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Aims To measure and describe drink alcohol content differences between Hispanic, non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black men and women in the United States. Design A telephone survey re-interview of 397 respondents who participated originally in the 2005 National Alcohol Survey, of whom 306 provided complete information on home drinks. Setting United States. Participants Adults aged 18 years and older from across the United States. Measurements Direct measurement by respondents of simulated drink pours in respondents' own glassware using a provided beaker and reported beverage brands were used to calculate drink alcohol content. Findings Black men were found to have the largest overall mean drink alcohol content at 0.79 oz (23 ml) of alcohol. This was significantly larger than the mean for white men or for black women and added 30% to black men's monthly alcohol intake when applied to their reported number of drinks. Spirits drinks were found to be particularly large for men. Multivariate models indicated that drink alcohol content differences are attributable more to income and family structure differences than to unmeasured cultural factors tied to race or ethnicity per se. Models predicting alcohol-related consequences and dependence indicate that adjusting drink alcohol content improves model fit and reduces differences between race/ethnicity defined groups. Conclusions Differences in drink alcohol content by gender, race/ethnicity and beverage type choice should be considered in comparisons of drinking patterns and alcohol-related outcomes. Observed differences can be explained partially by measured characteristics regarding family structure and income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To assess the prospective association between alcohol consumption and self-rated health: in particular whether there is a relationship between stable alcohol intake and health; whether health is affected by changes in alcohol consumption; whether having a chronic condition alters the relationships between stable and changing alcohol intake and health; and whether the health of longer-term abstainers is different from more recent and intermittent abstainers. Design Longitudinal analysis of a prospective, population-based study. Setting Australia. Participants A total of 13 585 randomly selected 45–50-year-old women surveyed in 1996, of whom 9396 (69%) were resurveyed in 1998, 2001 and 2004. Measurements Estimates for the General Health subscale of the SF-36 for different levels of alcohol intake adjusted for having a chronic condition, depression, smoking and other factors. Findings Longitudinal models of consistent alcohol intake showed mean scores for general health of moderate drinkers were significantly better than that of non-drinkers [mean difference = 4.3, standard error (SE) = 0.61], occasional drinkers (mean difference = 3.1, SE = 0.52) and heavy drinkers (mean difference = 2.1, SE = 1.00). Among moderate drinkers, a decrease or variation in alcohol consumption was associated with a significant decline of three to four points in general health. Similar results were obtained when women with an existing chronic condition were excluded from these models. The health of recent abstainers and intermittent drinkers was the same as longer-term abstainers. Conclusions Consistent moderate drinkers had the best health even after adjustment for having a chronic condition, depression and life-style factors. Poorer health was associated with decreased alcohol intake among occasional and moderate drinkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents an update on issues related to addictive behaviors as of October 1993. Workshop in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada which discussed the priorities for funding of alcohol and other drug research; President elected to the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board; Study of prisoners' knowledge, attitudes and behavior in relation to HIV and AIDS.

In this article, the author comments on J. Grabowski's paper which argues that the organization of U.S. drug and alcohol research in separate National Institutes of Health (NIH) institutes is outdated. He says that considerations of cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness would benefit joint organization. He agrees that the barriers between drug and alcohol research belong to the past; however, he says that it would likely be wise to prioritize agreements of predominant goals.