Alcohol and Alcoholism - Advance Access

Addiction and Change--How Addictions Develop and Addicted People Recover. By Carlo C. DiClemente

Ritson, B. — 2008-08-28

Pharmacological Treatment of Alcohol Hallucinosis

Soyka, M. — 2008-08-26

Reply

Aliyev, N. A. — 2008-08-23

Who drinks most of the total alcohol in young men--risky single occasion drinking as normative behaviour

Gmel, G., Gaume, J., Faouzi, M., Kulling, J.-P., Daeppen, J.-B. — 2008-08-22

Aims: The objectives of this study were to analyse (a) the distribution of risky single-occasion drinking (RSOD) among 19-year-old men in Switzerland and (b) to show the percentage of all alcohol consumption in the form of RSOD. Methods: The study was based on a census of Swiss francophone 19-year-old men consecutively reporting for processing. The study was conducted at Army Recruitment Center. The participants were 4116 recruits consecutively enrolling for mandatory army recruitment procedures between 23 January and 29 August in 2007. The measures were alcohol consumption measured in drinks of ~10 g of pure alcohol, number of drinking occasions with six or more drinks (RSOD) in the past 12 months and a retrospective 1 week drinking diary. Results: 264 recruits were never seen by the research staff, 3536 of the remaining 3852 conscripts completed a questionnaire which showed that 7.2% abstained from alcohol and 75.5% of those drinking had an RSOD day at least monthly. The typical frequency of drinking was 1–3 days per week on weekends. The average quantity on weekends was about seven drinks, 69.3% of the total weekly consumption was in the form of RSOD days, and of all the alcohol consumed, 96.2% was by drinkers who had RSOD days at least once a month. Conclusion: Among young men, RSOD constitutes the norm. Prevention consequently must address the total population and not only high-risk drinkers.

Development of a psychologically enhanced interactive online intervention for hazardous drinking

Linke, S., McCambridge, J., Khadjesari, Z., Wallace, P., Murray, E. — 2008-08-07

Aims: The content of novel interventions is often not well specified. We provide a detailed account of the rationale for and redevelopment of an Internet resource for hazardous drinkers—Down Your Drink (DYD) (www.downyourdrink.org.uk). Development Work: An iterative process blended literature reviews of Internet interventions for health conditions and brief treatments for alcohol problems, feedback from users of the original site and from users panels, and completion of a series of developmental tasks. Intervention: The detailed structure and content of the new version of the website is presented. This permits an appreciation of the intended interaction between the user and the intervention, and emphasizes both the freedom of choice available to the user to access diverse material for personal benefit and the value of a clear organizational structure. Conclusions: Presentation of detailed information on the theoretical underpinning, content and structure of an intervention makes it easier to interpret the results of any evaluation and is likely to be of use to those developing other online interventions for alcohol or other health behaviours.

Effects of acute alcohol consumption on ratings of attractiveness of facial stimuli: evidence of long-term encoding

Parker, L. L. C., Penton-Voak, I. S., Attwood, A. S., Munafo, M. R. — 2008-08-06

Aim: A strongly held popular belief is that alcohol increases the perceived attractiveness of members of the opposite sex. Despite this, there are no experimental data that investigate this possibility. We therefore explored the relationship between acute alcohol consumption and ratings of attractiveness of facial stimuli. Methods: We investigated male and female participants (n = 84), using male and female facial stimuli, in order to investigate possible sex differences, and whether any effects of alcohol are selective for opposite-sex facial stimuli. We tested participants immediately following consumption of alcohol or placebo and one day later, in order to investigate whether any effects of alcohol persist beyond acute effects. Results: Attractiveness ratings were higher in the alcohol compared to the placebo group (F[1, 80] = 4.35, P = 0.040), but there was no evidence that this differed between males and females or was selective for opposite-sex faces. We did not observe marked effects of alcohol on self-reported measures of mood, suggesting that the effects on ratings of attractiveness were not due simply to global hedonic effects or reporting biases. Conclusions: Alcohol consumption increases ratings of attractiveness of facial stimuli, and this effect is not selective for opposite-sex faces. In addition, the effects of alcohol consumption on ratings of attractiveness persist for up to 24 h after consumption, but only in male participants when rating female (i.e. opposite-sex) faces.

Last Call--Alcoholism and Recovery (1st edn). By Jack H. Hedblom

Hore, B. D. — 2008-08-06

Central Pontine and Extrapontine Myelinolysis after Alcohol Withdrawal

Yoon, B., Shim, Y.-S., Chung, S.-W. — 2008-08-04

Central pontine myelinolysis (CPM) and extrapontine myelinolysis (EPM) are well-recognized syndromes that are related to various conditions such as rapid correction of hyponatremia and chronic alcoholism. We report a very case of a patient with dysarthria, dysphagia and psychiatric symptoms including abnormal behavior starting after alcohol withdrawal, with radiological evidence of CPM and EPM. There was little improvement in the dysarthria or psychiatric symptoms in the first month.

Ethanol poisoning together with organophosphate exposure: a difficult clinical diagnosis because of physician anchoring

Li, Y., Yu, X., Wang, Z., Wang, H. — 2008-08-01

Aims: Organophosphorus pesticide poisoning occurs frequently in China and can be diagnosed easily based on the history of ingestion and the cholinergic toxic syndrome. Yet, when combined with other toxins, organophosphorus poisoning may appear different. Methods: Here, we present a case of acute ethanol poisoning together with a dermal organophosphorus exposure. Results: Based on the history and a misinterpretation of the physical examination, the patient was treated as an organophosphorus poisoning. Ultimately, serum analysis helped clarify the diagnosis. Conclusions: Toxicologist should be aware of the error known as anchoring and take appropriate precautions to limit its occurrence.

Cross-Cultural Patterns in College Student Drinking and its Consequences--A Comparison between the USA and Sweden

2008-07-01

Aims: The aim of the study was to compare alcohol use, consequences and common risk factors between American and Swedish college students. Methods: A secondary comparative analysis from one American and two Swedish studies in college settings. Results: Swedish freshmen report higher alcohol use than US freshmen students. Swedish residence hall students report higher alcohol use than US residence hall students, but lower than American fraternity/sorority members. US students were less likely to be drinkers. Controlling for age, country moderated the relationship between family history and harmful drinking scores for women (stronger in the USA), and between expectancies and harmful drinking scores for men (stronger in Sweden), though in both cases this represented a small effect and patterns were similar overall. Conclusions: Swedish students are at higher risk for alcohol use than US students, but similar patterns between aetiological predictors and outcomes in both countries suggest that research from the USA is generalizable to Swedish students and vice versa. More research is needed to better understand unique relationships associated with age and family history.

Assessment of GABAA benzodiazepine receptor (GBzR) sensitivity in patients with alcohol dependence

Taylor, C., Nash, J., Rich, A., Lingford-Hughes, A., Nutt, D., Potokar, J. — 2008-06-27

Aim: The aim of this study was to measure GABA_A benzodiazepine receptor (GBzR) sensitivity in alcohol-dependent patients and compare with matched non-dependent drinkers. Methods: Nine abstinent alcohol-dependent male patients, age matched with nine male non-dependent social drinkers, received an intravenous infusion of midazolam. Objective (saccadic eye movement slowing) and subjective (visual analogue scales) measurements were recorded at 15-min intervals for 2 h. Results: There were no differences in objective or subjective measures. Conclusions: Our hypothesis that patients with alcohol dependence would have less slowing of their eye movements in response to this challenge, reflecting reduced GBzR sensitivity, was not confirmed. The reasons for this could mean that GBzR function returns to normal with abstinence, or that this paradigm is unable to measure the subtle subtype-specific changes in GBzR sensitivity that occur following dependent alcohol use.

Cues that Signal the Alcohol Content of a Beverage and their Effectiveness at Altering Drinking Rates in Young Social Drinkers

Higgs, S., Stafford, L. D., Attwood, A. S., Walker, S. C., Terry, P. — 2008-06-26

Aims: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of cues that signal the alcoholic strength of a beverage on drinking rate in young social drinkers. Methods: In Experiment 1, two groups of young social drinkers (n = 20 per group) consumed a lager-based drink containing either 3% or 7% alcohol-by-volume. The pattern of drinking behaviour was observed, and drinking time was recorded. Self-reported mood was measured across the session, and participants also provided ratings of the drinks’ sensory and hedonic properties. Experiment 2 replicated Experiment 1, but used a within-subjects design (n = 12). Results: In both experiments, participants took significantly longer to consume the 7% drink compared with the 3% drink, and the total inter-sip interval was longer for the 7% drink. These effects were most closely related to the participants’ changing estimates of alcohol strength across the test session, alongside concomitant changes in various aspects of self-reported mood. Sensory and hedonic evaluations of the drinks did not affect drinking behaviour in either experiment. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the consumption rate of an alcoholic beverage can be modulated by its alcohol content, and that the perceived pharmacological effect of the alcohol serves as an effective signal to alter drinking behaviour.

Effects of Clozapine on Ethanol Withdrawal Syndrome in Rats

Kayir, H., Uzbay, T. — 2008-06-25

Aims: Co-morbid substance use in schizophrenic patients is common, and an important factor affects the outcome of disease. On the other hand, drug dependence is a predictive factor for psychosis. Alcohol is one of the most frequently abused psychoactive substances and may contribute psychotic symptoms in several conditions, such as withdrawal syndrome. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of clozapine on ethanol withdrawal syndrome (EWS) in rats. Methods: Adult male Wistar rats were used in the study. Ethanol (7.2%, v/v) was given to rats by a liquid diet for 14 days. An isocaloric liquid diet without containing ethanol was also given to control rats. Clozapine (2.5, 5 and 10 mg/kg) and its vehicle (0.1% acetic acid) were injected to rats subcutaneously at the 1.5th and 5.5th hours of ethanol withdrawal. At 2nd, 4th and 6th hours of ethanol withdrawal, rats were observed for 5 min and withdrawal signs that included locomotor hyperactivity, agitation, tremor, tail stiffness, stereotyped behaviour and wet dog shakes were recorded or rated. Following the observations at 6th hour, subjects were tested for audiogenic seizures. Results: Clozapine significantly and dose-dependently inhibited the EWS-induced locomotor hyperactivity, wet dog shake, stereotyped behaviour, tremor and tail stiffness. However, it did not produce any significant effect on agitation and audiogenic seizures. Doses of clozapine used in the present study did not produce any significant change on locomotor activities of naïve rats. Conclusions: Our results suggest that clozapine had some significant beneficial effects on EWS in rats. Thus, this drug may be helpful for controlling some withdrawal signs in ethanol-dependent patients.

The Effects of Alcohol Abuse on Pulmonary Alveolar-Capillary Barrier Function in Humans

Burnham, E. L., Halkar, R., Burks, M., Moss, M. — 2008-06-21

Aims: Alcohol abuse is associated with the development of the acute respiratory distress syndrome, a disorder characterized by abnormal alveolar-capillary permeability. We hypothesized that individuals with a history of alcohol abuse would have clinical evidence of abnormal alveolar-capillary permeability even in the absence of symptoms. This could contribute to their propensity for the development of this disorder. Methods: Thirty-three subjects with a history of alcohol abuse, but no other medical problems, and 13 age- and smoking-matched controls inhaled ^99mTc–DTPA (technetium-labeled diethylenetriamine penta-acetate; an isotope used to measure lung permeability) for a 3-min period, and washout of this isotope was measured for a 90-min period. The rate at which it was cleared from the lungs was assessed and compared between subjects and controls. Results: The half-life of ^99mTc–DTPA in the lungs of subjects with alcohol abuse was significantly shorter than that observed in matched controls, even when correcting for the effects of concomitant tobacco use. When the half-life of the isotope for smoking alcohol-abusing subjects and smoking controls were compared separately, there was a trend for the alcohol-abusing subjects to have a shorter half-life of the isotope present in the lungs. This was also true when non-smokers were compared. Conclusions: These observations provide further evidence that alcohol abuse affects the normal permeability of the alveolar-capillary barrier and thereby may contribute to the development of the acute respiratory distress syndrome in individuals with alcohol abuse.