Extensive Alcohol Use Research Articles

Alcohol Based Economy V/S Unemployment in India

The problem of extensive use of alcohol is seriously affecting our social, economic and political culture and also creating several other problems in the society. The increasing crime rate especially among the children is due to the spreading use of alcohol and drugs. It has created new type of challenges before the administration, Government and families. The proposed paper covers various factors of the problem. The proposed paper aims to analyze the national issues especially in case of alcohol and other problems related to the matter. The outcome of this academic activity will try to identify the loopholes in the system and suggest the most suitable remedies to the Government and society both. India has several policies and laws related to alcohol and several reforms have been initiated by the Government on time to time but it is witnessed that the effects of these policies are either not as par the expectation or the changes are slower than the problem increases. The related policies and laws are: The Dangerous Drug Act, 1930, The Drug and Cosmetic Act, 1940, Narcotic Drugs, 1961, Psychotropic Substances Act, 1971, Illicit Trafficking Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, NDPS Amendments Act, 1989, 2001 & 2014, Custom Duty Act and other related laws. In today’s era, if we think government and revenue point of view, alcohol or liquor products can be important for collection of revenue, but if we see the interest of the society and per person, then negative effects can also be seen, so there is need for revenue from such products or sources should be collected which can contribute to the positive development of the economy along with the country and society.

Screening gender minority people for harmful alcohol use.

This study identifies how to screen for harmful alcohol use among gender minority (e.g., transgender and gender-expansive) people using brief screening methods and identifies which screening methods perform best among gender-expansive, transfeminine, and transmasculine subgroups, as screening recommendations are not currently available. Using 2018 Annual Questionnaire data from The PRIDE Study, area under the curve (AUC) values were compared to identify which screening methods (“4 or more” or “5 or more” drinks on one occasion in the past year, or one or more items from the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test [AUDIT]) best predicted (i) harmful alcohol use and (ii) one or more past year alcohol dependence symptoms or consequences. Among 1892 participants, “5 or more” drinks on one occasion (AUC ranges: 0.82–0.86) performed better than “4 or more” drinks (AUC ranges: 0.78–0.81) in predicting harmful drinking. The screening methods “4 or more” drinks, “5 or more” drinks, and the consumption items of the AUDIT (AUDIT-C) using a cutoff score of 3 all maximized sensitivity and specificity to predict alcohol dependence symptoms or consequences in gender minority people overall (AUC: 0.77–0.78). Screening for “5 or more” drinks on one occasion within the past year performed as well as or better than other screening methods to detect both harmful drinking and alcohol dependence-related symptoms or consequences. This single-item screening method can identify if more extensive alcohol use assessment is warranted with gender minority people.

Income trajectories prior to alcohol-attributable death in Finland and Sweden.

Mortality from alcohol-attributable causes is patterned by income. We study the income trajectories 17-19years prior to death in order to determine: (1) whether income levels and trajectories differ between those who die of alcohol-attributable causes, survivors with similar socio-demographic characteristics, all survivors and those dying of other causes; (2) whether the income trajectories of these groups differ by education; and (3) whether there are differences in income trajectories between Finland and Sweden-two countries with differing levels of alcohol-attributable mortality but similar welfare-provision systems. Retrospective cohort study using individual-level longitudinal register data including information on income, cause of death and socio-economic status. Finland and Sweden. The subjects comprised an 11% sample of the Finnish population in 2006-07 and the total population of Sweden aged 45-64years in 2007-08. Median household income trajectories by educational group were calculated by cause of death and population alive during the respective years. Additionally, propensity score matching was used to match the surviving population to those dying from alcohol-attributable causes with regard to socio-demographic characteristics. The median income 17-19years prior to death from alcohol-attributable causes was 92% (Finland) and 91% (Sweden) of survivor income: 1year prior to death, the respective figures were 47% and 57%. The trajectories differed substantially. Those dying of alcohol-attributable causes had lower and decreasing incomes for substantially longer periods than survivors and people dying from other causes. These differences were more modest among the highly educated individuals. The baseline socio-demographic characteristics of those dying of alcohol causes did not explain the different trajectories. In Finland and Sweden, income appears to decline substantially before alcohol-attributable death. Highly educated individuals may be able to buffer the negative effects of extensive alcohol use on their income level. Income trajectories are similar in Finland and Sweden, despite marked differences in the level of alcohol-attributable mortality.

Don't drink in the valley

A 39-year-old man presented with chronic headaches and intermittent blurred vision with previous neuroimaging and blood work that was reportedly normal. He had papilledema and further questioning elicited a history of extensive alcohol use, unexplained weight loss, and night sweats. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain demonstrated communicating hydrocephalus and leptomeningeal enhancement. The patient underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement and leptomeningeal biopsy, which was initially unrevealing. Cerebrospinal fluid eventually yielded positive titers for coccidioides, a diagnosis that was confirmed by biopsy culture results.

Magnetic resonance volumetry and spectroscopy of hippocampus and insula in relation to severe exposure of traumatic stress

Severe and chronic stress affects the hippocampus, especially during development. However, studies concerning structural alterations of the hippocampus yielded a rather inconsistent picture. Moreover, further anxiety-relevant brain regions, such as the insula, might be implicated in the pathophysiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We combined magnetic resonance (MR) volumetric and spectroscopic analyses of hippocampus and insula in highly traumatized refugees without a history of alcohol/substance abuse or other comorbid diseases. No PTSD-related difference was apparent in the volumes or neurometabolite levels of bilateral hippocampus or insula. However, an association between left hippocampal N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) and adverse childhood experiences indicated a potential detrimental effect of the early environment on hippocampal integrity. Our results add to increasing evidence that PTSD-related, morphological alterations in the hippocampus are a consequence of early adversity or may result from other factors, such as extensive use of alcohol.

Enhanced Case Management to Prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in Northern Plains Communities

Women proven to be extremely high risk for drinking during pregnancy were provided case management (CM) enhanced with strategies derived from motivational interviewing (MI) as a part of a comprehensive Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) epidemiology and prevention program in four American Indian communities in Northern Plains states. Data on the first women enrolled (n=131) revealed that they have extreme issues with alcohol abuse to overcome. Sixty-five percent of these women have experienced extensive alcohol use within their immediate family. At intake, 24% of CM clients reported binge drinking one or more days in the preceding week. Heavy drinking resulted in estimated blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) as high as .576 using the BACCUS methodology. Project staff has attempted to actively engage each of these women in CM. Clients have been in CM an average of 17.2 months (SD=16.6). The mean number of significant contacts (face-to-face or telephone MI sessions) was 19. Thirty-one percent of the women entered some type of formal alcohol or drug treatment while in CM. Data were collected at 6 month intervals from 6 to 72 months after enrollment. Consumption of alcohol, as measured by both quantity and frequency measures, was reduced at 6 months. Thirty-eight percent of enrolled women reported complete abstinence from alcohol use at 6 months, and the number of binges while drinking in CM declined significantly from 15 at baseline to 4.3 at 6 months. However, mean peak BACs for the heavy drinking sessions were still problematic for those who continued to drink. They ranged from .234 to .275 from baseline to 12 month follow-up, but the total number of binges was reduced substantially at 12 months as well. Furthermore, the most important outcomes are the status of the children born while in CM. One hundred and forty nine pregnancies have occurred among these women, and 76% of those pregnancies have resulted in normal deliveries, and only two children born in CM are suspected of having some form of severe FASD. At 6, 12, 18, and 24 month follow-up milestones, 70% of the women who were not currently pregnant were protected from having a child with FAS by not drinking, using birth control, or both. Other measures of CM success include enrolling in school, regaining custody of children, completing substance abuse treatment, probation from the criminal justice system, substantial periods of abstinence, enrolling in programs to improve life skills, and employment.

Ontogeny of acute tolerance to ethanol-induced social inhibition in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Adolescent rats are less sensitive than adults to a number of acute effects of ethanol, including ethanol-induced social inhibition. Adolescent insensitivity to the suppressing effects of ethanol on social interactions could be related in part to age differences in compensatory responses, including acute tolerance, that serve to counteract these inhibitory effects of ethanol. The present study explored ontogenetic development of acute tolerance within 30 minutes after administration of a relatively low ethanol dose, using ethanol-induced social impairment as the target response measure. Overall social activity was examined following challenge with 1 g/kg ethanol (intraperitoneally) at 2 postinjection intervals (5 or 30 minutes) in early [postnatal day (P) 28], mid (P35), or late (P42) adolescent or adult (P70) group-housed male and female Sprague-Dawley rats (Experiment 1). Blood and brain ethanol concentrations (BECs and BrECs) were assessed in separate groups of animals 5 or 30 minutes after ethanol administration (Experiment 2). Expression of acute tolerance was examined by assessing the relationship between BrECs and the degree of social impairment in individual animals at P28, P35, P42, and P70 during early recovery period (up to 30 minutes) following acute ethanol challenge (Experiment 3). Effects of ethanol on overall social activity were age-dependent and time-dependent. Whereas all age groups showed equivalent ethanol-induced social inhibition 5 minutes after injection, testing at 30 minutes revealed marked age differences. Social inhibition was still pronounced at this time in adults, but was diminished in an age-related manner at younger ages (Experiment 1). In contrast to the ontogenetic differences in rates of decline in social impairment across time, decreases in brain and blood ethanol levels over time were similar across age (Experiment 2). Only P28 and P35 adolescents showed acute tolerance to ethanol-induced social inhibition, as indexed by an increasing time-dependent dissociation between BrECs and ethanol-induced social impairment, with social impairment declining faster than BrECs (Experiment 3). This is the first study to document enhanced acute tolerance in adolescent rats relative to adult animals at nonhypnotic doses of ethanol. The greater expression of acute tolerance in young animals may reflect an enhanced predisposition of their nervous systems to respond rapidly to even modest doses of ethanol with compensatory adaptations. A greater propensity of early adolescents to develop acute tolerance may contribute to their resistance to adverse effects of ethanol, thereby permitting heavy drinking at this age and placing early adolescents at higher risk for extensive alcohol use.

Acute Effects of Ethanol on Social Behavior of Adolescent and Adult Rats: Role of Familiarity of the Test Situation

Background Adolescence is a time when the risk for extensive alcohol use is elevated. At least two important qualities of alcohol may contribute to extensive alcohol use in adolescence: its ability to facilitate certain forms of social behavior, including interactions with peers, and its properties to alleviate anxiety. These issues may be addressed using sensitive animal tests of social behavior.Method A modified social interaction test was used to investigate acute effects of ethanol on different forms of social behavior (social investigation, contact behavior, and play fighting) and social motivation of adolescent and adult rats tested in a familiar (nonanxiogenic) or unfamiliar (anxiogenic) test situation. Testing in the familiar environment assessed age‐related differences in sensitivity of social behavior to activating and/or suppressing effects of ethanol (ethanol‐induced social facilitation or social inhibition), whereas testing in the unfamiliar environment provided information about age‐related differences in ethanol anxiolytic effects (ethanol‐induced reduction in the social inhibition provoked by the unfamiliar environment).Results Ethanol‐induced social facilitation was observed only in adolescent animals: 0.5 g/kg of ethanol significantly increased social investigation and play fighting in adolescents tested in the familiar environment. Ethanol‐induced reduction of social inhibition in the unfamiliar test situation was observed in both adolescents and adults, however, higher doses of ethanol were required to attenuate social inhibition in adolescents than in adults. Adolescent animals were also less sensitive than adults to the inhibition of social behavior evident at higher doses. Adolescents decreased contact behavior and play fighting (but not social investigation) following ethanol only in the familiar test situation and only at the highest dose, whereas adults showed inhibition of all forms of social activity in both contexts after the highest dose of ethanol, and in the familiar environment after the two highest doses. No age‐related differences were found in blood alcohol concentrations assessed 30 min after ethanol administration.Conclusions Adolescent animals were more sensitive than adults to ethanol‐induced social facilitation, but were less sensitive than adults to ethanol anxiolytic effects, as indexed by an ethanol‐related reinstatement of social interactions in an unfamiliar, anxiogenic environment that typically decreases social activity. Adolescents were also less sensitive than adults to the suppression of social interactions seen at higher ethanol doses in both test situations. These adolescent‐associated alterations in ethanol sensitivity are unlikely to be attributable to ontogenetic differences in ethanol pharmacokinetics, given that observed age‐related changes included both suppressant and facilitatory effects, and that blood alcohol levels were similar in adolescent and adult animals. These findings demonstrate age‐related differences in sensitivity to the effects of ethanol in a social milieu that vary dramatically with the context and particular ethanol consequences. The results suggest the importance of considering social and environmental factors as contributors to patterns of extensive alcohol use, particularly in adolescence.

Fraternity membership, rape myths, and sexual aggression on a college campus.

A rich theoretical and ethnographic literature exists suggesting that fraternity men are particularly prone to be sexual victimizers of women on college campuses. Yet, there is thin empirical evidence for this contention. Here, in a sample from a large midwestern university, there was strong evidence uncovered that male peer support for victimization of women exists, and that it is related to extensive alcohol use. However, there is no evidence that fraternity men are different on these factors from other men. A conclusion is that anti-rape efforts must be broader than only targeting fraternities, and that alcohol education must be a high priority.

Are "traditional" sex differences less conspicuous in young cannabis users than in other young people?

Recent research has revealed conspicuously few distinctions between young males and females who use cannabis. Such findings may reflect the general slackening of the sex-role pattern in the younger generations. Alternatively, they may reflect distinctive characteristics of the cannabis culture. Using data from a nationwide representative sample (n = 1,478) of young Norwegians (21-24 years old), this study explores whether "traditional" sex differences in respect to mental health and alcohol use are less conspicuous among users than among nonusers of cannabis. The respondents' sex-role-related values and preferences were also studied. Results indicate that the sex differences in mental health did not vary between users and nonusers of cannabis; however, female cannabis users were disproportionately young when they experienced their first intoxication by alcohol. Their level of drinking was also disproportionately high. This implied that the sex difference in alcohol use was smaller among users than among nonusers: male users of cannabis consumed 2.8 times more alcohol than their female counterparts, whereas the corresponding male to female ratio was 3:2 in the nonusers. The extensive use of alcohol in female cannabis users did not reflect mental health problems or a rejection of traditional sex-role characteristics. Cannabis-using males were less typically masculine in their values and preferences than other males, but not more feminine. The measures for sex-role-related preferences did not discriminate between female users and female nonusers of cannabis.

In time of change, USSR seeks to end tradition of extensive alcohol use by majority of citizens

In time of change, USSR seeks to end tradition of extensive alcohol use by majority of citizens

In Time of Change, USSR Seeks to End Tradition of Extensive Alcohol Use by Majority of Citizens

NYET, said Daniel J. Anderson, PhD, leaning over a small table, pounding his fist through the air above it. He was predicting the reaction of the visiting delegation of Soviet alcohol-abuse officials to an upcoming presentation of the Hazelden Foundation's (Center City, Minn) new model of chemical health. Anderson, the foundation's president emeritus, was both dreading a contretemps and itching for a lively debate. As its name implies, the model is a blueprint for promoting healthy and responsible alcohol/chemical use by preventing abuse, responding to problems, and encouraging healthy life-styles. It works at two levels, both as a prescription for treating the alcohol/chemical abuser and as a rough outline for society-wide efforts, says Anderson (whose work in the alcoholism field was recognized a few weeks ago by the University of Minnesota, which presented him with an honorary doctorate). Anderson's Soviet guests, three members of the All-Union Voluntary Temperance Promotion