Alcohol Negative Consequences Research Articles

Bidirectional associations between sleep and cannabis and alcohol (co-)use in daily life.

Poor sleep is common in the context of cannabis use, but experimental and daily-life studies provide mixed evidence for whether cannabis use helps or disturbs same-night sleep. Despite a high prevalence of co-use of alcohol and cannabis, most studies of cannabis use and sleep do not consider alcohol use. We sought to add to this literature by examining associations between cannabis and sleep in the context of alcohol co-use and to examine these associations bidirectionally using ecological momentary assessment. Participants were 88 adults reporting cannabis use at least 3×/week and simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use at least 2×/week. For 14 days, participants completed morning surveys assessing hours slept and perceived sleep quality from the night before. In morning surveys, random surveys, and substance-specific surveys, participants also reported on alcohol and cannabis craving, use, and amounts. Primary results from multilevel models demonstrated that cannabis use was not independently associated with sleep (duration or quality). However, cannabis use attenuated alcohol's negative effects on sleep quality. Results question the utility of cannabis use to improve sleep but highlight the attenuated negative effects of alcohol as a potential reinforcer of alcohol-cannabis co-use. Future work should continue to consider polysubstance use and integrate additional self-report and objective measures of sleep health to further clarify how cannabis use affects sleep.

Alcohol Feedback, Reflection, and Morning Evaluation (A-FRAME): Refining and testing feasibility and acceptability of a smartphone-delivered alcohol intervention for heavy-drinking young adults.

Young adults drink heavily and experience negative alcohol consequences. To capitalize on mornings after drinking as an optimal time to intervene, we developed a novel, theory-based personalized feedback intervention (PFI) called Alcohol Feedback, Reflection, and Morning Evaluation (A-FRAME), to reduce heavy drinking. An initial prototype was refined via feedback from college students who drink heavily. The goal of the present study was to conduct an open trial to establish feasibility and acceptability of the refined PFI. The refined PFI was delivered for 4 weeks to 18 heavy-drinking young adults (Mage = 22.61, 44% women, 66.7% White, 27.8% Black, 16.7% Asian, 5.6% Native American/Alaskan Indian, 22.2% Hispanic/Latino). Participants completed a goal-setting procedure, followed by 28 daily surveys. Surveys indicating prior-day drinking were followed by the option to view personalized feedback (e.g., goal attainment, blood alcohol concentration [BAC], peer norms, protective behaviors). Aggregated feedback was also delivered at the 14- and 28-day marks. Participants completed a post-test acceptability survey and individual interviews to inform further refinement. The response rate to daily surveys was 93.8% and all participants completed study procedures, demonstrating feasibility. Daily feedback was reviewed about half (45.5%) of the time it was offered (i.e., following drinking days). Biweekly feedback was viewed 50% and 56% of the time at 14- and 28-day marks, respectively. Other benchmarks for acceptability were supported by survey and interview results. Open trial results support the feasibility and acceptability of this theory-based intervention for heavy-drinking young adults. A planned randomized controlled trial will evaluate efficacy.

The Dark Side of Alcohol: Implications for Muscle Growth, mTOR Pathway, and Athletic Recovery

Introduction and Objective: Alcohol is a prevalent substance in many cultures, often associated with socializing, relaxation, and even post-exercise rituals. Despite its widespread use, the effects of alcohol on muscle recovery and hypertrophy are not well understood by the general public. Emerging research suggests that alcohol may have negative health effects on these factors. Understanding the interaction between alcohol consumption and resistance training is crucial for athletes and individuals aiming to optimize their fitness outcomes. The main aim of this article is to show clinicians, patients and, above all, athletes, the negative effects of alcohol on training and leading a healthy lifestyle. Review and Methods: Review and summary of studies and meta-analysis of studies available in open-source format on Google Scholar, Web of Science and PubMed. Abbreviated Description of the State of Knowledge: Resistance training is a proven method for increasing muscle mass and strength through the process of hypertrophy, where muscle protein synthesis (MPS) exceeds muscle protein breakdown (MPB). The mechanistic/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway plays a key role in regulating MPS and hypertrophy. Summary: Alcohol has been shown to impair muscle protein synthesis, primarily through its negative effects on the mTOR signaling pathway, which is crucial for muscle growth. Additionally, alcohol disrupts sleep quality, further hindering recovery and performance.

Social Anxiety, Pregaming Motives/Behaviors, and Negative Alcohol Consequences Among a Multisite Sample of University Students

Social anxiety symptoms may increase risk for heavy drinking and alcohol-related negative consequences during pregaming (drinking before a social event); efforts to identify malleable psychosocial risk factors are needed. This study examined cross-sectional relationships between social anxiety symptoms, pregaming behaviors, negative alcohol-related consequences, and pregaming-specific motives, moderated by gender. Undergraduates who endorsed current drinking ( N = 7528) completed a self-report survey on drinking behaviors as part of a large, multisite study. Social anxiety symptoms were not associated with lifetime history of pregaming. Among participants who engaged in past 30-day pregaming, social anxiety symptoms were related to more negative alcohol-related consequences, greater interpersonal enhancement motives, and lower situational control motives. Social anxiety symptoms were not associated with pregaming quantity. The associations between social anxiety symptoms and pregaming frequency, situational control, and intimate pursuit motives varied by gender. Findings highlight social anxiety symptoms and gender as important factors associated with pregaming-specific motives and behaviors.

Value-based decision-making in regular alcohol consumers following experimental manipulation of alcohol value

BackgroundDevaluation of alcohol leads to reductions in alcohol choice and consumption; however, the cognitive mechanisms that underpin this relationship are not well-understood. In this study we applied a computational model of value-based decision-making (VBDM) to decisions made about alcohol and alcohol-unrelated cues following experimental manipulation of alcohol value. Method: Using a pre-registered within-subject design, thirty-six regular alcohol consumers (≥14 UK units per week) completed a two-alternative forced choice task where they chose between two alcohol images (in one block) or two soft drink images (in a different block) after watching videos that emphasised the positive (alcohol value), and separately, the negative (alcohol devalue) consequences of alcohol. On each block, participants pressed a key to select the image depicting the drink they would rather consume. A drift–diffusion model (DDM) was fitted to reaction time and choice data to estimate evidence accumulation (EA) processes and response thresholds during the different blocks in each experimental condition. Findings: In the alcohol devalue condition, soft drink EA rates were significantly higher compared to alcohol EA rates (p = 0.04, d = 0.31), and compared to soft drink EA rates in the alcohol value condition (p = 0.01, d = 0.38). However, EA rates for alcoholic drinks and response thresholds (for either drink type) were unaffected by the experimental manipulation. Conclusions: In line with behavioural economic models of addiction that emphasise the important role of alternative reinforcement, experimentally manipulating alcohol value is associated with changes in the internal cognitive processes that precede soft drink choice.

On the (in)effectiveness of textual disclosures on expectancies, attitudes, and perceived appropriateness of alcohol

Objective Drinking alcohol is frequently portrayed in the media, often overemphasizing its positive attributes. In particular, hip-hop music videos regularly depict alcohol consumption. Building on social cognitive theory, we conduct three pre-registered experimental studies to examine whether textual disclosures from different sources and with varying degrees of explicitness about the consequences of alcohol consumption can influence viewers’ alcohol expectancies, attitudes toward alcohol, and the appropriateness of alcohol presentations following a hip-hop video depicting alcohol consumption. Methods and measures We test 1) the established YouTube product placement disclosure, 2) a disclosure that explicitly refers to alcohol and a disclosure that additionally refers to the harmful consequences of alcohol consumption, 3) and finally the role of user comments on YouTube that discuss the negative or positive consequences of alcohol. Results We found that none of the disclosures tested were able to reduce positive attitudes toward alcohol, positive drinking expectancies, or perceived appropriateness of alcohol portrayals. Instead, one’s own drinking behavior was most important in explaining these dependent variables, with frequent drinkers reporting higher scores on attitudes toward alcohol, positive drinking expectancies, and a positive evaluation of alcohol portrayals in the media compared to people who never or rarely drink. Conclusions Our findings across the three studies paint a picture of the ineffectiveness of various forms of textual disclosure on alcohol-related attitudes, expectancies, and ratings of the appropriateness of alcohol portrayals in the media. Alternative steps forward, i.e., the creation of offerings for content creators that encourage them to consider the consequences of their representations, are therefore needed.

Retraction of "Event-level risk for negative alcohol consequences in emerging adults: The role of affect, motivation, and context" by Waddell et al. (2024).

Reports the retraction of "Event-level risk for negative alcohol consequences in emerging adults: The role of affect, motivation, and context" by Jack T. Waddell, Scott E. King, Sarah A. Okey and William R. Corbin (Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 2024[Feb], Vol 38[1], 8-18). This article is being retracted at the request of the publisher, and the editor and all authors of the original article consented. This article was published in error, as it is a first stage Registered Report that has received in-principle acceptance. Given the workflow of a Registered Report, the first journal publication appears after data collection and results have been reported in the second stage Registered Report submission (see workflow at https://www.cos.io/initiatives/registered-reports). This stage one article is being removed from the literature to avoid confusion and will instead be preregistered as a Registered Report Protocol Preregistration (https://osf.io/7euzd/). (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2022-80654-001.) Objective: Decades of research has found support for the motivational model of alcohol use, such that positive/negative affect are indirectly associated with drinking behavior through drinking motives. However, research on event-level drinking motives is in its nascent stage, and studies have yet to consider how drinking context plays a role in the motivational pathway to both event- and person-level drinking behavior. Therefore, the present study seeks to test whether drinking context mediates the effect of affect and motivation on drinking outcomes at both the event- and person-level. Method: Data for this Stage 1 Registered Report will come from a recently completed ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study in emerging adults. The study collected data on 131 emerging adults, of whom 107 reported event-level social and solitary drinking during the EMA period. Multilevel structural equation modeling will be used to test whether predrinking affect is associated with predrinking motives, and whether drinking context (social vs. solitary drinking) mediates the effect of drinking motives on drinking outcomes. Models will parse within-/between-person variance, allowing the present study to test whether drinking context serves as a mechanism of risk in the motivational model at the event-level, or solely at the between-person level. Findings will inform personalized interventions and motivational models of drinking behavior. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Sex- and estrous-related response patterns for alcohol depend critically on the level of compulsion-like challenge

Alcohol use disorder is a substantial social and economic burden. During the last years, the number of women with drinking problems has been increasing, and one main concern is that they are particularly more vulnerable to negative consequences of alcohol. However, little is known about female-specific response patterns for alcohol, and potential underlying differences in brain mechanisms, including for compulsion-like alcohol drinking (when intake persists despite adverse consequences). We used lickometry to assess behavioral microstructure in adult Wistar male and female rats (n = 28–30) during alcohol-only drinking or moderate- or higher-challenge alcohol compulsion (10 or 60 mg/l quinine in alcohol, respectively). Estrous stages were determined and related to drinking levels and patterns of responding to alcohol, as was ovariectomy. Our findings showed that females (where we didn't determine estrus stage) had similar total licks in a session as males, but significantly longer licking bouts under alcohol-only and moderate-challenge, suggesting greater persistence. Further, greater intake under alcohol-only and moderate-challenge was related to faster licking in males, while female consumption was not related to licking speed. Thus, females could have increased persistence without greater vigor, unlike males. However, under higher-challenge, faster licking did predict higher intake in females, similar to males. To better understand female higher-challenge responding, we examined drinking in relation to phases of the estrous cycle. Higher-challenge had longer bouts only in late diestrus. In addition, ovariectomy led to longer bouts only under higher-challenge, suggesting that conditions with reduced hormone levels could increase female persistence for alcohol under higher-challenge. However, ovariectomy also reduced alcohol-only and moderate-challenge drinking but did not reduce bout length. Thus, intake level and response strategy could be regulated somewhat differently by ovarian hormones. Finally, moderate-challenge licking speed was less variable during early diestrus, and we previously showed more stereotyped responding specifically under moderate-challenge in males. By combining behavioral microstructure and sex- and estrus-related changes in drinking patterns, our results suggest that females have greater persistence for alcohol under lower-challenge drinking, while late diestrus and ovariectomy unmasked greater persistence under higher-challenge. Together, our novel insights could help develop more effective and personalized treatments for problematic alcohol use.

Event-level risk for negative alcohol consequences in emerging adults: The role of affect, motivation, and context.

Decades of research has found support for the motivational model of alcohol use at the between-person level, yet research on event-level drinking motives is in its nascent stage. Similarly, drinking context has been largely ignored in studies of day-level motives. Therefore, the present study sought to test whether drinking context mediates the relation between affect and motivation on drinking outcomes at both day and person levels. Emerging adults who drank in solitary and social settings (N = 107; 61.2% female) completed 21 days ecological momentary assessments. Affect was assessed during morning/afternoon reports; drinking motives were assessed during afternoon reports; and past-night drinking context, drinking quantity, and negative consequences were assessed during next morning reports. Two-level multilevel structural equation models tested whether within-person and between-person levels of predrinking affect were indirectly associated with negative consequences through predrinking motives, drinking context (social vs. solitary), and drinking quantity. At the day and person levels, positive affect was associated with higher social and enhancement motives. At the day level, positive affect indirectly predicted consequences through social motives, social (vs. solitary) drinking, and drinking quantity, whereas positive affect indirectly predicted consequences through enhancement motives and drinking quantity above and beyond context. At the day and person levels, negative affect was associated with coping motives, but coping was not associated with context, drinking quantity, nor consequences. Findings suggest that positive affect was linked to drinking outcomes through motives (enhancement and social) and contexts (social), whereas negative affect was not. Findings suggest that positively valenced drinking motives may be an important just-in-time intervention target. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Sex-difference in the association between social drinking, structural brain aging and cognitive function in older individuals free of cognitive impairment.

We investigated a potential sex difference in the relationship between alcohol consumption, brain age gap and cognitive function in older adults without cognitive impairment from the population-based Mayo Clinic Study of Aging. Self-reported alcohol consumption was collected using the food-frequency questionnaire. A battery of cognitive testing assessed performance in four different domains: attention, memory, language, and visuospatial. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was conducted using 3-T scanners (Signa; GE Healthcare). Brain age was estimated using the Brain-Age Regression Analysis and Computational Utility Software (BARACUS). We calculated the brain age gap as the difference between predicted brain age and chronological age. The sample consisted of 269 participants [55% men (n=148) and 45% women (n=121) with a mean age of 79.2 ± 4.6 and 79.5 ± 4.7 years respectively]. Women had significantly better performance compared to men in memory, (1.12 ± 0.87 vs 0.57 ± 0.89, P<0.0001) language (0.66 ± 0.8 vs 0.33 ± 0.72, P=0.0006) and attention (0.79 ± 0.87 vs 0.39 ± 0.83, P=0.0002) z-scores. Men scored higher in visuospatial skills (0.71 ± 0.91 vs 0.44 ± 0.90, P=0.016). Compared to participants who reported zero alcohol drinking (n=121), those who reported alcohol consumption over the year prior to study enrollment (n=148) scored significantly higher in all four cognitive domains [memory: F3,268=5.257, P=0.002, Language: F3,258=12.047, P<0.001, Attention: F3,260=22.036, P<0.001, and Visuospatial: F3,261=9.326, P<0.001] after correcting for age and years of education. In addition, we found a significant positive correlation between alcohol consumption and the brain age gap (P=0.03). Post hoc regression analysis for each sex with language z-score revealed a significant negative correlation between brain age gap and language z-scores in women only (P=0.008). Among older adults who report alcohol drinking, there is a positive association between higher average daily alcohol consumption and accelerated brain aging despite the fact that drinkers had better cognitive performance compared to zero drinkers. In women only, accelerated brain aging is associated with worse performance in language cognitive domain. Older adult women seem to be vulnerable to the negative effects of alcohol on brain structure and on certain cognitive functions.

Supplemental Material for Event-Level Risk for Negative Alcohol Consequences in Emerging Adults: The Role of Affect, Motivation, and Context

Supplemental Material for Event-Level Risk for Negative Alcohol Consequences in Emerging Adults: The Role of Affect, Motivation, and Context

Differentiating action from inaction: Longitudinal relations among impulsive personality traits, internalizing symptoms, and drinking behavior

BackgroundImpulsive personality traits are strong, consistent risk factors for heavy drinking, and modern theories suggest that impulsive traits may also confer risk for internalizing symptoms. However, it remains unclear which specific impulsive traits are linked with heavy drinking versus internalizing symptoms, and whether heavy drinking and internalizing symptoms are mechanisms of risk for negative alcohol consequences in impulsive individuals. MethodData are from a longitudinal study of young adults (N = 448, Mage = 22.27, 43.5 % female) assessed at baseline (T1), 6 months (T2), and one year later (T3). Longitudinal path models tested whether T1 impulsive traits (i.e., lack of premeditation, lack of perseverance, sensation seeking, positive urgency, negative urgency) were indirectly associated with T3 negative alcohol consequences through heavy T2 drinking and T2 internalizing symptoms (i.e., depression, anxiety, stress). Separate models were tested for positive and negative urgency given strong correlations between these measures. ResultsAcross models, T1 lack of premeditation indirectly predicted more T3 negative alcohol consequences through heavy T2 drinking. When tested separately, T1 negative urgency indirectly predicted more T3 negative consequences through higher T2 stress and depressive (but not anxiety) symptoms, and T1 positive urgency predicted higher T2 anxiety symptoms, but T2 anxiety was unrelated to T3 negative consequences. Across models, T1 sensation seeking indirectly predicted less T3 negative consequences through decreased T2 depression. ConclusionsDistinct impulsive traits prospectively predicted heavy drinking and internalizing symptoms, both of which conferred risk for negative alcohol consequences. Findings underscore the importance of targeted interventions based on personality and suggest that decreases in drinking may be more effective prevention for those who lack premeditation, whereas decreases in internalizing, particularly depression/stress, may be critical for those high in negative urgency.

Event-level risk for negative alcohol consequences in emerging adults: The role of affect, motivation, and context.

Decades of research has found support for the motivational model of alcohol use, such that positive/negative affect are indirectly associated with drinking behavior through drinking motives. However, research on event-level drinking motives is in its nascent stage, and studies have yet to consider how drinking context plays a role in the motivational pathway to both event- and person-level drinking behavior. Therefore, the present study seeks to test whether drinking context mediates the effect of affect and motivation on drinking outcomes at both the event- and person-level. Data for this Stage 1 Registered Report will come from a recently completed ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study in emerging adults. The study collected data on 131 emerging adults, of whom 107 reported event-level social and solitary drinking during the EMA period. Multilevel structural equation modeling will be used to test whether predrinking affect is associated with predrinking motives, and whether drinking context (social vs. solitary drinking) mediates the effect of drinking motives on drinking outcomes. Models will parse within-/between-person variance, allowing the present study to test whether drinking context serves as a mechanism of risk in the motivational model at the event-level, or solely at the between-person level. Findings will inform personalized interventions and motivational models of drinking behavior. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Alcohol Use and Abstinence throughout Adolescence: The Changing Contributions of Perceived Risk of Drinking, Opportunities to Drink, and Self-Control

Objective: Adolescence is characterized by psychosocial and cognitive changes that can alter the perceived risk of negative effects of alcohol, opportunities to drink, and self-control. Few studies have investigated whether these factors change in their contribution to adolescent drinking over time. This study examined associations between perceived risk, opportunities to drink, self-control, and past-year drinking and investigated whether self-control buffers the effect of lower perceived risk and frequent drinking opportunities on the probability of past-year drinking. Method: Data from a four-wave longitudinal study (2015–2020) of 2,104 North Carolina adolescents (Mage = 12.36, SDage = 1.12, at Time 1) were used to assess changes in associations between self-control, perceived risk of drinking, and drinking opportunities on the frequency of past-year drinking. Hypotheses were tested using latent trajectory models. Results: At all timepoints, greater perceived risk, fewer drinking opportunities, and higher self-control were associated with drinking abstinence in the past year. Self-control buffered the impact of frequent drinking opportunities and lower perceived risk on the probability of alcohol use at Times 1–3. Conclusions: Despite expectations that adolescents’ ability to navigate their environments improves as they age, associations between risk, protective factors, and past-year drinking were relatively stable over time. Nevertheless, self-control protected against frequent drinking opportunities and lower perceived risk. Strategies that support or relieve the need for self-control (e.g., situation modification) may protect against alcohol use throughout adolescence.

Влияние алкоголя и энергетических напитков на состояние органов и систем: фокус на почки

The article explores two important issues: the impact of chronic alcohol consumption on the human body, particularly the kidneys, and the danger of consuming energy drinks, especially when combined with alcohol. The relationship between alcohol abuse and kidney damage is not fully understood, and existing data is contradictory. Based on the Russian and foreign research, pathogenic mechanisms of the negative effect of alcohol on the body are presented, as well as dangerous doses increasing the risk of development and progress of chronic kidney disease. The review analyzes the literature data on the combined consumption of alcohol and energy drinks, as well as their role in the development of acute and chronic kidney damage.

Social epidemiology of early adolescent alcohol expectancies

PurposeTo determine the sociodemographic correlates of alcohol expectancies (i.e., beliefs regarding positive or negative effects of alcohol) in a national (U.S.) cohort of early adolescents 10–14 years old. A second aim was to determine associations between alcohol sipping and alcohol expectancies.MethodsWe analyzed cross-sectional data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (N = 11,868; Year 2). Linear regression analyses were conducted to estimate associations between sociodemographic factors (sex, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, household income, parental education, parent marital status, religiosity) and positive (e.g., stress reduction) and negative (e.g., loss of motor coordination) alcohol expectancies. Additional linear regression analyses determined associations between alcohol sipping and alcohol expectancies, adjusting for sociodemographic factors.ResultsOverall, 48.8% of the participants were female and 47.6% racial/ethnic minorities, with a mean age of 12.02 (SD 0.67) years. Older age among the early adolescent sample, male sex, and sexual minority identification were associated with more positive and negative alcohol expectancies. Black and Latino/Hispanic adolescents reported less positive and negative alcohol expectancies compared to White non-Latino/Hispanic adolescents. Having parents with a college education or greater and a household income of $200,000 and greater were associated with higher positive and negative alcohol expectancies. Alcohol sipping was associated with higher positive alcohol expectancies.ConclusionsOlder age, White non-Latino/Hispanic race, male sex, sexual minority status, higher parental education, and higher household income were associated with higher positive and negative alcohol expectancies. Future research should examine the mechanisms linking these specific sociodemographic factors to alcohol expectancies to inform future prevention and intervention efforts.

Alcohol use disorder in alcohol-associated liver disease: Two sides of the same coin.

Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) has emerged as the leading indication for liver transplantation (LT) worldwide, with 40% of LTs in the United States performed for ALD in 2019. The ALD-related health care burden accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in young individuals. Alcohol use disorder (AUD), which focuses on the negative effects of alcohol on psychosocial, physical, and mental health, is present in the majority of patients with ALD, with moderate to severe AUD in 75%-80%. During the last decade, early liver transplantation (eLT) has emerged as a lifesaving treatment for selected patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis; these patients may have a higher risk of using alcohol after LT. The risk of alcohol use recurrence may be reduced during the pretransplant or post-transplant period with AUD treatment using behavioral and/or pharmacological therapies and with regular monitoring for alcohol use (self-reported and complemented with biomarkers like phosphatidylethanol). However, AUD treatment in patients with ALD is challenging due to patient, clinician, and system barriers. An integrated model to provide AUD and ALD care by hepatologists and addiction experts in a colocated clinic starting from LT evaluation and selection to monitoring listed candidates and then to following up on recipients of LT should be promoted. However, the integration of addiction and hepatology teams in an LT program in the real world is often present only during evaluation and candidate selection for LT. Data are emerging to show that a multidisciplinary integrated AUD treatment within an LT program reduces recurrent alcohol use after LT. If we want to continue using early liver transplantation for patients with severe alcohol-associated hepatitis, LT programs should focus on building integrated multidisciplinary care teams for the integrated treatment of both AUD and ALD.

Daily-level simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use and its associations with alcohol use, marijuana use, and negative consequences in a young adult community sample.

Simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use has been associated with greater alcohol use and consequences at the daily level, but limited research has examined SAM use in relation to marijuana use and its consequences. This study tested daily associations between SAM use and four outcomes: alcohol use (number of drinks), marijuana use (hours high), negative alcohol consequences, and negative marijuana consequences. A community sample of young adults [ages 18-25, mean (SD) = 21.61 (2.17) years] with recent alcohol and SAM use was recruited (N = 409; 50.9% female; 48.2% non-Hispanic/Latinx White). Participants completed a baseline survey and six 2-week bursts of daily surveys (81.1% of morning surveys completed) and reported on substance use and negative substance-related consequences. Multilevel modeling was used to test the main aims and to explore each specific consequence. Among days with any alcohol use, SAM use days were associated with consuming more drinks and experiencing more total negative alcohol-related consequences than non-SAM use days. Among days with any marijuana use, SAM use days were associated with more hours being high than non-SAM use days. Exploratory models showed that SAM use was related to five specific alcohol-related consequences and two specific marijuana-related consequences. These findings build upon prior research by showing that SAM use days are linked to consuming more drinks, reporting more hours being high from marijuana, and experiencing more total alcohol-related consequences even after controlling for the number of drinks, the number of hours high, any tobacco/nicotine use, and any other substance use. SAM use was also associated with a greater likelihood of experiencing some specific consequences related to alcohol and marijuana. The findings underscore the need for additional research on SAM use and marijuana-related outcomes.

Imaging the brain's immune response to alcohol with [11C]PBR28 TSPO Positron Emission Tomography.

In humans, the negative effects of alcohol are linked to immune dysfunction in both the periphery and the brain. Yet acute effects of alcohol on the neuroimmune system and its relationships with peripheral immune function are not fully understood. To address this gap, immune response to an alcohol challenge was measured with positron emission tomography (PET) using the radiotracer [11C]PBR28, which targets the 18-kDa translocator protein, a marker sensitive to immune challenges. Participants (n = 12; 5 F; 25-45 years) who reported consuming binge levels of alcohol (>3 drinks for females; >4 drinks for males) 1-3 months before scan day were enrolled. Imaging featured a baseline [11C]PBR28 scan followed by an oral laboratory alcohol challenge over 90 min. An hour later, a second [11C]PBR28 scan was acquired. Dynamic PET data were acquired for at least 90 min with arterial blood sampling to measure the metabolite-corrected input function. [11C]PBR28 volume of distributions (VT) was estimated in the brain using multilinear analysis 1. Subjective effects, blood alcohol levels (BAL), and plasma cytokines were measured during the paradigm. Full completion of the alcohol challenge and data acquisition occurred for n = 8 (2 F) participants. Mean peak BAL was 101 ± 15 mg/dL. Alcohol significantly increased brain [11C]PBR28 VT (n = 8; F(1,49) = 34.72, p > 0.0001; Cohen's d'=0.8-1.7) throughout brain by 9-16%. Alcohol significantly altered plasma cytokines TNF-α (F(2,22) = 17.49, p < 0.0001), IL-6 (F(2,22) = 18.00, p > 0.0001), and MCP-1 (F(2,22) = 7.02, p = 0.004). Exploratory analyses identified a negative association between the subjective degree of alcohol intoxication and changes in [11C]PBR28 VT. These findings provide, to our knowledge, the first in vivo human evidence for an acute brain immune response to alcohol.

A national study on pregaming motives, frequency, consumption, and negative alcohol consequences among university students in the United States

BackgroundPregaming, or drinking before going out, is a commonly practiced risky behavior. Drinking motives are well-established predictors of alcohol use and negative alcohol consequences. Given the influence of context on drinking practices, motives specific to pregaming may affect pregaming behaviors and outcomes above and beyond general drinking motives. Thus, we examined how pregaming motives are related to pregaming behaviors and negative alcohol consequences. MethodsUsing data from two national cross-sectional online studies, the current study included undergraduates who pregamed at least once in the past month (n=10,200, Mage=19.9, women=61%, white=73.6%; 119 U.S. universities). Participants completed assessments of demographics, general drinking motives, pregaming motives, pregaming frequency/consumption, and negative alcohol consequences. Data were analyzed using hierarchical linear models accounting for nesting of participants within sites. ResultsWhen controlling for demographic factors and general drinking motives, interpersonal enhancement motives and intimate pursuit motives were positively associated with pregaming frequency, pregaming consumption, and negative alcohol consequences. Situational control motives were negatively associated with pregaming consumption and negative alcohol consequences. Barriers to consumption motives were negatively associated with pregaming frequency but positively associated with negative alcohol consequences. ConclusionsStudents who pregame to make the night more fun or to meet potential dating partners appear to be at particular risk for negative alcohol consequences. Motives may be modifiable, particularly via cognitive/behavioral strategies. Findings suggest that specific motives may be appropriate intervention targets when trying to reduce pregaming behaviors and negative alcohol consequences.