Frequency Of Heavy Drinking Research Articles

Depressive symptoms as a moderator of college student response to computerized alcohol intervention

BackgroundPersonalized normative alcohol feedback (PNF) is associated with decreased alcohol use among young adults. However, limited research has examined the influence of depressive symptoms on PNF efficacy. This study examined symptoms of depression as a moderator of college student response to a computerized PNF intervention for alcohol use. MethodsCollege students (N = 212, 59% female) who reported drinking in a typical week completed baseline and one-month assessments as part of a previously published intervention trial. We randomized participants to alcohol PNF (n = 153) or assessment only (n = 59). We used regression models to examine the interaction between PNF and symptoms of depression on alcohol outcomes at one-month follow-up. ResultsOne in four participants screened positive for clinically significant symptoms of depression. Depressive symptoms did not moderate intervention effects on drinking quantity. However, PNF was only associated with reduced frequency of heavy episodic drinking and lower probability of any alcohol-related consequence in the context of mild to moderate (not minimal) symptoms of depression. ConclusionsPNF is more effective than assessment alone in reducing drinking quantity, regardless of symptoms of depression. However, it may only be more effective in decreasing frequency of heavy episodic drinking and the probability of alcohol-related consequences among those experiencing mild to moderate (as opposed to minimal) symptoms of depression. Alcohol intervention trials should assess symptoms of depression and consider them in data analysis.

Motives and Correlates of Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Use With Stimulant Polypharmacy

Individuals who use anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) may engage in concurrent psychoactive drug use recreationally and/or as an additional training aid. Aside from cannabis, individuals who use AAS most commonly report concurrent use of stimulants such as amphetamines and cocaine. In this study, we examine demographic characteristics, frequency of heavy drinking, and nightclubbing in a sample of 993 men from the Global Drug Survey 2015 who reported both AAS and psychoactive drug use before exploring the relationship between motivation for AAS use and the propensity to concurrently engage with stimulant-type substances. Results of a logistic regression analysis suggest that the propensity for concurrent use of AAS and stimulants is greater when AAS use is motivated by weight loss goals, while performance goals are associated with reduced odds of concurrent stimulant use. Identifying individuals who are at risk of polydrug use and associated harms can inform targeted harm reduction strategies.

Event-specific drinking and protective behavioral strategy use among college students

Background Event-specific drinking occasions (e.g. holidays, special occasions, school breaks) have been associated with heavy drinking and negative alcohol-related consequences among college students. This study extends prior research by examining understudied holidays and changes in protective behavioral strategy use during these event-specific drinking occasions. Method Participants were 537 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 who retrospectively reported drinking in the past 2 weeks. Several alcohol use variables (e.g. frequency, quantity, heavy episodic drinking frequency), negative alcohol-related consequences, and protective behavioral strategies were assessed for the previous 14 days. Ten event-specific drinking occasions were coded for the 14-day reporting period. A series of Analysis of Covariance models were conducted to examine differences on alcohol use variables, negative consequences, and protective behavioral strategies for weeks that included an event-specific drinking occasion relative to a no holiday reference timeframe. Results Compared to the no holiday reference group, several event-specific drinking occasions (e.g. Labor Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day) were associated with greater alcohol use, negative consequences, and protective behavioral strategy use. In contrast, other occasions were determined to be low-risk holidays (e.g. Veterans Day) when protective behavioral strategies were less frequently used. Some occasions (e.g. Spring Break) did not exhibit the expected clear pattern of risk. Conclusions College students’ alcohol use, negative consequences, and protective behavioral strategy use vary across event-specific drinking occasions. Determining which event-specific drinking occasions are associated with risky alcohol use and the lowest use of harm reduction strategies is important for prevention and intervention programs.

Alcohol and Human Health: What Is the Evidence?

Alcohol consumption has long been a part of human culture. However, alcohol consumption levels and alcohol consumption patterns are associated with chronic diseases. Overall, light and moderate alcohol consumption (up to 14 g per day for women and up to 28 g per day for men) may be associated with reduced mortality risk, mainly due to reduced risks for cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes. However, chronic heavy alcohol consumption and alcohol abuse lead to alcohol-use disorder, which results in physical and mental diseases such as liver disease, pancreatitis, dementia, and various types of cancer. Risk factors for alcohol-use disorder are largely unknown. Alcohol-use disorder and frequent heavy drinking have detrimental effects on personal health.

Association Between Patterns of Alcohol Use and Short-Term Risk of Suicide Attempt Among Patients With and Without Reported Suicidal Ideation.

To evaluate the association between patterns of alcohol use and short-term risk of suicide attempt among patients with and without reported suicidal ideation. Kaiser Permanente Washington electronic health record data were used to identify mental health visits (1/1/2010-6/30/2015) with documented assessments for unhealthy alcohol use (AUDIT-C) and suicidal ideation (PHQ-9 ninth question). Logistic regression fit using generalized estimating equations were used to conduct visit-level analyses, accounting for correlation between individuals' assessments. Separate models evaluated the association between (1) level of alcohol consumption and (2) frequency of heavy episodic drinking (HED), in combination with suicidal ideation (any vs none), with suicide attempt within 90 days following each visit. Primary models adjusted for age, gender, race/ethnicity and visit year. Of 59,705 visits (43,706 unique patients), 372 (0.62%) were followed by a suicide attempt within 90 days. The risk of suicide attempt was significantly higher for patients reporting suicidal ideation across all levels of alcohol consumption compared to patients reporting low-level alcohol use and no suicidal ideation, particularly high-level use (OR 9.77, 95% CI, 6.23-15.34). Similarly, risk of suicide attempt was higher for patients reporting suicidal ideation across all levels of HED relative to those reporting no HED or suicidal ideation, particularly HED monthly or more (OR 6.80, 95% CI 4.77-9.72). Among patients reporting no suicidal ideation, no associations were observed. Findings underscore the potential value of offering alcohol-related care to patient reporting suicidal ideation. Additional strategies are needed to identify suicide risk among those reporting no suicidal ideation.

Problems with social acceptance and social victimization predict substance use among U.S. Reserve/Guard soldiers.

The effects of negative social interactions/experiences on substance use have largely been studied in civilian populations, but less is known about United States Army Reserve/National Guard (USAR/NG) soldiers-a high-risk group. We examined the associations between problems with social acceptance, social victimization, and substance use among USAR/NG soldiers, and examined potential differences by deployment history. The sample consisted of soldiers who completed baseline and 1-year follow-up assessments (N = 445) of Operation: SAFETY, an ongoing study of USAR/NG soldiers. We examined the effects of baseline problems with social acceptance/social victimization on nonmedical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD), illicit drug use, frequent heavy drinking (FHD), and alcohol problems at follow-up. Significant effects were small in magnitude but consistent in direction. Greater problems with social acceptance were associated with higher odds of NMUPD and illicit drug use. Greater social victimization was associated with higher odds of NMUPD and illicit drug use. There were no differences by deployment history. Problems with social acceptance/social victimization were not associated with FHD or alcohol problems. Problems with social acceptance/social victimization may contribute to drug use among USAR/NG soldiers. Intervention programs should address social issues, regardless of deployment history.

Uncontrolled Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Patients with High Medication Adherence: A Korean Nationwide Population-Based Study.

BackgroundUncontrolled blood pressure (BP) is relatively common despite treatment with antihypertensive medication. This study aimed to investigate factors associated with uncontrolled systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) separately in hypertensive patients with high medication adherence in Korea.MethodsThis population-based cross-sectional study included 3,236 participants in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2013 to 2015. Hypertensive patients with high medication adherence were defined when they stated that they were taking antihypertensive medication daily. “Uncontrolled SBP and DBP” were defined as SBP ≥140 mm Hg and DBP ≥90 mm Hg, respectively. Data were analyzed using logistic regression to determine the association between uncontrolled SBP or DBP and various factors.ResultsThe prevalence of uncontrolled SBP and uncontrolled DBP was 23.3%, and 9.0%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, uncontrolled SBP was positively associated with older age, female sex, blue-collar occupation or no work (vs. white-collar), presence of a spouse, short sleep duration, frequent heavy alcohol drinking, longer hypertension duration, diabetes, stroke, and missing antihypertensive medication on the examination day, but negatively associated with high stress. Uncontrolled DBP was positively associated with frequent heavy alcohol drinking, but negatively associated with older age, blue-collar occupation or no work (vs. white-collar), and diabetes.ConclusionAfter excluding low medication adherence, we identified various factors associated with uncontrolled SBP or DBP in Korean adults with treated hypertension. There were differences between factors associated with uncontrolled SBP or DBP. Separate analysis of SBP and DBP may help understand the factors involved in BP control.

Effect of a Care Management Intervention on 12-Month Drinking Outcomes Among Patients With and Without DSM-IV Alcohol Dependence at Baseline.

The CHOICE care management intervention did not improve drinking relative to usual care (UC) for patients with frequent heavy drinking at high risk of alcohol use disorders. Patients with alcohol dependence were hypothesized to benefit most. We conducted preplanned secondary analyses to test whether the CHOICE intervention improved drinking relative to UC among patients with and without baseline DSM-IV alcohol dependence. A total of 304 patients reporting frequent heavy drinking from 3 VA primary care clinics were randomized (stratified by DSM-IV alcohol dependence, sex, and site) to UC or the patient-centered, nurse-delivered, 12-month CHOICE care management intervention. Primary outcomes included percent heavy drinking days (%HDD) using 28-day timeline follow-back and a "good drinking outcome" (GDO)-abstaining or drinking below recommended limits and no alcohol-related symptoms on the Short Inventory of Problems at 12months. Generalized estimating equation binomial regression models (clustered on provider) with interaction terms between dependence and intervention group were fit. At baseline, 59% of intervention and UC patients had DSM-IV alcohol dependence. Mean drinking outcomes improved for all subgroups. For participants with dependence, 12-month outcomes did not differ for intervention versus UC patients (%HDD 37% versus 38%, p = 0.76 and GDO 16% versus 16%, p = 0.77). For participants without dependence, %HDD did not differ between intervention (41%) and UC (31%) patients (p = 0.12), but the proportion with GDO was significantly higher among UC participants (26% versus 13%, p = 0.046). Neither outcome was significantly modified by dependence (interaction p values 0.19 for %HDD and 0.10 for GDO). Among participants with frequent heavy drinking, care management had no benefit relative to UC for patients with dependence, but UC may have had benefits for those without dependence. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01400581.

Parents Allowing Drinking Is Associated With Adolescents' Heavy Alcohol Use.

Using intergenerational prospective data from the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), we examine whether parents allowing 14-year-olds to drink alcohol is associated with greater likelihood of early adolescents' heavy episodic drinking (i.e., lifetime, rapid escalation from first drink, and frequent past year), beyond shared risk factors for parental alcohol permissiveness and adolescent alcohol use. The MCS is a unique, contemporary, nationally representative study with mother, father, and child data from infancy through age 14years (n=11,485 children and their parents). In a series of multivariate logistic regressions, we estimated whether teenagers whose parents allowed them to drink alcohol (16% of parents said "yes") faced an elevated likelihood of heavy alcohol use at age 14, controlling for a large host of likely child and parent confounders measured when children were age 11. To further assess plausible intergenerational associations of parental alcohol permissiveness and offspring heavy alcohol use, coarsened exact matching (CEM) was used to match 14-year-olds whose parents allowed them to drink alcohol with teens whose parents did not allow them to drink on these childhood antecedent variables. Adolescents whose parents allowed them to drink had higher odds of heavy drinking (odds ratio [OR]=2.40; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.96 to 2.94), rapidly escalating from initiation to heavy drinking (OR=1.94; CI=1.52 to 2.49), and frequent heavy drinking (OR=2.32; 1.73 to 3.09), beyond child and parent confounders and using CEM methods. Adolescents who were allowed to drink were more likely to have transitioned quickly from their first drink to consuming 5 or more drinks at 1 time and to drinking heavily 3 or more times in the past year. Given well-documented harms of adolescent heavy drinking, these results do not support the idea that parents allowing children to drink alcohol inoculates them against alcohol misuse.

The Contribution of Alcohol Use, Other Lifestyle Factors and Working Conditions to Socioeconomic Differences in Sickness Absence

Introduction: This study investigates how alcohol use contributes to the social gradient in sickness absence. Other factors assessed include lifestyle factors (smoking, physical activity and body mass index), physical and psychosocial working conditions. Methods: The study used baseline data from the Stockholm public health cohort 2006, with an analytical sample of 17,008 respondents aged 25–64 years. Outcome variables included self-reported short-term (<14 days) and register-based long-term (>14 days) sickness absence. Socioeconomic position (SEP) was measured by occupational class. Alcohol use was measured by average weekly volume and frequency of heavy episodic drinking. Negative binominal regression was used to estimate sex-specific SEP differences in sickness absence, before and after adjusting for alcohol use and the additional explanatory factors. Results: Adjusting for alcohol use attenuated the SEP differences in long-term sickness absence by 20% for men and 14% for women. Alcohol use explained a smaller proportion of the differences in short-term sickness absence. Alcohol use in combination with other lifestyle factors attenuated the SEP differences (20–35%) for both outcomes. Physical working conditions explained more than half of the gradient in long-term sickness absence, whereas psychosocial conditions had greater impact on short-term sickness absence among men. Discussion/Conclusion: Alcohol use explains a substantial proportion of the SEP disparities in long-term sickness absence among men. The effect is smaller among women and for short-term sickness absence. Our findings support the notion that physical working conditions constitute the key explanatory variable for SEP differences in long-term sickness absence, but add that psychosocial working conditions have greater impact on the gradient in short-term sickness absence among men.

Electronic and Combustible Cigarette Use in Adolescence: Links With Adjustment, Delinquency, and Other Substance Use

PurposeThe purpose of the study was to identify proximal links between electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use and numerous indicators of adjustment, delinquency, and other substance use in adolescence, beyond prior levels and confounders. MethodsThe ongoing Millennium Cohort Study is a nationally representative, intergenerational, longitudinal study of children born 2000–2001 in the United Kingdom followed from birth to age 14 years (n = 11,564 adolescents and their parents). A series of ordinary least squares and logistic regressions compared 14-year-old e-cigarette only users to never users and to combustible/dual users on 10 measures of adjustment (school engagement, well-being, and self-esteem), delinquency (theft, vandalism, disorderly conduct, and graffitiing), and other substance use (frequent alcohol use, heavy drinking, and marijuana use). Controls included each outcome variable measured at age 11 years and prospectively assessed parent and child confounders (e.g., parent education, child externalizing and internalizing behaviors, cognitive test scores, gender, and race/ethnicity). ResultsAt age 14 years, e-cigarette only users (approximately 7% of youth) had a higher risk of adolescent adjustment problems, delinquent behavior, and substance use relative to nonusers (75% of youth), but lower risk relative to combustible cigarette/dual users (18% of youth), even after controlling for a host of childhood confounders. ConclusionsPositive links shown here between e-cigarette use and poor adjustment, delinquency, and other substance use in adolescence, coupled with accumulating evidence that e-cigarettes substantially increase youths’ likelihood of combustible smoking, indicate that e-cigarettes are part of an emerging pattern of health-risk behaviors and poor adjustment for some youth.

Experimental and observational studies on alcohol use and dietary intake: a systematic review.

The scientific literature on links among alcohol use, total energy intake, cardiometabolic disease and obesity is conflicting. To clarify the link between alcohol use and cardiometabolic health, this systematic review (PROSPERO CRD42016039308A) uses PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines to synthesize how alcohol use affects dietary intake (carbohydrate, fat and protein intake) in humans. A search of Google Scholar, PsycINFO and PubMed from June 2016-March 2019 yielded 30 qualified studies. Experimental and observational studies allowed for inferences about effects of a single drinking occasion and of frequent drinking, respectively. Alcohol quantities were standardized according to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. On average, methodological quality of the studies was medium strength. Results indicated that a single occasion of light and moderate drinking as well as frequent light and moderate drinking were linked to greater fat and protein intake, albeit the majority of studies did not detect differences in dietary intake due to these drinking behaviours. Frequent heavy drinking, on the other hand, was linked to less carbohydrate intake in the majority of studies. Overall, alcohol use does not appear to uniformly affect diet but instead appears to affect intake of specific macronutrients in a dose-dependent manner, most consistently decreasing carbohydrate intake with heavier use.

Age trends in alcohol use behavior patterns among U.S. adults ages 18–65

IntroductionAlthough much of the work on risky alcohol use behaviors, such as heavy drinking, focuses on adolescence and young adulthood, these behaviors are associated with negative health consequences across all ages. Existing studies on age trends have focused on a single alcohol use behavior across many ages, using methods such as time-varying effect modeling, or a single age period with many behaviors, using methods such as latent class analysis. This study integrates aspects of both modeling approaches to examine age trends in alcohol use behavior patterns across ages 18–65. MethodsData from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III were used to identify past-year alcohol use behavior patterns among a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults (n = 30,997; 51.1% women; 63.5% White Non-Hispanic) and flexibly estimate nonlinear trends in the prevalences of those patterns across ages 18–65. ResultsFive patterns were identified: Non-Drinkers, Frequent Light Drinkers, Infrequent Heavy Episodic Drinkers, Frequent Heavy Episodic Drinkers, and Extreme Drinkers. Pattern prevalences were allowed to vary flexibly across the entire age range. Prevalences of the Infrequent Heavy Episodic and Extreme Drinkers peaked around ages 22–24, but peaked for Frequent Heavy Episodic Drinkers around age 49. Non-Drinkers were most prevalent across all ages except during the early 20 s when Extreme Drinkers were more prevalent. Around ages 24–30, the Non-, Frequent Light, and Extreme Drinkers were approximately equally prevalent. ConclusionsThe approach used here holds promise for understanding characteristics associated with behavior patterns at different ages and long-term age trends in complex behaviors.

Smartphone Apps Targeting Hazardous Drinking Patterns among University Students Show Differential Subgroup Effects over 20 Weeks: Results from a Randomized, Controlled Trial.

Overconsumption of alcohol, from hazardous to excessive, heavy, and harmful levels, is common among university students. Consenting Swedish students were assigned to one of two smartphone apps offering feedback on estimated blood alcohol concentration (eBAC; Promillekoll/PartyPlanner) or assessment only (n = 2166; 1:1:1 ratio). App participants with excessive drinking according to public health criteria (>9/>14 drinks/week for women/men, respectively) at a 7 week follow-up were additionally assigned to the skills-based TeleCoach app or waitlist (n = 186; 1:1 ratio). All participants were followed at 14 and 20 weeks. At 7 weeks, Promillekoll users showed higher risk of excessive drinking (odds ratio (OR) = 1.83; p ≤ 0.01; n = 1558). Students in eBAC app groups with only hazardous use showed fewer binge drinking occasions at 14 weeks and lower eBAC levels up to 20 weeks compared to controls (n = 1157). Also, more highly motivated participants at baseline in both eBAC app groups drank less compared to controls at 7 and 20 weeks. Hidden Markov model analysis revealed a frequent-heavy drinking group (n = 146; 4.6 days/week, SD = 1.4), where those with access to TeleCoach had fewer drinking days compared to assessment-only controls (p < 0.001). eBAC apps showed positive effects up to 20 weeks, particularly for motivated students, and a skills-based app can reduce consumption for those with frequent-heavy drinking patterns.

A preliminary examination of the association between drinking as a typical coping strategy and level of acute alcohol consumption prior to a suicide attempt

Drinking to cope is associated with suicide ideation and attempts. Event-based research shows drinking, particularly when alcohol is consumed in large quantities, increases the intensity of suicidal thoughts and immediate risk for attempt. Such findings suggest those who typically drink to cope may be especially likely to drink heavily in the hours preceding a suicide attempt. In the first examination of the association between regular use of alcohol as a coping strategy and acute alcohol consumption prior to a suicide attempt, participants included 130 patients hospitalized for a recent attempt. The number of drinks consumed in the acute period preceding the attempt, as well as past-year heavy drinking frequency, typical drinking motives, and depressive symptoms were assessed. The unique impacts of coping motives on odds of consuming any alcohol, and of using specific amounts of alcohol in the acute period, were determined through binary and multinomial logistic regressions. Results demonstrated that commonly drinking for coping motives increased the odds of heavy drinking — but not of using alcohol at low levels — during the acute period. Results held after adjusting for relevant covariates. Clinicians should assess drinking motives and prioritize prevention of drinking to cope to reduce risk of alcohol-related suicide attempts.

Sociodemographics, lifestyle factors and health status indicators associated with alcohol consumption and related behaviours: a Brazilian population-based analysis

ObjectivesTo investigate how various alcohol-drinking behaviours are associated with sociodemographics, lifestyle factors and health status indicators in Brazil. Study designThis study is based on a household survey of 53,034 adults aged 18 + years from all 26 Brazilian capitals and the Federal District conducted in 2017. MethodsSex-stratified relationships were modelled using logistic regressions and controlled for capital-specific effects. Main outcome measures included regular alcohol use, weekly alcohol use, heavy episodic drinking (HED), frequent HED and drinking and driving. ResultsOverall (unadjusted) prevalence of regular alcohol consumption is 41%. Among drinkers, approximately 70% drink on a weekly basis, and 46% are heavy episodic drinkers. Among this latter group, close to 44% are frequent heavy episodic drinkers (i.e. at least four times in a month). Among regular drinkers who also are drivers, the prevalence of drinking and driving is 28%. These prevalences are considerably higher in men. The relationships investigated vary by drinking behaviour and sex, with some factors consistently associated with various behaviours, when present. Population (men or women) at greatest risk include (largely) younger individuals (up to 700% increase in odds) who are single or divorced, those who are less health conscious and watch television or use mobile devices during leisure time 4 + hours per day and do not have diabetes. For drinking and driving, the additional risk factors include speeding behaviour, the use of mobile devices while driving and HED. Education, race/ethnicity and other health status indicators are differently associated with various drinking behaviours. For women, in particular, the results also show differences in odds of up to 360% and 1430% across cities for frequent HED and drinking and driving, respectively. Similarly, indigenous women are at greatest risk of weekly alcohol use and HED. ConclusionsHED and drinking and driving are problematic, as the association with other factors suggests a clustering of risky behaviours that may exacerbate the consequences of drinking behaviours.

Prospective Risk for Incapacitated Rape Among Sexual Minority Women: Hookups and Drinking

ABSTRACT Sexual minority women (SMW), including lesbian and bisexual women, are at greater risk for heavy drinking and sexual victimization than heterosexual women. Risk factors for alcohol-related sexual victimization, such as incapacitated rape (IR), include frequent heavy drinking and hookups among heterosexual women, but it is less clear whether these risk factors extend to SMW. This current study was designed to address this gap. In a national sample of SMW (N = 1,057), logistic regressions were used to test whether heavy drinking and hookups in the first year of the study were risk factors for IR during the second year. After controlling for history of prior sexual victimization, subsequent IR was predicted by an interaction between heavy drinking and the number of male hookup partners. Specifically, more frequent heavy drinking was associated with increased risk for subsequent IR, but only among SMW who reported more than one male hookup partner, indicating exposure to more potential perpetrators. When examined separately, this finding held for bisexual women, but was not significant for lesbian women, likely because they reported fewer male hookup partners. Overall, findings from this longitudinal study highlight that in combination, heavy drinking and hookups with multiple men elevate risk for IR.

Consequences of alcohol use, and its association with psychological distress, sensitivity to emotional contagion and age of onset of alcohol use, in Uruguayan youth with or without college degree.

Psychological distress can promote alcohol consumption during emerging adulthood. Still unknown is, however, how predisposition to emotional contagion alters psychological distress, and how these phenomena are affected by level of education. The present study analyzed the effect of psychological distress, age of first contact with alcohol (early, late), and predisposition to emotional contagion on alcohol-induced negative consequences and on the volume of alcohol consumed during the last year. We also described alcohol-use behaviors as a function of sex, maximum level of education and age of first contact with alcohol, in 1505 youth from Uruguay (18-30 years). A survey measured alcohol use (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and ad-hoc questionnaire), negative consequences of alcohol use [young adult alcohol consequences questionnaire (YAACQ)], psychological distress (Kessler scale) and proclivity to emotional contagion (Doherty Emotional contagion scale). The patterns of alcohol use were greater in men vs. women and in those featuring an early age of first alcohol use, yet similar in college and non-college graduates. Early drinkers had greater levels of psychological distress than late-onset drinkers. There was a significant bivariate and multiple correlation between psychological distress and the number of negative consequences of alcohol experienced during the last year, which remained significant even after controlling for total volume of alcohol consumed. Significant associations emerged between YAACQ scores and frequency of heavy episodic or binge drinking, and between psychological distress and emotional contagion, but not between emotional contagion and any of the remaining variables. Psychological distress was not significantly correlated with heavy episodic or binge drinking. The study indicates that, during adolescence and youth, psychological distress is associated with experiencing negative consequences of alcohol consumption. The study also suggested that greater levels of psychological distress may underlie the facilitating effect of an early age of drinking onset upon alcohol drinking patterns.

Volunteerism, Alcohol Beliefs, and First-Year College Students' Drinking Behaviors: Implications for Prevention.

First-year students of traditional college age often drink irresponsibly, especially if they believe that alcohol use is integral to the college experience. Individuals who subscribe to this view embrace their transitional status, recognize that they have relatively few role obligations, and thus regard the college years as the timeframe for drinking. Volunteerism, which places additional constraints on students' behaviors by facilitating their integration into mature adult society and increasing social responsibility, may be an avenue for reducing levels of alcohol consumption among this subgroup. Numerous studies have found an inverse relationship between involvement in service and levels of alcohol consumption among college undergraduates. Data from a prospective survey administered to a cohort of first-year students of traditional college age at the beginning, and again at the end of the fall semester, was used to assess the relationship between volunteerism, alcohol beliefs, and drinking behavior (n = 423). Zero inflated negative binomial regressions indicated that alcohol beliefs moderated the effects of participation in volunteer/service activities on the frequency of alcohol use and heavy drinking. In particular, there was a strong negative relationship between volunteerism and heavy drinking among first-year students who believed that the use of alcohol was integral to the college experience. This suggests that engaging first-year students with permissive alcohol beliefs in service activities is a way to curb their drinking early, by the end of the first college semester, before it becomes a more long-term pattern.

Associations Between Drinking and Cortical Thickness in Younger Adult Drinkers: Findings From the Human Connectome Project.

Previous neuroimaging studies examining relations between alcohol misuse and cortical thickness have revealed that increased drinking quantity and alcohol-related problems are associated with thinner cortex. Although conflicting regional effects are often observed, associations are generally localized to frontal regions (e.g., dorsolateral prefrontal cortex [DLPFC], inferior frontal gyrus [IFG], and anterior cingulate cortex). Inconsistent findings may be attributed to methodological differences, modest sample sizes, and limited consideration of sex differences. This study examined neuroanatomical correlates of drinking quantity and heavy episodic drinking in a large sample of younger adults (N=706; Mage =28.8; 51% female) using magnetic resonance imaging data from the Human Connectome Project. Exploratory analyses examined neuroanatomical correlates of executive function (flanker task) and working memory (list sorting). Hierarchical linear regression models (controlling for age, sex, education, income, smoking, drug use, twin status, and intracranial volume) revealed significant inverse associations between drinks in past week and frequency of heavy drinking and cortical thickness in a majority of regions examined. The largest effect sizes were found for frontal regions (DLPFC, IFG, and the precentral gyrus). Follow-up regression models revealed that the left DLPFC was uniquely associated with both drinking variables. Sex differences were also observed, with significant effects largely specific to men. This study adds to the understanding of brain correlates of alcohol use in a large, gender-balanced sample of younger adults. Although the cross-sectional methodology precludes causal inferences, these findings provide a foundation for rigorous hypothesis testing in future longitudinal investigations.