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PubMed1990

Familial transmission of alcohol use, III. Impact of imitation/non-imitation of parent alcohol use (1960) on the sensible/problem drinking of their offspring (1977).

Imitation/non-imitation by adult offspring of alcohol-related parent behavior was examined in the context of the 'fall-off effect' and of sensible/problem alcohol use, two processes which tend to constrain drinking. Evidence indicates there is more imitation by adult offspring of abstemious parents (both abstainer and low volume) than of high volume parents. Adult offspring drink significantly less, on the average, than their high volume parents, a phenomenon here termed 'fall-off effect' for both men and women with respect to either their fathers or mothers. This fall-off among social drinkers appears when the mother approaches or the father consumes at or more than a typical daily drinking level (greater than or equal to 1 drink per day). More sensible drinking occurs among adult offspring when (1) the parent has no drinking problem-signs than when the parent has drinking problems (this pattern appears at all levels of offspring consumption), and (2) when parents drink at high volume and have no problems for those offspring who do not imitate parent volume. Drinking 'sensibly' appears to be associated directly with the level of parent alcohol use and offsprings' own drinking levels (considered as imitation or non-imitation of parents), and indirectly with offspring recall of problematic intake by parents. Drinking sensibly is a medical, education and public health issue.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Age of onset of drinking and the use of alcohol in adulthood: a follow-up study from age 8-42 for females and males.

AIM: To investigate longitudinally for both genders the relation between the age of onset of drinking and several indicators of alcohol use. DESIGN AND SETTING: In the Finnish Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development, data have been collected by interviews, inventories, and questionnaires. Data on alcohol consumption was gathered at ages 14, 20, 27, 36 and 42 years; behavioural data at age 8. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 155 women and 176 men; 90.4% of the original sample consisting of 12 complete school classes in 1968. MEASUREMENTS: The age of onset of drinking was determined based on participants' responses that were closest to the actual age of onset of drinking. Four indicators of the adult use of alcohol were used: frequency of drinking, binge drinking, Cut-down, Annoyed, Guilt, Eye-opener (CAGE) and Malmö modified Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (Mm-MAST). Socio-emotional behaviour at age 8 was assessed using teacher ratings and peer nominations. FINDINGS: Early onset of drinking was related to the four indicators of the use of alcohol in adulthood both in men and women. The level of adult alcohol use and alcohol problems was significantly higher in men. The risk for heavy drinking was highest in men and women if drinking was started at less than age 16 years. Socio-emotional behaviour and school success at age 8 did not predict the age of onset of drinking. CONCLUSIONS: Delaying the initiation of drinking from early adolescence to late adolescence is an important goal for prevention efforts. No clear risk group for early initiators of drinking could be identified on the basis of preceding behaviour among 8-year-olds.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Osmotic and non-osmotic regulation of thirst and vasopressin secretion in patients with compulsive water drinking.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the osmotic and non-osmotic regulation of thirst and AVP release in patients with compulsive water drinking. DESIGN: A 2-hour intravenous infusion of hypertonic (855 mmol/l) sodium chloride solution, followed by a 2-hour drinking period. PATIENTS: Seven patients with compulsive water drinking, seven patients with diabetes insipidus and seven healthy controls. MEASUREMENTS: Plasma AVP, osmolality, sodium and haematocrit, thirst ratings on a visual analogue scale and the volume of water drunk in 2 hours following infusion. RESULTS: Plasma AVP responses to osmotic stimulation, and non-osmotic inhibition by drinking, were normal in patients with compulsive water drinking. Basal thirst ratings were higher in compulsive water drinking than in either diabetes (P less than 0.001) or controls (P less than 0.001), despite lower basal plasma osmolalities. There was a significant rise in thirst ratings during saline infusion, which correlated closely with plasma osmolality, in all three groups, but the final thirst ratings were higher in compulsive water drinkers, who subsequently drank more water than in either diabetes insipidus (P less than 0.01) or controls (P less than 0.001). Drinking rapidly lowered thirst ratings in controls and diabetes insipidus before changes occurred in plasma osmolality, but remained elevated in patients with compulsive water drinking. Linear regression analysis defined a lower osmotic threshold for thirst in compulsive water drinking compared with controls or diabetes insipidus. CONCLUSIONS: There are abnormalities of the osmotic stimulation and non-osmotic inhibition of thirst in compulsive water drinking, suggesting that the underlying defect is one of interpretation of osmotic and non-osmotic inputs. Measurement of thirst responses during hypertonic saline infusion and subsequent water drinking may provide useful diagnostic information in the differentiation of polyuric states.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Drinking, drug use, and driving among rural midwestern youth.

Data concerning self-reported driving after drinking or using other drugs were collected from 3,382 junior and senior high school students in rural central and southern Illinois. Drinking, drug use, and driving increased steadily with age, with 42% of the 12th grade class indicating they had driven a car at least one time in the past six months after drinking or using other drugs. Riding with a driver who had been drinking also increased with age; 20% of the seventh grade sample had ridden in a car with a drinking driver, while 58% of the 12th grade sample reported having done so. Slightly more females had ridden in a car with a driver who had been drinking than males, while males reported higher rates of driving after drinking or using other drugs than females. Correlation analyses indicated 22 variables related significantly to drinking, drug use, and driving. Forward stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that 11 variables related significantly to riding as a passenger with a drinking driver. Thirteen variables were related significantly to driving after drinking or using other drugs. Frequency of alcohol use variables were the most powerful indicators of self-reported driving after drinking or using other drugs in this sample.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Drinking patterns among black and nonblack adolescents: results of a national survey.

The overall objective of this study was to identify factors that relate to the use of alcohol among black and nonblack students and that might serve to explain the lower prevalence of drinking among black students. Black students were shown to differ from nonblack students with respect to both demographic variables associated with social class and variables associated with exposure to and involvement with alcohol. Multivariate analyses, controlling for the effects of demographic status, yielded several predictors of the frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption. Among the major predictors of alcohol use were exposure to friends as drinking models, attitudes emphasizing the importance of social effects of alcohol, ease of access to alcohol, and behavior patterns of social transgressions and illicit drug use. While degree of religiosity and attainment of good school grades were inversely related to frequent and heavier use of alcohol among nonblack students, they were not related to patterns of alcohol use by black students. For the most part, however, there were more similarities than differences in the predictors of alcohol use among black and nonblack students. These findings suggest that environmental factors associated with the use of alcohol are similar for black and nonblack students. While the overall use of alcohol is lower among black students, the onset of drinking is grade-related but later in onset relative to nonblack drinkers. Despite the fact that the same predictors of drinking are common to both black and nonblack students, there is need to identify the environmental factors that delay exposure to a more extensive network of peer drinking models and access to alcohol. Comparisons between black and nonblack abstainers revealed that black abstainers reported lower proportions of school peers to be drinkers. This differential exposure to drinking models between black and nonblack abstainers may be implicated in the delay of onset of drinking among black students. A second factor that may be implicated in the delay of onset of drinking among black students related to differences in the perception of alcohol between blacks and nonblacks. Black abstainers, compared to nonblacks, viewed the personal effects of drinking as more important reasons for drinking. These reasons stress the use of alcohol as a coping mechanism to deal with personal stress and problems. Future studies need to address the status of these variables with regard to their implications in delaying the onset of drinking among black students.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

The relative importance of central nervous catecholaminergic and cholinergic mechanisms in drinking in response to antiotensin and other thirst stimuli.

1. Intracranial or subcutaneous doses of atropine or atropine methyl nitrate that were fully effective at preventing drinking in response to intracranial carbachol did not block angiotensin-induced drinking. 2. The nicotinic antagonist dihydro-beta-erythroidine given intracranially affected neither angiotensin- nor carbachol-induced drinking. 3. The dopaminergic antagonists haloperidol and spiroperidol injected intracranially blocked angiotensin-induced drinking but did not affect carbachol-induced drinking. 4. Angiotensin- and carbachol-induced drinking were unaffected by alpha- or beta-adrenergic antagonists except at toxic doses. 5. Destruction of catecholaminergic neurones with 6-hydroxydopamine markedly reduced angiotensin-induced drinking, but had relatively little effect on carbachol-induced drinking. 6. Intracranial haloperidol reduced the amount of water drunk in response to overnight deprivation of water, but did not affect feeding in response to overnight starvation or to intracranial noradrenaline. 7. Drinking following overnight water deprivation was unaffected by intracranial alpha- or beta-adrenergic antagonists. 8. Preventing dopaminergic transmission with intracranial haloperidol decreased the water to food ratio of the rat's intake after overnight starvation, whereas increasing the dopamine levels with the combination of FLA-63 and L-DOPA increased the ratio. 9. Intraventricular dopamine in large amounts caused the water-replete rat to drink. 10. It is concluded that among the many functions of dopaminergic systems in the brain is a role in the control of water intake, and that these systems participate in an important way in drinking in response to angiotensin.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1981

Drinking and changes in blood pressure in response to precursors, fragments and analogues of angiotensin II in the pigeon Columba livia.

1. The pigeon drank as vigorously in response to intracranial injection of synthetic renin substrate and angiotensin I as to angiotensin II. 2. Mammalian renin injected into the brain caused the water-replete pigeon to drink but it was a less effective dipsogen than in the mammal. As in the mammal, renin-induced drinking was slower in onset and continued for longer than angiotensin-induced drinking. 3. The converting enzyme inhibitor SQ 20881 attenuated drinking in response to intracranial renin, synthetic renin substrate and angiotensin I but enhanced intracranial angiotensin II-induced drinking. Therefore drinking induced by the intracranial injection of precursors of angiotensin II is mediated through local generation of angiotensin II. 4. I.V. injection of angiotensin I was as effective as angiotensin II in causing the pigeon to drink, but synthetic renin substrate was less effective. I.V. doses of angiotensin I and II had to be about 100 times greater than the intracranial doses in order to produce similar intakes. 5. Angiotensin I and II were equally effective pressor agents by I.V. injection in the pigeon but synthetic renin substrate was much less effective. I.V. SQ 20881 inhibited the pressor response to I.V. synthetic renin substrate or angiotensin I but enhanced the angiotensin II-induced response. 6. Aliphatic position 8-substituted analogues of angiotensin II which are competitive antagonists of angiotensin II-induced drinking and pressor responses in the mammal in antagonist:agonist mole ratios as low as 10:1, failed to reduce drinking in response to intracranial synthetic renin substrate or angiotensin II, although not themselves agonists, nor did they prevent the pressor to infusion of angiotensin II even with antagonist:agonist mole ratios as high as 10,000:1. 7. Shortening the angiotensin octapeptide from the N-terminus caused a progressive reduction in intracranial dipsogenic activity. Activity was completely abolished by removing the C-terminal phenylalanine. 8. These results demonstrate that in pigeons, as in mammals, it is angiotensin II which is the biologically active peptide in the control of drinking behaviour and blood pressure by the renin-angiotensin system. Precursors of angiotensin II can be converted to the octapeptide in the avian brain as well as in the circulation. The angiotensin receptors for drinking and blood pressure responses are similar to each other in the pigeon and they are very similar but not identical with the angiotensin receptors for the dipsogenic, pressor and myotropic actions of angiotensin II in mammals.

Angiotensin II↗
PubMed1981

The renin-angiotensin system in drinking and cardiovascular responses to isoprenaline in the rat.

1. We investigated the role of the renin-angiotensin system in isoprenaline-induced drinking in the rat. Captopril, an inhibitor of angiotensin-converting enzyme, was used to block the synthesis of angiotensin II either in the circulation alone or in the brain as well.2. Subcutaneous injections of isoprenaline (0.1 mg/kg) alone caused nine rats to drink 8.4 +/- 0.9 ml water in 3 h.3. Pre-treatment with doses of captopril (0.1-1.0 mg/kg, s.c.), which inhibit conversion of angiotensin I to II in the circulation but not in the brain, dose-dependently enhanced the drinking response to isoprenaline. Captopril alone did not cause drinking.4. Higher doses of captopril (5.0-100 mg/kg, s.c.), which inhibit conversion of angiotensin I to II in the brain as well as in the blood, caused dose-dependent inhibition of drinking elicited by isoprenaline.5. The highest dose of captopril tested (100 mg/kg, s.c.) completely blocked the drinking response to isoprenaline (0.1 or 0.33 mg/kg, s.c.) for at least 45 min. This inhibition was not caused by general debility of the rats; animals deprived of water (12 h) and treated with both captopril and isoprenaline drank as much as water-deprived controls.6. We found no evidence that blocking the renin-angiotensin system inhibits drinking because it exacerbates isoprenaline-induced hypotension. After injection of isoprenaline the mean arterial pressure of nephrectomized rats or rats pre-treated with the high dose (100 mg/kg, s.c.) of captopril (which blocked drinking) was only slightly lower (5-10 mmHg) than that of rats pre-treated with the low dose (0.5 mg/kg, s.c.) of captopril (which enhanced drinking).7. Water deprivation, which caused rats treated with isoprenaline and captopril to drink, did not increase arterial pressure. Pitressin increased the arterial pressure of rats treated with isoprenaline and captopril but did not cause drinking. We conclude that the renin-angiotensin system has a direct and essential role in the drinking response to isoprenaline.

Angiotensin II↗
PubMed2006

Changing drinking pattern does not influence health perception: a longitudinal study of the atherosclerosis risk in communities study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate if dynamic changes in the pattern of alcoholic beverages consumption are associated with modifications in health perception. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This study investigated 12 332 middle aged men and women from the atherosclerosis risk in communities study who reported drinking status and perceived health triennially from 1987 to 1995. Crude and adjusted risks for change in health perception between visits two and three by change in drinking status between visits one and two were computed. In the multivariate analysis the sample was restricted to participants with stable drinking status between visit two and three and stable health perception between visits one and two, to assure that exposure and outcome were not temporary. Covariates included age, sex, race, income, smoking status, educational level, and obesity. RESULTS: Health for persons who stopped or started drinking, or continued to abstain was more likely to decline than was health for persons who continued to drink even after adjustment and restrictions (drinking cessation: OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.1, 2.3; started drinking; OR = 1.4, 95% CI = 0.9, 2.2; continued abstaining from alcohol: OR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.3, 1.9). Among participants with poor perceived health, starting, stopping, or continuing to abstain from alcohol did not improve health in relation to participants that continued to drink. CONCLUSION: Increasing and decreasing drinking patterns and continuous abstinence were associated with declining health perception in comparison with continuous drinking, while starting or stopping drinking did not improve health perception of persons with poor perceived health. These findings suggest that change in health perception was not biologically related to alcohol consumption.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed2006

At-risk drinking in employed men and women.

BACKGROUND: "At-risk" drinking is associated with a variety of negative health and social consequences. However, little is known about the characteristics of at-risk drinkers or of changes in at-risk status over time. PURPOSE: The objective was to examine the correlates of at-risk drinking and the prospective predictors of maintenance or change in at-risk status. METHOD: Participants were 4,322 employed individuals assessed at baseline and 4 years later. At-risk drinking was defined as 2 or more drinks per day for men and 1 or more drinks per day for women. RESULTS: The baseline prevalence of at-risk drinking was 11%. Four percent of baseline not-at-risk individuals transitioned to at-risk drinking at follow-up, and 54% of the baseline at-risk individuals remained at-risk at follow-up. Several demographic-, work-, and tobacco-related variables differentiated at-risk groups and were prospective predictors of change in at-risk drinking status among those individuals who were not at risk at baseline. However, none of the constructs predicted change among at-risk drinkers. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that at-risk drinking is of public health concern. Eleven percent of the participants met criteria for at-risk drinking. Further, at-risk and not-at-risk drinkers differed on numerous characteristics, and their drinking may be influenced by different factors.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Daily intake of copper from drinking water among young children in Sweden.

Copper is an essential trace element that may cause intoxication if intake becomes excessive. Young children are at risk of intoxication because of high consumption of drinking water and immature copper metabolism. The aims of this prospective study were to estimate concentrations of copper in drinking water, volumes of drinking water consumed by children, and children's daily intake of copper. Concentrations of copper in unflushed drinking water were analyzed for 1,178 children living in Uppsala and Malmö, Sweden, and concentrations and amounts of copper consumed from drinking water were estimated for 430 of these children, 9-21 months of age. The study children were from Swedish families, were not enrolled in publicly provided day care, and were not breast-fed more than three times a day. In the initial population, the 10th percentile for copper concentration in unflushed drinking water was 0.17 mg/L, the median was 0.72 mg/L, and the 90th percentile was 2.11 mg/L. In the subpopulation of 430 children, the 10th percentile for daily intake of copper from drinking water was 0.03 mg/L, the median was 0.32 mg/L, and the 90th percentile was 1.07 mg/L. The median daily intake of copper from drinking water was higher in Uppsala, at 0.46 mg, than in Malmö, at 0.26 mg. For groups of children whose families took part in a later prospective diary study, the copper concentration in consumed water could, to some extent, be predicted from the concentration of copper in unflushed drinking water. The lowest concentrations of copper in drinking water were found in households with old water-pipe systems and in those living in detached houses. A large proportion of the young children satisfied their daily requirement of copper solely from drinking water. About 10% of the children had a copper intake above the level recommended by the World Health Organization.

Copper↗
PubMed1984

Legislation raising the legal drinking age in Massachusetts from 18 to 20: effect on 16 and 17 year-olds.

The 1979 Massachusetts law raising the legal drinking age from 18 to 20 is examined--the effects on the drinking, drinking and driving, and nonfatal and fatal crash involvement of 16-17 yr-olds, teenagers immediately younger than those targeted by the law. Data from Massachusetts are compared with those from New York State, where the drinking age remained at 18. A total of 3 yr of survey data from the two states and 6 yr of data from the Department of Transportation's Fatal Accident Reporting System provide for pre- and postlaw comparisons. The findings suggest that raising the drinking age had minimal effects on the drinking behavior of Massachusetts teenagers. Although there was a significant reduction in nonfatal crashes in Massachusetts compared with New York, no decline in single-vehicle nighttime fatal crashes or in overall fatal crashes was observed. It is suggested that changes in the drinking age may offer some reduction in teenage driving after drinking and traffic crash involvement, but that teenage drinking and driving after drinking remain serious problems even in states that raise their drinking ages.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1987

Identifying high-risk pregnant drinkers: biological and behavioral correlates of continuous heavy drinking during pregnancy.

To determine whether women who continued to drink during pregnancy could be differentiated from women who discontinued alcohol use during their second trimester of pregnancy based on biological, social and behavioral data collected during a prenatal interview, 267 women receiving prenatal care at Grady Memorial Hospital, a large metropolitan hospital in Atlanta, were interviewed antepartum, assessing current drug and alcohol use as well as other demographic information. Postpartum interviews were conducted during the first 3 days following delivery to determine any changes in drug use or alcohol consumption that occurred after the first interview. Women who continued to drink throughout pregnancy and women who stopped drinking were similar on most demographic variables examined, including age, marital status, ethnic group, income, obstetrical complications risk score, amount of alcohol consumed per week and use of other drugs. Discriminant analysis was used to determine whether drinking-group membership could be predicted from self-reported drinking behaviors or biological and other demographic variables. The best predictors of drinking throughout pregnancy were the length of drinking history, reported tolerance to alcohol, a history of alcohol-related illness and drinking by siblings. In addition, women who continued to drink throughout pregnancy were more likely to report that they drank most often with other family members. Of the subjects who continued to drink, 81% were correctly classified based on this discriminant function. These findings suggest that women who continue to drink during pregnancy may be experiencing more chronic and severe alcohol-related problems than women who discontinue alcohol use and may thus be identified and targeted for intensive prevention effects.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Antecedents of drinking among young adolescents with different alcohol use histories.

Testing separate path analytic models for 7th-grade users and nonusers, we assess the impact of cognitive, social influence and behavioral antecedents on adolescent drinking 3 and 12 months later. For the group that had not tried alcohol by grade 7, we found that social influence factors--exposure to peers who drink or use marijuana and to adults who drink--foster more frequent alcohol use and binge drinking in the near future (3 months later). The key peer influences on binge drinking were marijuana-specific. After 12 months, the child's own drinking experience during grade 7 and peer and parental attitudes toward drugs emerge as important explanatory variables. For children who had already started drinking by grade 7, cognitive--as well as social and behavioral factors--affect near- and longer-term alcohol involvement. While the child's prior drinking habits have the strongest impact, baseline expectations of using alcohol also predict frequency of alcohol use and binge drinking after 3 and 12 months. Believing that alcohol use is harmful helps hold down increases in frequency of use (but not excessive use) as long as 12 months later. Engaging in deviant behavior or doing poorly in school did not predict future drinking among baseline nonusers, but did foretell which of the 7th-grade initiates were most likely to engage in binge drinking during grade 8. The study's implications for prevention are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Drinking-driving and riding with drunk drivers among young adults: an analysis of reciprocal effects.

OBJECTIVE: This research attempts to test the hypothesis that a reciprocal relationship exists between drinking-driving (DD) and riding with drunk drivers (RWDD) among youth. METHOD: Analyses were performed on data from the 1996 New York State Youth Alcohol Survey. The sample is composed of 16- to 24-year-olds who used alcohol and drove automobiles (N = 993). LISREL software was employed to examine the hypothesized simultaneous system between drinking-driving and riding with drunk drivers. Alcohol use, driving patterns and perception of negative consequences of drinking-driving behavior were included as independent variables. RESULTS: The reciprocity between drinking-driving and riding with drunk drivers is composed of a relatively strong positive effect of DD on RWDD and a minimal effect of RWDD on DD. Alcohol use has a consistent effect on both drinking-driving and riding with drunk drivers. Frequency of weekend driving tends to increase the likelihood of drinking-driving, but not riding with drunk drivers. Youths' perceived likelihood of being arrested if caught drinking-driving appears to have a moderate negative association with drinking-driving and riding with drunk drivers for underage youths. CONCLUSIONS: The simultaneous system between drinking-driving and riding with drunk drivers tends to be dominated by the effect of the former on the latter. Involvement in drinking-driving among youths is likely to increase the chance of riding with drunk drivers, whereas involvement in RWDD may not necessarily increase the chance of DD. Possible explanations for this finding are discussed. Future research may focus on measurement errors of drinking-driving and riding with drunk drivers to further examine the relationship between these behaviors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

The link between family history and early onset alcoholism: earlier initiation of drinking or more rapid development of dependence?

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the association between early onset alcoholism and family history to determine whether family history of alcoholism is predictive of earlier initiation of drinking, more rapid onset of dependence once drinking has begun, or both. METHOD: Using cross-sectional, retrospective data from a large, nationally representative sample of U.S. adults, discrete time proportional hazards models were used to assess the effects of family history saturation (% of alcoholic first- and second-degree relatives) on: ( 1) the risk of initiating drinking among all adults (N = 42,862; 58.4% female) and (2) the risk of progressing from initiation of drinking to onset of dependence among lifetime drinkers (n = 27,616; 50.7% male). Models were estimated for different time periods, to see if the effect of family history saturation varied over time in a manner suggestive of a stronger association with early onset dependence. RESULTS: The positive effect of family history saturation on the risk of initiating drinking was strongest prior to age 15 and declined steadily with increasing age. It was slightly weaker for men than women. After controlling for early initiation of drinking, the direct positive effect of family history saturation on the risk of progressing to dependence increased over time and was slightly reduced among individuals who started drinking before age 18. The indirect effect of family history on the risk of developing dependence, via its effect on early drinking as a risk factor for dependence, was strongest in the interval from 3 to 9 years after initiation of drinking. CONCLUSIONS: The association between family history and early onset alcoholism appears to be driven most clearly by family history predicting earlier initiation of drinking. The weak effect of family history on the development of dependence within the first 3 years after initiation of drinking may reflect the preponderance of developmentally limited dependence during this time period. The data are consistent with the links established between novelty seeking, impulsivity and early onset alcoholism. While supporting the possibility of genetic effects via dopaminergic and serotonergic function, these findings also suggest that environmental factors may play an important part in helping to explain the association between family history and early onset alcoholism.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Alcohol drinking patterns among Jewish and Arab men and women in Israel.

OBJECTIVE: Jews and Muslim Arabs comprise the bulk of modern Israeli society. Jewish tradition permits controlled alcohol drinking, whereas Muslim tradition prohibits the use of any alcohol. Increasing exposure of the traditionally conservative Arab sector to the Western culture of modern Israel might impact on and be reflected in the drinking patterns of these two populations. The influence of religiosity and other factors on drinking patterns of Jewish and Arab adults are examined using data from a 1995 national household survey. METHOD: Past month drinking is assessed in this nationally representative sample of nearly 5,000 Jews and 1,000 Arabs (N = 5,954, 60% women). Unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) are presented to describe associations between any and heavy drinking and nationality group, religiosity, education and marital status among men and women. Modification of the nationality-drinking relationship by religiosity is also examined. RESULTS: Any past-month drinking was reported more often by Jewish respondents than Arab respondents (OR = 2.9, 95% Cl: 2.5-3.4), and this difference remained statistically significant after accounting for the effects of the other covariables. This cross-nationality difference was more pronounced among women (OR = 6.4, 95% Cl: 4.6-8.8) than men (OR = 2.3, 95% CI: 1.8-2.9). The proportion of drinkers who reported heavy drinking in the past month, however, was lower among Jews (OR = 0.3, 95% CI: 0.2-0.4). Significantly higher rates of drinking were noted for secular men and women than for religious respondents in both nationality groups. Rates of drinking were more similar among secular Arabs and Jews than among religious respondents of these nationality groups. CONCLUSIONS: These results add support to the theory that adherence to religious traditions continues to serve as a barrier against drinking among both Arabs and Jews. Further work is required to determine if these patterns are stable over time and whether genetic factors are contributing to the sociocultural influences.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Job stress, unwinding and drinking in transit operators.

OBJECTIVE: This study tests the spillover model of the effects of work stress on after-work drinking, using the variable "length of time to unwind" as a mediator. METHOD: A total of 1,974 transit operators were contacted and 1,553 (79%) of them participated in a personal interview. Complete data on the variables in this analysis were available for 1,208 respondents (84% men). Using latent variable structural equation modeling, a model was tested that predicted that daily job problems, skipped meals and less social support from supervisor would increase alcohol consumption through the mediator, length of time to unwind and relax after work. Increased alcohol consumption was, in turn, hypothesized to increase drinking problems. RESULTS: As predicted, skipped meals and daily job problems increased length of time to unwind and had an indirect positive relationship with overall drinking, even when controlling for drinking norms and demographic variables. Overall drinking was positively associated with drinking problems. Supervisor support at work, however, did not significantly influence length of time to unwind. Difficulty unwinding (longer time to unwind) did not have direct effects on drinking problems; however, indirect effects through overall drinking were observed. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide preliminary support for the mediating role of length of time to unwind and relax after work in a spillover model of the stress-drinking relationship. This research introduces a new mediator and empirical links between job problems, length of time to unwind, drinking and drinking problems, which ground more substantively the domains of work stress and alcohol consumption.

Alcohol Drinking↗