Weekend Drinkers Research Articles

The Temporal Rhythm of Alcohol Consumption: On the Development of Young People’s Weekly Drinking Patterns

This article investigates young people’s weekly drinking patterns during late adolescence and young adulthood. The article builds a disaggregated and temporal framework to explain how young people drink on certain days. Using sequence analysis techniques on longitudinal data from a representative Danish survey, the article identifies four drinking patterns (the majority, the weekend drinkers, the weekend bingers and the heavy drinkers). Analyses of the transitions between the drinking patterns reveal non-linear developments where heavy drinking at an early age does not necessarily lead to heavy drinking later in life. Although parental income and education are important factors to explain whether young people begin to drink at an early age, high levels of alcohol consumption during youth is more associated with influenced from peers and partners.

Cheers, proost, saúde: Cultural, contextual and psychological factors of wine and beer consumption in Portugal and in the Netherlands

ABSTRACTWine and beer consumption are an integral part of European culture: Southern Europe is associated with wine and Northern Europe is associated with beer. When consumed in moderation, these alcoholic beverages can be part of a balanced and healthy diet. In the 1990s, non-alcoholic beer (NAB), which has no cultural roots, became available in the market. This review identifies determinants for consumption of wine, beer, and NAB, using data on consumption patterns from Portugal and the Netherlands. Since the 1960s the image of Portugal as a wine country declined, whereas the image of the Netherlands as a beer country remained stable. In each country beer is now the most consumed alcoholic beverage and is mainly a men's beverage, whereas wine is the second most consumed and is consumed by both genders. Cultural differences define Portuguese as “outdoors, everyday drinkers”, within a meal context, and Dutch as “at home, weekend drinkers.” Wine is perceived as the healthiest beverage, followed by NAB, and regular beer. Motivation for consumption is related to context: wine for special occasions, beer for informal occasions, and NAB for occasions when alcohol is not convenient. Moderate wine and beer consumption seems to be surrounded by positive emotions.This review is relevant for public health, for industry market strategies, and identifies opportunities of future research on drinking behaviour.

Effects of regular and abusive intake of alcohol at weekends on physiological parameters in Spanish young

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of excessive intake at weekends, on different parameters in young university students. Cross sectional, descriptive study. A group of 180 subjects were selected (young males between 18 and 22 years old) and were classified into three groups by their alcohol consumption habits: The control group of non-drinkers (ND; n=60), the group of one day/weekend drinkers (1D/W, n=60) and the group of two day/weekend drinkers (2D/W, n=60). An evaluation of the body composition, a spirometry test (FVC, PEF and MVV), a maximal cycle ergometer test (Heart rate, blood pressure, VO2 max, total watts and time test until exhaustion), a blood sample (GOT, Triglycerides, Total Cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and Glucose) were performed. It was observed that 2D/W group presented significantly higher levels than ND in the following parameters: total cholesterol [185.66 (16.06) compared to 154.28 (25.53)mg/dl]; triglycerides [113.66 (22.47) compared to 45.75 (12.76)mg/dl]; systolic blood pressure [130 (9.50) compared to 115 (5.77)mmHg] and waist to hip ratio [0.92 (0.08) compared to 0.84 (0.05)], and 1D/W group also showed significantly higher levels of triglycerides [71.04 (24.31) compared to 45.75 (12.76)mg/dl] than ND. Moreover, it was confirmed that the accumulation of triglycerides in weekend drinkers is influenced by smoking and the lack of physical activity, and that the relationship between alcohol drinking and systolic blood pressure could be modified by smoking. Young people's abusive intake of alcohol at weekends can cause negative changes in various health parameters, similar to those observed in alcoholics that drink regularly during the week.

Alcohol intake, drinking patterns, and risk of nonfatal acute myocardial infarction in Costa Rica

Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a lower risk of myocardial infarction (MI). Whether alcohol is truly protective or whether the amount, type, or pattern of intake is the most important is still under debate. The purpose of this study was to determine whether alcohol intake and drinking patterns are associated with plasma lipids and the risk of MI in Costa Ricans, a population with a low intake of wine. We conducted a study of 2090 cases of a first nonfatal acute MI and 2090 population-based controls matched by age, sex, and residence in Costa Rica, a country with diet and lifestyles different from those of Western countries. Alcohol and dietary intakes were assessed by using validated questionnaires. In a multivariate conditional regression model that controlled for other cardiovascular disease risk factors, the lowest risk of MI [odds ratio (OR) = 0.44; 95% CI: 0.31, 0.61] was observed for those who drank on average 3 drinks/wk (compared with lifelong abstainers). When we looked at the frequency of consumption, we found that the risk of MI among daily drinkers (OR = 0.64; 95% CI: 0.41, 1.01) was not significantly different (P = 0.23) from that of weekend drinkers (OR = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.59, 0.98) regardless of the amount consumed. HDL cholesterol increased with the amount and frequency of alcohol intake. Similar to a few other populations, apparent protection was observed at very low alcohol intakes. Low to moderate consumption of alcohol 1-2 d/wk is independently associated with a reduced risk of MI.

Internal Medicine and Alcohol. Time to Move Forward

Internal Medicine and Alcohol. Time to Move Forward

A controlled trial of the effects of pattern of alcohol intake on serum lipid levels in regular drinkers

To determine whether the effects of drinking pattern (predominantly weekend versus daily drinking) have differential effects on serum lipids, 55 healthy male drinkers were recruited on the basis of a regular alcohol intake, 210–500 ml absolute alcohol/week (≈3–6 standard drinks/day), with more than 60% consumed as beer. Fourteen subjects were categorised as predominantly weekend drinkers, while 41 subjects regularly drank on a daily basis. After maintenance of their drinking pattern during a 4-week familiarisation, subjects were randomised to either consume low alcohol beer (0.9%, v/v) only, or to maintain their usual drinking habit consuming full-strength beer (5%, v/v) for the next 4 weeks. They then switched to full-strength or low alcohol beer, respectively, for a further 4 weeks. Their drinking pattern remained constant during the study. In both weekend and daily drinkers, a reduction in alcohol intake (i.e. from 387 ml/week to 88 ml/week for weekend drinkers and from 418 ml/week to 95 ml/week for daily drinkers, respectively, P<0.001) resulted in a similar 0.12 mmol/l fall in HDL-C ( P<0.01) with a concomitant significant fall in both apolipoproteins A-I and A-II. In daily drinkers total cholesterol fell by 0.28 mmol/l ( P<0.001) and triglyceride by 0.22 mmol/l ( P<0.01) with a reduction in alcohol intake, but no change in LDL-C was seen. In contrast, weekend drinkers total cholesterol was unchanged while triglyceride decreased by 0.26 mmol/l ( P<0.05) and LDL-C increased by 0.25 mmol/l ( P<0.01). Lp(a) increased with a reduction in alcohol intake in both daily (9.1 U/l, P<0.05) and weekend drinkers (27.6 U/l, P=0.07). Previous reports of a more atherogenic lipid profile with episodic versus regular daily drinking were not confirmed in this study and potentially favourable effects of alcohol to increase HDL-C and decrease Lp(a) were shown to be independent of drinking pattern in these moderate to heavy drinkers.

Alcohol consumption and regular benzodiazepine use in 55-year-old female Malmö residents: results of a health screening.

The main objective of the present study was to examine the relationship between regular benzodiazepine (BZD) use and drinking patterns in 55-year-old female residents of Malmö, Sweden. All women born in 1935 (a total of 1223 subjects) were invited to a health screening at the Preventive Medicine Section, Malmö General Hospital; 69% agreed to participate. The screening included an extensive health questionnaire, and the responses to 33 items assessing social background, including immigrant status, use of BZD and analgesics, alcohol consumption (the revised Malmö-MAST), smoking and morbidity were analysed. A psychiatric symptoms scale including five of these items was constructed, yielding a Cronbach's alpha of 0.57. Present use of BZD hypnotics and/or tranquillizers was acknowledged by 6% of the women. BZD use at any time in the past or present was endorsed by 23%. Endorsement of > or = 3 revised Malmö-MAST items, indicating problem drinking, occurred in 3% of the participants; 16% were teetotallers and about 25% were regular weekend drinkers. BZD use was significantly more likely to occur in women with the following characteristics: early retirement, pain symptoms, longstanding use of analgesics, multiple psychiatric symptoms. Drinking patterns in relation to BZD use indicated that regular weekend drinkers were significantly less likely to be current and/or previous BZD users than problem drinkers and teetotallers. Logistic regression analyses indicated that use of BZDs was mainly predicted by endorsement of multiple psychiatric symptoms.

Patterns of Alcohol Intake and Risk of Stroke in Middle-aged British Men

The relationship between the pattern of alcohol intake and the risk of stroke is unclear, in particular the increased risk observed in abstainers and the possible protective effect of light to moderate drinking. For that reason, we examined in a large prospective study the role of alcohol consumption in the risk of a first major cerebrovascular event (stroke). We prospectively studied 7735 middle-aged men drawn from general practices in 24 British towns. With exclusion of those who had recall of physician diagnosis of ischemic heart disease or stroke, data were available for 7273 men all followed for 13.5 years, with 216 major stroke events (fatal and nonfatal). Compared with occasional drinkers, nondrinkers (lifelong abstainers plus ex-drinkers) had an increased risk of stroke even after adjustment for age, lifestyle factors, and preexisting cardiovascular disease (relative risk [RR] = 1.6; 95% CI, 1.0 to 2.7). All regular weekend drinkers (1 to 2, 3 to 6, and > 6 drinks/d) and daily 1 to 2 and 3 to 6 drinkers showed no significant difference in adjusted risk of stroke compared with occasional drinkers. Heavy drinkers (daily > 6 drinks) showed significantly increased risk evident within the first 8 years of follow-up only (RR = 1.9; 95% CI, 1.0 to 3.5); however, this finding was attenuated after additional adjustment for systolic blood pressure (RR = 1.5; 95% CI, 0.8 to 2.7). Information obtained 5 years after screening was used to separate lifelong abstainers and ex-drinkers. On subsequent 8.5 years of follow-up, both groups showed similar increased risk (RR = 1.5) compared with occasional drinkers, but the risk in ex-drinkers was reduced after adjustment for lifestyle factors and cardiovascular disease status (RR = 1.2). Lifelong abstainers, however, showed an increase in risk after adjustment of 1.8 (95% CI, 0.7 to 4.6). Heavy drinking is associated with an increased risk of total stroke that is largely mediated through blood pressure. The apparent increased risk seen in lifelong abstainers but not in ex-drinkers or occasional drinkers is unexplained but is unlikely to be attributed to abstinence from alcohol. There is no convincing evidence that light or moderate drinking is beneficial for stroke risk compared with occasional drinking.

The prevalence of alcohol dependence in burned adult patients

This study determined the prevalence of alcohol dependence in burned adult patients at the Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town and describes patterns of alcohol consumption, socioeconomic adjustment and attitudes towards drinking. The subjects of the study were patients over the age of 18 years who were admitted consecutively to the Burns Unit between 21 March 1992 and 19 June 1992. Patients were screened for alcohol problems with the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test. Thirty patients screened positively for alcohol dependence. A more comprehensive interview schedule was administered to these patients to obtain additional information. The incidence of alcohol dependence in the study group was high (57 per cent). Most patients indicated that they were regular weekend drinkers. More than half of the patients reported previous alcohol-related accidents and 57 per cent attributed their present injuries to alcohol intoxication. Ninety per cent of patients were motivated to change their drinking behaviour and 40 per cent were willing to accept some form of treatment. It was found that the burn injury represents a crisis during which treatment for alcohol problems can be introduced. The burn care team has a responsibility to address the patients' alcohol problems to prevent recurrent alcohol-related traumatic accidents.

Alcohol intake and variations in blood pressure by day of examination

The patterns of drinking and variations in blood pressure and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) by day of examination have been examined in a large prospective study of cardiovascular disease in 7,735 middle-aged men drawn from general practices in 24 British towns. Overall, mean systolic and diastolic BP levels, as well as the prevalence of measured hypertension, were significantly higher on Mondays and lower on Fridays than on other weekdays. Among occasional, moderate weekend (3-6) and heavy weekend (greater than 6 drinks/day) drinkers, although mean BPs were higher in the heavier drinkers, there was little variation in BP from Monday to Thursday in these groups. In all three groups there was a significant fall in mean BP and in the prevalence of hypertension on Friday, more apparent for systolic than for diastolic pressure and more marked in older men. Among daily drinkers, BP tended to be high on Mondays but was not particularly low on Fridays. Heavy weekend drinkers had higher daily BPs than moderate daily drinkers except on a Friday, even though the estimated total weekly intake was similar. The variations in BP by day of examination were not mirrored by changes in GGT concentrations. The different effect of daily and weekend patterns of drinking on BP may explain some of the discrepancies observed between different alcohol-blood pressure studies. Findings from this study have important implications for the detection of hypertension in populations as well as for clinical practice.

Smoking and drinking by middle-aged British men: effects of social class and town of residence.

In 7735 men aged 40-59, selected at random from general practices in 24 towns throughout Britain, pronounced differences were noted in the prevalences of smoking and drinking between the social classes. Social class differences also existed for frequency and quantity of drinking, type of beverage, and several aspects of smoking behaviour. Increasing amounts of smoking were associated with higher prevalences of moderate to heavy drinking, particularly in daily rather than weekend drinkers. Between drinking groups, however, the relation with smoking was more U-shaped, with light and heavy drinkers smoking more than moderate drinkers. The lowest rates of moderate to heavy smoking were observed in frequent light drinkers, particularly in the nonmanual workers. The proportion of moderate to heavy drinkers was no higher among ex-cigarette smokers than among current smokers. When the data were examined by town of residence social class differences persisted. Controlling for social class still showed pronounced differences between towns in both smoking and drinking behaviour. These data confirm that town of residence and social class have independent effects on smoking and drinking. The established regional and social class differences in cardiovascular disease may be due in part to the independent influences of town and social class on smoking and drinking behaviour.