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PubMed2000

A confirmatory analysis of the hierarchical structure of positive and negative dose-related alcohol expectancies in alcoholics and the associations with family history of alcoholism.

OBJECTIVE: The usefulness of measuring four types of alcohol-outcome expectancies in alcoholics was investigated. METHOD: The investigation was conducted in three steps. First, a measurement model previously fitted in a general population sample was fitted in the present sample of alcoholics, using confirmative factor analysis. In the hierarchical model tested, four types of expectancies are represented as four second-order factors: positive and negative expectancies for a low and for a high dose of alcohol. The model was compared with competing models. Second, a common measurement model was tested for subgroups of alcoholics categorized by gender and family history of alcoholism. Third, using path analysis, the associations were investigated for the four types of expectancies with variables of potential relevance for treatment. A sample of 451 male and female clinically referred alcoholics volunteered to complete a series of questionnaires, including the expectancy questionnaire. RESULTS: Following minor modifications, the measurement model was found to fit adequately in the present sample of alcoholics and across the subsamples. Family history of alcoholism was positively associated with positive expectancies, especially for a high dose of alcohol. This association was mediated by cluster-B personality disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Even though the expectancy questionnaire used here should be refined in several respects, the results demonstrate the usefulness of measuring four types of expectancies in alcoholics.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Alcohol availability, alcohol consumption and alcohol-related damage. I. The distribution of consumption model.

One of the major approaches to alcoholism prevention is referred to as the distribution of consumption model. This prevention model can be summarized as a causal model whereby the availability of alcoholic beverages has a direct causal effect on the aggregate level of alcohol consumption in the population and, in turn, an indirect effect on the incidence and prevalence of alcohol-related damage. This article summarizes an application of a statistical technique known as the analysis of linear structural relations (LISREL) to a set of Ontario data concerning alcohol availability, alcohol consumption and alcohol-related damage. Results substantiated the existence of specific causal paths consistent with the model. Several procedures for assessing the overall goodness-of-fit of the model suggested that it adequately fit the data. The results provide reasonable statistical evidence that government policies restricting the retail availability of alcoholic beverages will reduce the per capita rates of alcohol consumption and, in turn, reduce the level of alcohol-related mortality and morbidity in the general population.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Delay discounting of money and alcohol in actively using alcoholics, currently abstinent alcoholics, and controls.

RATIONALE: Impulsivity is implicated in alcohol dependence, and discounting of delayed rewards may be an objective indicator of impulsiveness. OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated delay discounting functions in alcoholics and controls. It compared discounting rates between different magnitudes ($1000 and $100) and different types (money and alcohol) of rewards. METHODS: Active alcoholics (n = 19), currently abstinent alcoholics (n = 12) and controls (n = 15) indicated preferences for immediate versus delayed rewards using a titration procedure that determined indifference points at various delays. Four conditions were presented, and the delayed rewards in the four conditions were $1000, $100, 150 bottles of an alcoholic beverage, and 15 bottles of an alcoholic beverage. RESULTS: In all three groups across all four conditions, hyperbolic discounting functions provided a good fit of the data. Linear contrasts, predicting the most rapid discounting rates in active alcoholics, intermediary rates in currently abstinent alcoholics, and the least rapid rates in controls, were significant for three of the four conditions. Alcohol was discounted more rapidly than money. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide further evidence of more rapid discounting of delayed rewards in alcohol abusers compared to controls, and especially steep discounting among current users. Rapid discounting of delayed rewards may be a feature related to addictive disorders. A better understanding of how delaying rewards in time impacts their value may have implications for treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

The relationship of the retail availability of alcohol and alcohol sales to alcohol-related traffic crashes.

The research literature on the relationship of alcohol consumption to motor vehicle crash risk clearly implicates the importance of minimizing the use of alcohol in conjunction with the operation of motor vehicles. However, there has been relatively little documentation of the direct impact of changes in beverage-specific alcohol sales on the most common surrogate for alcohol-involved traffic crashes, single-vehicle nighttime fatalities. Similarly, there have been few studies of the relationship between the physical availability of alcohol and fatal crash rates which have concurrently controlled for differences in alcohol sales. Indeed, the possibility that reduced availability might lead to increases rather than decreases in fatal crashes (due to increased driving after drinking) has not been adequately tested. This paper presents a series of analyses of time-series cross-sectional data from 38 states over 12 years to evaluate the impact of changes in alcohol sales and the physical availability of alcohol upon single-vehicle nighttime fatal crashes. The results of the study showed, first, that independent of a number of economic and demographic covariates, rates of single-vehicle nighttime fatal crashes were most strongly related to sales of beer and less so to sales of spirits and wine. Second, net of beverage-specific alcohol sales, the physical availability of alcohol was not related to measurable changes in fatal crash rates. Thus, reductions in availability intended to reduce alcohol sales and problems would not appear to increase traffic-related crashes through increased driving exposure.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The effects of alcohol, expectancy, and alcohol beliefs on anxiety and self-disclosure in women: do beliefs moderate alcohol effects?

This study investigates the effects of alcohol, expectancy, and alcohol-related beliefs on self-reported anxiety and self-disclosure behavior in a social interaction situation. Seventy-two female social drinkers were assigned to eight conditions in a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial balanced-placebo design, controlling for drink content, expectancy, and beliefs. Results show that alcohol expectancy resulted in an anxiety reduction in subjects who believed that alcohol has a positive influence on social behavior, whereas expectancy had no effect in subjects with negative alcohol beliefs. Furthermore, subjects who expected alcohol were less anxious when they had positive alcohol beliefs than when they had negative beliefs, whereas beliefs made no difference in subjects who expected tonic. Our results suggest that the effect of alcohol expectancy on social anxiety in women is moderated by differences in the content of their alcohol-related beliefs. We conclude that the inconsistency in previous results about the effect of alcohol expectancy on social behavior might be explained by differences in subjects' alcohol beliefs. Finally, as neither of the three factors had any effect on self-disclosure behavior, we suggest that this behavioral measure is unrelated to self-reported anxiety.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Alcohol expectancies in early adolescents: predicting drinking behavior from alcohol expectancies and parental alcoholism.

The current study examined the role of alcohol expectancies and parental alcoholism in prospectively predicting alcohol consumption and consequences among early adolescents. We examined whether personal effects expectancies would predict "problem" alcohol use outcomes and if social effects expectancies would predict "normal" alcohol consumption. Although confirmatory factor analytic techniques showed considerable overlap between personal and social effects expectancies, we found evidence to suggest that distinctiveness between these constructs may increase at higher levels of alcohol consumption. Regression analyses supported the utility of alcohol expectancies in prospectively predicting alcohol consequences over and above pre-existing alcohol consumption, and parental alcoholism. However, there was no consistent support for the hypothesis that personal and social effects expectancies predicted different types of drinking outcomes, possibly because of the young age of the current sample.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Marital interaction in alcoholic and nonalcoholic couples: alcoholic subtype variations and wives' alcoholism status.

The authors examined problem-solving marital interactions of alcoholic and nonalcoholic couples (N = 132). Four alcoholic groups (husband alcoholic with antisocial personality disorder or not, paired with alcoholic or nonalcoholic wives) were compared with each other and with a both-spouses-nonalcoholic group. Consistent with the alcoholic subtypes hypothesis, couples with an antisocial alcoholic husband had higher levels of hostile behavior regardless of wives' alcoholism status. In contrast, rates of positive behaviors and the ratio of positive to negative behaviors were greatest among couples in which either both or neither of the spouses had alcoholic diagnoses and were lowest among alcoholic husbands with nonalcoholic wives. Discussion focuses on possible mechanisms linking antisocial alcoholism and discrepant alcoholic diagnoses to poorer marital outcomes.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Alcohol use in high school: predicting students' alcohol use and alcohol problems in four-year colleges.

This research examined the effect of students' drinking behaviors in high school on their alcohol use and alcohol problems in college. Five colleges in New York State were randomly selected for the study. The telephone interview method was employed to survey college students during the spring semester of 1998. Within each participating college, students were randomly selected through the use of complete student telephone directories provided by the college administration. A total of 813 students were interviewed. Alcohol problems were measured with items from DSM-IV. Results indicate that both frequency and quantity of alcohol use in high school significantly affect students' alcohol consumption in college. Furthermore, the impact of alcohol use in high school on alcohol problems in college tends to be composed of a moderate direct effect and a relatively strong indirect effect via its impact on current alcohol consumption in college. Prevention efforts for drinking in college may need to start in high school to reduce or delay alcohol use by high school students. Additional assessment services and more readily available treatment services may be required to address potential alcohol problems among college students. Future research should examine the effect and longevity of students' alcohol problem symptoms after they graduate from college.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Can we subtype alcoholism? A latent class analysis of data from relatives of alcoholics in a multicenter family study of alcoholism.

We attempt to identify distinctive subtypes of alcoholics using latent class analysis with data from 2551 relatives of alcoholic probands, all participants in the Collaborative Study of the Genetics of Alcoholism. Latent class analysis is a multivariate technique using cross-classified data to identify unobserved ("latent") classes that explain the relationships among observed variables. Data on 37 life-time symptoms of alcohol dependence from 1360 female and 1191 male relatives were analyzed, with a 4 class solution selected as the best fitting among the 2 through 6 class solutions that were examined. We observed the following classes: class 1, nonproblem drinkers (39.6% male, 50% female); class 2, mild alcoholics (persistent desire to stop, tolerance, and blackouts) (31.8% male, 28.7% female); class 3, moderate alcoholics (social, health, and emotional problems) (18.9% male, 14.6% female); and class 4, severely affected alcoholics (withdrawal, inability to stop drinking, craving, health, and emotional problems) (9.7% male, 6.7% female). There was little evidence for the construct of alcohol abuse; endorsement probabilities for abuse symptoms (e.g., arrest and DWIs) were very low for all classes, whereas hazardous use was common among men in class 1. In addition to those in class 3 and class 4, a majority of men in class 2 qualified for DSM-III-R alcohol dependence, suggesting a biomodal distribution of drinkers and alcoholics, with little nondependent problem drinking among men in this high-risk sample. We conclude that, in this sample, alcoholism is not differentiated by symptom profiles but rather lies on a continuum of severity, with the possible exception of withdrawal, which characterized only class 4 individuals.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Prevalence and correlates of alcohol use and DSM-IV alcohol dependence in the United States: results of the National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to present updated estimates of the prevalence of, and to examine the correlates of, alcohol use and DSM-IV alcohol dependence in a representative sample of the U.S. population. METHODS: This study was based on the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey (NLAES), a representative sample (N = 42,862) of the United States population aged 18 years and older. RESULTS: The prevalence of lifetime alcohol use was 66.0%, with 44.4% of the respondents reporting alcohol use during the past 12 months. Lifetime and 12-month prevalences of alcohol dependence were estimated at 13.3% and 4.4%, respectively. Men were significantly more likely than women to use alcohol, and alcohol use and dependence were much more common among cohorts born after Prohibition and after World War II. Members of the youngest cohorts, between the ages of 18 and 24 years at the time of the interview, were more likely to use drugs, to become dependent and to persist in dependence compared to the older cohorts. In addition, the conditional probability of dependence among users was greatest in Cohort 1 (born between 1968 and 1974) after early adolescence compared to Cohort 2 (born between 1958 and 1967), despite the finding that the probability of lifetime use was lower in Cohort 1 compared to Cohort 2. The sociodemographic correlates of first use, onset of dependence and persistence of dependence varied as a function of the stage of progression. CONCLUSIONS: Implications of these findings are discussed in terms of changes over time in drinking patterns, dependence liability and vulnerability among recent alcohol users.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Mechanisms of alcohol intoxication in a rodent model: blunted alcohol-opposing reaction in "alcohol-sensitive" rats.

In this paper we describe new data and review some studies on the mechanisms of alcohol-induced motor impairment in rats. Habituation to handling did not affect the naive behavioural differences between the alcohol sensitive and alcohol insensitive rat lines. Nor was there any effect on the differential sensitivities of the lines to the motor impairing and hypnotic effects of alcohol. Peripheral mechanisms may be involved in the differential behaviours of these lines, as the plasma corticosterone response was much weaker in the alcohol sensitive animals, suggesting a limited capacity to react to stress and alcohol. A similar blunted response to acute ethanol exposure was found in the uptake of the benzodiazepine antagonist [3H]Ro 15-1788 in vivo by the cerebellum of alcohol sensitive rats. The finding that these rat lines do not have any general differences in their brain inhibitory GABAergic receptors was extended to the spinal cord inhibitory glycinergic receptors, which showed only a modest line difference in their dissociation constant. The apparent localisation of the two main receptor differences (high-affinity [3H]muscimol binding and diazepam sensitivity of [3H]Ro 15-4513 binding) to the cerebellar granule layer suggests a genetic modification in the granule cells of alcohol-sensitive rats. In conclusion, our studies on acute intoxication by moderate alcohol doses show that several central nervous and peripheral factors may be involved in this behaviour. As many of these factors mitigate the effects of alcohol, alcohol antagonistic treatments should be aimed at activating and supporting multiple adaptive phenomena.

Adrenal Glands↗
PubMed1979

Muscle tension and experienced control: effects of alcohol intake vs biofeedback on alcoholics and non-alcoholics.

Tension reduction has often been implicated as a central cause of excessive alcohol consumption among alcoholics, based on the premise that drinking reduces tension and reinforces subsequent overconsumption. Also, cognitive and personality variables clearly mediate the effects of alcohol. Drinking may be a means of increasing the degree of control experienced over internal and external sources of tension. Integrated frontalis EMG levels for a group of 74 alcoholic patients were significantly greater than for 74 non-alcoholics. During a period of alcohol consumption, significant change scores were found between alcoholic (N = 18) and non-alcoholic (N = 18) groups for both EMG and experienced control (EC). Significant changes were found within both groups on EMG but only for the alcoholic group on EC. During a biofeedback period, there were significant differences between alcoholic (N = 12) and non-alcoholic (N = 12) groups on both baseline measures, EMG and EC. Increases in EC were significantly related to decreases in EMG in both groups.

Alcoholism↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Genetic polymorphism of human liver alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenases, and their relationship to alcohol metabolism and alcoholism.

It is now widely accepted that the various pharmacologic and addictive consequences of alcohol consumption are related to the tissue concentration of ethanol or its metabolic products. The oxidative metabolism of ethanol in liver is principally catalyzed by alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase. Both of these enzymes exist in multiple molecular forms, and genetic models have been proposed to account for the multiplicity of isoenzymes. Alcohol dehydrogenase subunits are encoded at five different gene loci, and genetic polymorphism occurs at two alcohol dehydrogenase loci. Variant isoenzymes produced at the two polymorphic alcohol dehydrogenase loci account for the differences in enzyme electrophoretic patterns observed among individuals. Some of these variant isoenzymes exhibit widely different kinetic properties, and this may account for the 2- to 3-fold variation in alcohol elimination rate among individuals. Since the protein sequence of several of the alcohol dehydrogenase subunits has been determined and several of the alcohol dehydrogenase genes has been cloned, some of the structural changes which give rise to differences in catalytic and electrophoretic properties are now known. Genetic polymorphism also occurs at the aldehyde dehydrogenase gene locus which encodes the mitochondrial low Km for acetaldehyde aldehyde dehydrogenase isoenzyme. The variant isoenzyme exhibits little or no catalytic activity. Individuals with this "null" variant have higher than normal blood acetaldehyde levels and exhibit an alcohol-flush reaction which appears to be a deterrent to heavy drinking and alcoholism.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed1987

Locus of control among alcoholics, recovering alcoholics, and non-alcoholics.

An alcoholic's relapse to drinking is thought to be related to various interpersonal and intrapersonal factors. Drinking-Related Locus of Control (DRIE) scores among alcoholics, recovering alcoholics, and non-alcoholics were compared in this investigation. Each group consisted of 22 males similar in age and other socioeconomic factors. Results indicated significant differences among the three groups. The non-alcoholic group scored more internally than the alcoholic or recovering alcoholic groups; the recovering alcoholic group scored more internally than the alcoholic group. The findings suggest that assessment of the alcoholic's DRIE scores may be useful in planning and monitoring the treatment of this disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Alcohol urges in alcohol-dependent drinkers: further validation of the Alcohol Urge Questionnaire in an untreated community clinical population.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol craving is a key element of the alcohol dependence syndrome. However, there is a lack of consensus about the precise nature of craving and the most appropriate method of measurement. Alcohol urges measured by the Alcohol Urge Questionnaire showed a unidimensional structure and evidence of validity and reliability in a US clinical population. The main aim of this study was to establish the validity of the AUQ in an untreated UK clinical population, and its relationships to drinking and personality factors. SUBJECTS: All subjects (n = 80) were alcohol-dependent (DSM-IV) and presenting for pre-treatment assessment at a community alcohol team in South-west -London. METHOD: All subjects completed the AUQ, Severity of Alcohol Dependence -Questionnaire (SADQ), Spielberger's State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and provided a breath specimen for alcohol analysis (BAL). RESULTS: Principal components analysis of AUQ revealed one factor which accounted for 69% of variance with high interitem correlations, and an alpha reliability of 0.93. AUQ was significantly correlated with SADQ, BAC, state and trait anxiety and negatively correlated with time since last drink. There were no significant correlations between AUQ and any of the EPQ subscales. SADQ was correlated with neuroticism, but not other EPQ subscales. A regression analysis showed that only SADQ, time since last drink and BAL were significant predictors of alcohol urges. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed the AUQ factor structure and provided further evidence for the validity of AUQ. The relationship between BAL and urges deserves further research. The results did not support the contention that -anxiety and personality factors predict urges when drinking-related variables, which also predict urges, are controlled for. The AUQ is a useful measure for clinical and experimental alcohol craving research.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Genotypes of alcohol-metabolizing enzymes and the risk for alcoholic chronic pancreatitis in Japanese alcoholics.

Genetic predisposition to alcoholism and alcoholic liver disease has been reported. However, genetic susceptibility to alcoholic pancreatitis is still a matter of debate. To determine it, we examined genotype patterns of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2), alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH2 and ADH3), and cytochrome P-4502E1 (CYP2E1) in alcoholic pancreatitis patients. In 296 alcoholic patients, 52 cases showed findings of chronic pancreatitis by ultrasonography and x-ray computed tomography and/or had a history of pancreatitis (P+). The remaining 244 patients had neither abnormal findings of the image examinations nor a history of pancreatitis (P-). As for the ADH2 genotype, distribution of 2(1)/2(1), 2(1)/2(2), and 2(2)/2(2) was 22, 37, and 42% in P+ patients, whereas 34, 35, and 30% in P- patients, respectively. The frequency of ADH2(2)/2(2) genotype was significantly higher in P+ patients, compared with that in P- patients. There were no significant differences in the distribution of ADH3, ALDH2, and CYP2E1 genotypes between P+ and P- patients. In 14 alcoholic patients who showed low contents of fecal chymotrypsin, which suggests dysfunction of pancreatic exocrine, the rate of ADH2(2)/2(2) genotype also tended to be higher (50%) than in 74 controls who showed normal contents of the fecal chymotrypsin (28%). No differences were observed in genotypes of ADH3, ALDH2, and CYP2E1. Moreover, the frequency of ADH2(2)/2(2) genotype was significantly higher in autopsy cases with interlobular fibrosis in the pancreas, which suggests alcoholic pancreatic damage, than in cases with only intralobular pancreatic fibrosis. These data suggest that the risk of alcoholic pancreatitis seems to be associated with the presence of ADH2(2)/2(2) genotype.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Quantitative Autoradiography on [(35)S]TBPS Binding Sites of Gamma- Aminobutyric Acid(A) Receptors in Discrete Brain Regions of High- Alcohol-Drinking and Low-Alcohol- Drinking Rats Selectively Bred forHigh- and Low-Alcohol Preference.

It has been documented that ethanol can potentiate brain gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic function, and there is a close link between the GABA(A) receptor complex and effects of ethanol, including reinforcement of alcohol which is a fundamental element of alcohol preference. However, it is unknown in what discrete brain regions GABA(A) receptors might be associated with alcohol preference. In the present study, [(35)S]t-butylbicyclophosphorothionate ([(35)S]TBPS) was used to localize GABA(A) receptors in high-alcohol-drinking (HAD) rats and low-alcohol-drinking (LAD) rats which were selectively bred for high and low alcohol preference, respectively. Initial qualitative observations indicated that [(35)S]TBPS binding sites were abundant in many brain areas including the cerebral cortex, hypothalamus and amygdala of HAD and LAD rats. Furthermore, the quantitative autoradiographic analysis revealed fewer [(35)S]TBPS binding sites of GABA(A) receptors in the amygdaloid complex, central medial thalamic nucleus, lateral hypothalamic nucleus and anterior hypothalamic nucleus of HAD rats than LAD rats. Collectively, this study has indicated that HAD rats selectively bred for high alcohol preference possess lower [(35)S]TBPS binding in the brain. Since lower TBPS binding has been proposed to reflect enhanced GABAergic function, as evidenced in rats with seizure or under alcohol withdrawal, the results from the present study suggest that HAD rats might have an enhanced GABAergic function. It is thus likely that enhanced GABAergic function in the brain might be related to high alcohol preference which is characteristic in HAD rats. In addition, the present result showing no difference of [(35)S]TBPS binding in the nucleus accumbens is also in agreement with a notion that [(35)S]TBPS binding may represent only a small spectrum of the GABA(A) receptor complex which is constituted of a sophisticated subunit combination whose functional compositions are still unknown. In conclusion, the present study supports the working hypothesis that GABA(A) receptors are involved in alcohol preference in HAD rats.

Journal Article↗