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Data from the Rhode Island Behavioral Risk Factor Survey on self-reported alcohol consumption and drunk driving were examined. Driving while intoxicated was significantly associated with both binge drinking and chronic drinking, but the measures of drinking were not significantly associated.
This study developed a Reasons for Drinking Scale (RFD) with three factorially derived subscales, Social Camaraderie, Mood Enhancement, and Tension Reduction, among a university student sample. These scales were then compared to a measure of alcohol expectancies, the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (AEQ), as predictors of several measures of alcohol use. The RFD accounted for more of the variance on all alcohol measures than the AEQ. Results are discussed in terms of reasons for drinking as a more direct assessment of cognitive motivations for drinking than outcome expectancies.
The authors explored alcohol policies at 5 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to gain an understanding of how students' awareness of these policies might correlate with campus binge drinking rates. Findings indicated that male students who reported being unaware of certain alcohol policies were more likely to report binge drinking than their counterparts who reported they were aware of the policies. Gender differences in awareness of alcohol policy might be an important variable influencing binge drinking on HBCU campuses.
An increased risk of intracerebral hemorrhage among heavy consumers of alcohol has been demonstrated in several epidemiologic studies. The effect of moderate or intermediate intakes is, however, unclear. Although several studies provide evidence for a protective effect, this conclusion may be spurious, resulting from the inclusion, within the zero intake (reference) group, of past drinkers who have recently abstained for health reasons. The present study describes the relation between alcohol consumption and intracerebral hemorrhage among 331 case-control pairs recruited in Melbourne, Australia. Heavy drinking was associated with an increased risk of intracerebral hemorrhage (odds ratio (OR) 3.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.4-8.4). The odds ratio of intracerebral hemorrhage with moderate drinking, when compared with never drinkers, was 0.7, (95% CI = 0.4-1.2) and was 0.6 (95% CI = 0.4-1.0) when compared with nondrinkers (never drinkers plus past drinkers). Wine drinkers were apparently protected from intracerebral hemorrhage (OR 0.5, 95% CI = 0.2-0.9). These results are consistent with the possibility that moderate drinking may confer protection from intracerebral hemorrhage, but this protection may be less than that previously reported.
We used the 1997 Ontario Drug Monitor, a population-based, random-digit dialing survey of 2,776 adults, to obtain a baseline assessment of alcohol drinking by Ontarians against the 1997 low-risk drinking guidelines of the Addiction Research Foundation and the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse. Average weekly alcohol consumption and the frequency of exceeding the daily limit, estimated using the graduated frequency scale, were determined for the population overall, and by sex and age group (18-44 and 45+ years). Most Ontarians drank alcohol in a pattern associated with a low risk of health consequences. About 10% of women and 25% of men drank in a style associated with some increase in acute or long-term risk. Younger men were most likely to drink in a risky pattern. Most drinkers of middle age or older, for whom cardiovascular disease is a significant health risk, consumed alcohol in a pattern associated with cardiovascular benefit.
BACKGROUND: The binding of [3H]DAMGO to mu-opioid sites was measured in the CNS of selectively bred high-alcohol-drinking (HAD) and low-alcohol-drinking (LAD) rats to test the hypothesis that high alcohol preference is associated with higher densities of mu-opioid receptors. METHODS: Adult, alcohol-naïve male HAD and LAD rats from replicate line 1 were decapitated and their brains frozen in isopentane. Brain sections were incubated with 5 nM [3H]DAMGO, and nonspecific binding was determined in the presence of unlabeled DAMGO. Films were exposed for 60 days, then analyzed using quantitative autoradiography. RESULTS: The densities of [3H]DAMGO binding sites were measured within subregions of neocortex, limbic system, basal ganglia, diencephalon, and brainstem. LAD rats had significantly higher [3H]DAMGO binding (10-30%) than HAD rats within the anterior dorsal hippocampus (CA2), posterior hippocampus (dorsal CA1, and ventral CA1, CA3, and dentate gyrus), thalamus (medial dorsal, lateral, medial dorsal, central, ventral lateral, ventral medial, and ventral medial geniculate nuclei), habenula, and amygdala. No significant interline differences were found in the prefrontal, cingulate, frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital or entorhinal cortices, olfactory tubercle, nucleus accumbens, lateral septum, ventral tegmental area, hypothalamus, caudate-putamen, substantia nigra, claustrum, central gray, or superior colliculus. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings with the HAD and LAD lines do not support the hypothesis that high alcohol preference is associated with higher densities of CNS mu-opioid receptors. Instead, the present results, in combination with previously published findings, suggest that the mu-opioid system may play a complex role in regulating high-alcohol-drinking behavior.
Alcoholism has been studied in adults and found to share obsessive-compulsive characteristics. The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOC) was used to quantify the measurements of this disorder. This study adapted the YBOC for use with adolescents/young adults in an attempt to measure the "craving" expressed as obsessive and compulsive phenomenon. The primary findings show that the obsessive compulsive dimensions of alcohol cravings, as described in adult populations, also exist in adolescent/young adults. The Adolescent Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (A-OCDS) was developed utilizing idioms and language typical for the 17-20 age group. Various quantitative evaluations proved that the Interference and Irresistibility sub-scales were the primary dimensions causing the obsessive behavior. This study begins to address this aspect of adolescent substance abuse utilizing a tool that is easy to administer. Because of the ease of use, although not a diagnostic instrument, the A-OCDS may be useful for identifying problem drinking in adolescents as well as detecting impairment in function related to drinking.
Quantitative observations were made of 200 groups in bars catering for young adults. Most drinkers were members of groups in which round-buying procedures were used. Purchasing procedures were good predictors of alcohol consumption among males, accounting for 15% of the variance in consumption. Males who purchased rounds tended to consume more alcohol than did males who did not purchase drinks for others. Drinkers with companions who consumed large amounts of alcohol tended to consume more alcohol and tended to have higher drinking rates. Considered alone, the average amount consumed by companions accounted for 62% and 48% the variance in alcohol consumption by males and females respectively. Qualitative observations and interviews with 200 patrons are also described. Findings from the interviews indicate that there were considerable pressures on males and females to conform to the 'institution' and to the 'rules' of round-buying. However, the quantitative observations showed that the majority of females did not openly purchase drinks. This suggests that observational procedures can provide useful checks on findings obtained from questioning procedures.
This paper is concerned with underage drinking in the United Kingdom since 1971 and public policy relating to this issue. Research into youthful drinking and the relevant licensing laws are summarised. Data obtained from surveys and from statistics relating to offences against the licensing laws are presented, which together illustrate the difficulty in enforcing this legislation. It is concluded that there is no evidence that 'underage' drinking has either increased or decreased over the past 20 years, and that the criminal statistics give little indication of the regularity with which the licensing legislation is breached. Reasons for this include difficulty in assessing the age of young people and the complicated nature of the licensing laws.
To investigate the drinking behaviour of rabbits as well as to prove the suitability of different drinker systems under animal suitable conditions all in all 32 rabbits aged four to eight weeks have been held to test in free choice four drinker types usually applied in practice. The rabbits could choose between swimmer-, low pressure-bowl-, nipple- and automatic minidrinkers. In two passages four animals in each of the four boxes have been held for four weeks and watched by video once a week during 24 hours to register the frequency of the animals' drinking at the four alternative drinkers. The choice experiments show that the low pressure bowl-drinker has been preferred in frequency, followed by the nipple drinker. The swimmer-bowl-drinker was less frequented, the automatic minidrinker was avoided in tendency. All in all we see, that by offering bowl- and/or nipple-drinkers we present a natural adequate drinking to the rabbits. Both drinker-systems can be assessed as those with respect to animals' behaviour.
The monitoring of drinking water based on the drinking water regulation is one of the central tasks of public health authorities in Germany. With the coming into force of the new drinking water regulation in the year 2003 also water supply plants "from which water is made available for the public, in particular in schools, kindergartens, hospitals, restaurants and other communal facilities" must be supervised for the first time (TrinkwV section sign 18). Thus, for Frankfurt/Main the number of the facilities/objects which are to be supervised rose from approx. 300 to approx. 4,700. Since appropriate expansion of personnel was not possible, innovative solutions were in demand for implementation of these tasks. These are introduced here.
OBJECTIVES: To compare the satiating power of semisolid and liquid yogurts with fruit beverages and dairy fruit drinks. DESIGN AND PROCEDURES: Thirty-two volunteers (16 men and 16 women), ages 18 to 35 years, consumed a 200-kcal preload stimulus on four separate occasions. A tray lunch was presented 90 minutes after the preload and food consumption was measured. METHODS: The stimuli were: a semisolid yogurt containing pieces of peach and eaten with a spoon (378 g), the same yogurt in a drinkable homogenized form (378 g), a peach-flavored dairy beverage (400 mL), and a peach juice beverage (400 mL). Participants rated hunger, thirst, satiety, and desire to eat at baseline and at 20-minute intervals after ingestion. RESULTS: The two yogurts (semisolid and liquid) led to lower hunger and higher fullness ratings as compared with the fruit drink or dairy fruit drink. There was no difference in satiety profiles between the yogurt that was eaten with a spoon and the drinkable version. Energy intakes at lunch were the same across all four conditions (mean+/-standard deviation, 806+/-43 kcal). CONCLUSIONS: The two yogurts were more satiating than the two beverages. However, lower hunger and higher fullness ratings after yogurt consumption did not lead to energy compensation at the next meal.
The authors examine the performance of the Drinking Problems Index (DPI) as a screening instrument for the identification of drinking problems among older blue-collar workers. Performance was assessed using a random sample of 1055 retirement-eligible blue-collar workers with the CAGE as a problem-drinking criterion. The authors also assessed the relative performance of the DPI versus the CAGE on the basis of each instrument's sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) with regard to other alcohol-related criteria. DPI was found to offer reasonable levels of sensitivity and specificity, although its sensitivity varied by age. Moreover, for older, blue-collar workers, the DPI was found to more effectively screen for problematic patterns of alcohol consumption than the CAGE.
This article describes the psychometric characteristics of two major assessment instruments used in a World Health Organization (WHO) clinical trial: (a) Alcohol Timeline Followback (TLFB, which assesses daily drinking patterns), and (b) Inventory of Drinking Situations (IDS, which assesses antecedents to "heavy" drinking). Clients (N = 308) were outpatient alcohol abusers from four countries (Australia, Canada, Mexico, and Sweden). Generally, the Alcohol TLFB and IDS were shown to be reliable and valid with outpatient alcohol abusers in four countries, and in three languages. These results suggest that the Alcohol TLFB and the IDS can be used in clinical and research settings with Swedish-, Spanish-, and English-speaking alcohol abusers.
Thirteen healthy subjects (seven men and six women) participated in three drinking studies to examine the maximum increase of breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) and the time taken to reach the maximum BrAC (peak) after a subject finished a 'one for the road' drink in a social environment with food consumption. They consumed hard liquor in the first study, beer in the second and wine in the third. Each study consisted of two days. Day 1 served as a control in which the subjects were monitored by breath tests to establish their basic BrAC curves. Day 2 was a repeat of Day 1 with the addition of the final drink 'for the road' consumed by the subjects once their BrAC started to decline. The average increase in BrAC was 0.017 +/- 0.009% for hard liquor, 0.016 +/- 0.008% for beer, and 0.016 +/- 0.007% for wine. The average time to peak was 18 +/- 8 minutes for hard liquor, 16 +/- 2 minutes for beer, and 20 +/- 10 minutes for wine. The BrAC increase and the time to peak seemed to be independent of the type of alcoholic beverage consumed.
The potential of court-enforced treatment of problem drinking drivers in reaching and effectively treating problem drinking Blacks is examined through an analysis of the experience of one such drinking driver program. The findings support the contention that the potential of court-enforced treatment is significant and should not be overlooked in any plan aimed at providing treatment services to the Black community.
Collaborative studies of comparative investigations of standardized drinking water were performed within Lower Saxony since two years. The results show that the precision of the measurements even in the reference laboratories is substantially less than the measuring tolerance given by the Federal Drinking Water Regulation. Therefore, the standard deviation of the different parameters, variation coefficients, respectively, are to be used for the internal statistical quality control as well as for the judgment of water. Protests against drinking water, bath water, respectively, due to parameters exceeded should be made just if the guide or imperative values are exceeded by the threefold standard deviation experimentally determined in reference laboratories.
This study showed that alcohol-preferring (P) rats and high alcohol-drinking (HAD) rats possess fewer calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor binding sites than their respective controls in the central amygdaloid nucleus (CeA) which is known to be related to anxiety. Since P and HAD rats are selectively bred for high alcohol preference, and alcohol can produce anxiolytic effect, one can postulate that P and HAD rats preferentially drink alcohol in order to obtain its anxiolytic effect. This study supports a hypothesis that deficit of CGRP receptors in the CeA of P and HAD rats may contribute to alcohol preference.