% (19.5%, 25.5%) at 12 months. The clinically integrated group showed significant improvements in mental health and quality of life compared to the self-monitoring group (p = 0.011). However, higher attrition rates in the clinically integrated group warrant consideration in interpreting this result. Results suggest that making a self-guided digital intervention available to patients may be a viable option for health systems looking to promote alcohol risk reduction. This study was prospectively registered at clinicaltrials.gov on 7/03/2019 (NCT04011644).

Results from a randomized controlled trial of zonisamide in the treatment of alcohol use disorder

There is preliminary evidence that the anticonvulsant medication Zonisamide (ZON) may be an effective, well-tolerated treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD). However, further evaluation of its efficacy for treating patients with AUD is needed, and much remains unknown about ZON's therapeutic mechanisms. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of ZON in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. Eighty-one adults (ages 21–65) diagnosed with AUD were randomly assigned to receive either ZON (at a target dose of 400 mg/d) or a pill placebo over 12 weeks, followed by a two-week taper. All participants also received a computerized alcohol reduction program, Take Control (TC). Primary drinking outcomes were average daily drinks, percentage drinking days, and percentage heavy drinking days. Further, we evaluated changes in AUD clinical severity and performance on neuropsychological measures. For both groups, drinking outcomes generally decreased, as did AUD clinical severity, though group differences were not statistically significant. Neuropsychological testing performance was similar for both groups at baseline; however, at post-treatment, participants in the ZON group demonstrated poorer working memory and lower performance on verbal fluency tests compared to the placebo group, and these differences were statistically significant with moderate-large effect sizes. One serious adverse event was reported among individuals receiving ZON. Study findings indicate that ZON combined with TC does not demonstrate superior effectiveness for reducing average daily drinks in this clinical sample with principal AUD compared to placebo and TC, and treatment with ZON may be associated with reduced neurocognitive performance over time.

Changes in self-reported cannabis use in the United States from 1979 to 2022.

Multiple countries are considering revising cannabis policies. This study aimed to measure long-term trends in cannabis use in the United States and compare them with alcohol use. Secondary analysis of United States general population survey data. The national surveys had a total of 1 641 041 participants across 27 surveys from 1979 to 2022. Rates of use reported to the US National Survey on Drug Use and Health and its predecessors are described, as are trends in days of use reported. Four milepost years are contrasted: 1979 (first available data and end of relatively liberal policies of the 1970s), 1992 (end of 12 years of conservative Reagan-Bush era policies), 2008 (last year before the Justice Department signaled explicit federal non-interference with state-level legalizations) and 2022 (most recent data available). Reported cannabis use declined to a nadir in 1992, with partial recovery through 2008, and substantial increases since then, particularly for measures of more intensive use. Between 2008 and 2022, the per capita rate of reporting past-year use increased by 120%, and days of use reported per capita increased by 218% (in absolute terms from the annual equivalent of 2.3 to 8.1 billion days per year). From 1992 to 2022, there was a 15-fold increase in the per capita rate of reporting daily or near daily use. Whereas the 1992 survey recorded 10 times as many daily or near daily alcohol as cannabis users (8.9 vs. 0.9 M), the 2022 survey, for the first time, recorded more daily and near daily users of cannabis than alcohol (17.7 vs. 14.7 M). Far more people drink, but high-frequency drinking is less common. In 2022, the median drinker reported drinking on 4-5days in the past month, versus 15-16 days in the past month for cannabis. In 2022, past-month cannabis consumers were almost four times as likely to report daily or near daily use (42.3% vs. 10.9%) and 7.4 times more likely to report daily use (28.2% vs. 3.8%). Long-term trends in cannabis use in the United States parallel corresponding changes in cannabis policy, with declines during periods of greater restriction and growth during periods of policy liberalization. A growing share of cannabis consumers report daily or near daily use, and their numbers now exceed the number of daily and near daily drinkers.

Sex differences in neural networks recruited by frontloaded binge alcohol drinking.

Frontloading is an alcohol drinking pattern where intake is skewed towards the onset of access. This study aimed to identify brain regions involved in frontloading. Whole brain imaging was performed in 63 C57Bl/6J (32 female, 31 male) mice that underwent 8 days of binge drinking using drinking-in-the-dark (DID). On Days 1-7 mice received 20% (v/v) alcohol or water for 2 h. Intake was measured in 1-min bins using volumetric sippers. On Day 8 mice were perfused 80 min into the DID session and brains were extracted. Brains were processed to stain for Fos protein using iDISCO+. Following light sheet imaging, ClearMap2.1 was used to register brains to the Allen Brain Atlas and detect Fos+ cells. For network analyses, Day 8 drinking patterns were used to characterize mice as frontloaders or non-frontloaders using a change-point analysis. Functional correlation matrices were calculated for each group from log10 Fos values. Euclidean distances were calculated from these R values and clustering was used to determine modules (highly connected groups of brain regions). In males, alcohol access decreased modularity (three modules in both frontloaders and non-frontloaders) as compared to water (seven modules). In females, an opposite effect was observed. Alcohol access (nine modules for frontloaders) increased modularity as compared to water (five modules). Further, different brain regions served as hubs in frontloaders as compared to control groups. In conclusion, alcohol consumption led to fewer, but more densely connected, groups of brain regions in males but not females and we identify several brain-wide signatures of frontloading.

Business Strategy Analysis of Coffee Industry: Taking Starbucks as an Example

In the 20th century, the competition among many coffee brands in the world was gradually fierce. Under the background of improvement of people's living standards and changes in consumption habits, more and more people choose coffee as their daily drink. This paper focuses on status of the coffee industry, taking Starbucks as an example, analyzing its brand and financial situation based on its official annual report for the fiscal year 2021, 2022 and 2023. By comparing the different financial ratios in the past few years, this study gives an analysis of Starbucks brand value in terms of SWOT model and finds some proposals for the brands in coffee industry. The paper demonstrates the development trend of coffee industry and one of the typical management modes, give out an instructor no matter whether for the academic field a direction to have deeper research in this industry or for other brands in their way of developing, both shows a great of significance in further study. This study uses comparative analysis of text analysis and case analysis, combined with actual data, to conduct in-depth research on the financial situation and development of Starbucks and coffee industry. The research carries out a strong correlation between coffee consumption and peoples living habit, operation mode as well. The fruitful work also gives useful improvements on how to develop for coffee industry, it has contributed to the people present understanding of the different financial performance with different factors in production.

Self-reported alcohol consumption during participation in a text messaging-based online drinking moderation platform.

Many individuals with excessive alcohol consumption desire moderation but do not seek formalized treatment. Commercially available, technology-assisted options are flexible and highly accessible, yet often not empirically validated. Individuals desiring alcohol moderation (age 21+) self-selected to use Sunnyside®, a web application with tailored and adaptive text messaging. The evaluable dataset included 46,411 members who completed a baseline assessment, enrolled in the program, and tracked their drinking at least once. An adaptive and customizable weekly plan was generated from typical drinking patterns, goals, and weekly reported progress. Personalized daily messages included reminders for real-time drink tracking, plans, and available interactive messaging with peer coaches. Generalized mixed-effect growth models characterized change in drinks per week and daily drinking for 12 weeks after enrollment. Models allowed for nonlinear change and individual variability across members and weeks. A majority (64.3%) of members reported typically drinking 7 of 7 days per week at baseline. During tracking, drinks per week decreased most in the initial weeks and slowed thereafter, with an overall 33% reduction in weekly drink counts. More severe alcohol-use patterns and concern over drinking at baseline were associated with greater relative benefit. Drinking patterns appeared amenable to change during 12 weeks of daily drink tracking with Sunnyside®, a tailored web program to reduce drinking and improve overall wellness. Overall, the findings of this naturalistic study, one of the first of its kind, supplement data from randomized clinical trials and support the use of adaptive, technology-assisted tools for alcohol moderation.

Reducing Alcohol Misuse and Promoting Treatment Initiation Among Veterans Through a Brief Internet-Based Intervention: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Young adult veterans who served after the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001 (ie, post-9/11) are at heightened risk for experiencing behavioral health distress and disorders including hazardous drinking, posttraumatic stress disorder, and depression. These veterans often face significant barriers to behavioral health treatment, and reaching them through brief mobile phone-based interventions may help reduce drinking and promote treatment engagement. Following a successful pilot study, this randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to further test the efficacy of a brief (ie, single session) mobile phone-delivered personalized normative feedback intervention enhanced with content to promote treatment engagement. We will conduct an RCT with 800 post-9/11 young adult veterans (aged 18 to 40 years) with potentially hazardous drinking and who have not recently received treatment for any behavioral health problems. Participants will be randomly assigned to the personalized intervention or a control condition with resources for seeking care. The personalized normative feedback module in the intervention focuses on the correction of misperceived norms of peer alcohol use and uses empirically informed approaches to increase motivation to address alcohol use and co-occurring behavioral health problems. Past 30-day drinking, alcohol-related consequences, and treatment-seeking behaviors will be assessed at baseline and 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post intervention. Sex, barriers to care, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and severity of alcohol use disorder symptoms will be explored as potential moderators of outcomes. We expect recruitment to be completed within 6 months, with data collection taking 12 months for each enrolled participant. Analyses will begin within 3 months of the final data collection point (ie, 12 months follow-up). This RCT will evaluate the efficacy of a novel intervention for non-treatment-seeking veterans who struggle with hazardous drinking and possible co-occurring behavioral health problems. This intervention has the potential to improve veteran health outcomes and overcome significant barriers to treatment. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04244461; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04244461. DERR1-10.2196/59993.

Prevalence and Predictors of Soft Drink Consumption among Adolescents in the Gulf Countries: Findings from National Surveys.

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and predictors of soft drink consumption among adolescents in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries using nationally representative data from the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS). Cross-sectional data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire in a school survey and included 22,116 adolescents aged 12-18 years from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Data were collected and analyzed using complex survey methods. The GSHS was not available for Saudi Arabia. Soft drink consumption was the main outcome variable. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine its associations with sociodemographic characteristics, dietary behaviors, parental factors, and health-related behaviors. The prevalence of soft drink consumption three or more times per day ranged from 10.6% to 26.8% across the countries, with the highest being in Qatar. Adjusted analyses showed that girls had lower odds of SD consumption compared to boys (OR = 0.66; 95% CI: 0.57-0.77). Food insecurity, a proxy for low socioeconomic status, was associated with twice the odds of frequent consumption (OR = 2.06; 95% CI: 1.75-2.43). Parental smoking and low physical activity levels were also associated with higher soft drink intake (OR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.13-1.88 and OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.08-1.28, respectively), while obesity showed a weak positive association. Daily soft drink consumption was highly prevalent among adolescents in the GCC countries. Sociodemographic, behavioral, and health-related factors were significantly associated with frequent intake. These findings highlight the need for comprehensive, multi-sectoral interventions to reduce soft drink consumption in the region.

The combination of donepezil and cognitive training for improving treatment outcomes for alcohol use disorder: Design of a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundThe development of alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a major concern in public health, and cognitive impairments caused by alcohol are involved in this process. Emerging neurobiological evidence suggests that donepezil, an anticholinesterase agent, may improve AUD treatment outcomes by enhancing neurocognitive functioning. Previous research has also suggested that cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) could potentially improve cognitive function and AUD treatment outcomes. We present the rationale and design of a trial to evaluate the combination of donepezil and cognitive remediation therapy (donepezil + CRT) as an intervention for AUD. MethodsWe propose a 13-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-subjects trial comparing 4 groups (donepezil + CRT vs. donepezil alone vs. CRT alone vs. placebos) as an intervention for AUD. The main goal of the study is to evaluate if donepezil + CRT is superior to placebo in reducing heavy drinking days and improving neurocognitive functioning. A total of 160 patients (4 groups, 40 per each group) with AUD between the ages of 18–80 years will be recruited at Yale University and the VA Connecticut Healthcare System. Primary outcome measures include 1) heavy drinking by Timeline Follow Back (TLFB) over 13 weeks and 2) global neurocognitive functioning by a global index of neurocognitive function score at 7 and 13 weeks. DiscussionThis protocol paper describes the rationale and proposed methods for the randomized controlled trial for improving AUD treatment outcomes. This project has significant clinical potential to help patients suffering from AUD by improving their cognition and reducing alcohol consumption.Trial Registration:NCT05042102