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For a minority of alcohol users, the initial sip of alcohol marks the start of a life-threatening process. This thesis studies cognitive mechanisms pertinent to alcohol addiction and its development, using a spectrum of individuals that range from healthy social drinkers, through people with hazardous use, to those suffering from alcohol addiction. Decision making can be altered in addiction, but less is known on the direct pharmacodynamic effects of alcohol intake in healthy people. Study 1 addressed decision making under the effects of moderate alcohol intoxication in healthy social drinkers using established behavioral economics tasks. The investigated processes encompassed both personal and social aspects of decision making. Within the personal domain, impulsivity and risk taking were investigated, while in the social domain, prosocial attitudes along with moral judgment were assessed. Moderate alcohol intoxication was found to impact only the social domain, leading to increased prosocial and utilitarian behaviors, but did not affect measures of impulsivity. Choosing alcohol over other natural rewards despite negative consequences is a central phenomenon of alcohol addiction. Two studies of this thesis investigated choice preference for alcohol compared to snack, using a cost manipulation paradigm, in light and heavy drinkers. Study 2 was a laboratory experiment whereas Study 3 was an imaging experiment for characterization of neural substrates. Cost was an important predictor of choice, as in both groups, alcohol choice was sensitive to cost in a parametric manner. This was mirrored in the brain by activity in value-based and salience regions, including orbitofrontal cortex and insula. In Study 2 we found that heavy drinkers showed generally higher alcohol choice preference and attenuated cost sensitivity. Failure to replicate this finding in Study 3, was possibly due to the artificial scanner environment. Craving is a key component in the cycle of addiction

Introduction: Heavy drinking (HD) prevalent pattern of alcohol consumption among adolescents, particularly concerning because of their critical vulnerability to the neurotoxic effects of ethanol. Adolescent neurodevelopment is characterized by critical neurobiological changes of the prefrontal, temporal and parietal regions, important for the development of executive control processes, such as inhibitory control (IC). In the present Magnetoencephalography (MEG) study, we aimed to describe the relationship between electrophysiological Functional Connectivity (FC) during an IC task and HD development, as well as its impact on functional neuromaturation. Methods: We performed a two-year longitudinal protocol with two stages. In the first stage, before the onset of HD, we recorded brain electrophysiological activity from a sample of 67 adolescents (mean age = 14.6 ± 0.7) during an IC task. Alcohol consumption was measured using the AUDIT test and a semi-structured interview. Two years later, in the second stage, 32 of the 67 participants (mean age 16.7 ± 0.7) completed a similar protocol. As for the analysis in the first stage, the source-space FC matrix was calculated, and then, using a cluster-based permutation test (CBPT) based on Spearman's correlation, we calculated the correlation between the FC of each cortical source and the number of standard alcohol units consumed two years later. For the analysis of longitudinal change, we followed a similar approach. We calculated the symmetrized percentage change (SPC) between FC at both stages and performed a CBPT analysis, analyzing the correlation between FC change and the level of alcohol consumed in a regular session. Results: The results revealed an association between higher beta-band FC in the prefrontal and temporal regions and higher consumption years later. Longitudinal results showed that greater future alcohol consumption was associated with an exacerbated reduction in the FC of the same areas. Discussion: Thes, Ministerio de Sanidad., Depto. de Biología Celular, Depto. de Psicología Experimental, Procesos Cognitivos y Logopedia, Depto. de Psicobiología y Metodología en Ciencias del Comportamiento, Depto. de Radiología, Rehabilitación y Fisioterapia, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, Fac. de Psicología, Fac. de Medicina, TRUE, pub

Recently, it is becoming clear that alcohol use in even small amounts is detrimental to cancer incidence, while a number of studies have reported moderate drinking has preventive effects on all-cause or cardiovascular mortality. In Japan, drinking prevalence is strongly linked to educational background, but there are no discussions about how differently educational background works in their gender and age. Therefore, we examined educational inequality and the prevalence of heavy drinking among Japanese adults, aged 25-74 years. Data were drawn from the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions in 2013 (391,012 persons), 2016 (355,819 persons), and 2019 (333,515 persons). Heavy drinking prevalence were analyzed by using multiple health disparity indicators, including absolute indicators (rate difference and between-group variance) and relative indicators (rate ratio and mean log deviation). As a result, among men aged 35-44 years, junior high school graduates demonstrated the highest prevalence of heavy drinking at 30.6%. Conversely, the prevalence was only 10.2% among men, aged 35-44 years, with graduate school level education. These girures were lower in the older age groups. Moreover a similar educational trend was observed among heavy-drinking women. Moreover, in men, the prevalence of heavy drinking was significantly higher in the working groups than in the non-working groups, across all education levels. A similar trend among women was also found, except for two educational levels. Furthermore, compared with the older age groups, such as 55-74 years, the younger age groups, such as 25-44 years, had higher estimates of multiple health disparity indicators for educational inequality in heavy-drinking adults of both sexes. We concluded that educational inequalities were apparent among heavy-drinking adults in Japan. Furthermore, the disparity was larger in the young population than in the older generations.

Background: Abuse of non-opioid analgesics (NOA) is associated with serious health consequences. However, due to inconsistent definitions of NOA abuse, prevalence estimates for the German population are unclear. Objectives: This study aimed to estimate the 12-month prevalence of NOA abuse among self-medicated users of these drugs in the general German population and to identify risk factors. Methods: Data are from the 2015 Epidemiological Survey of Substance Abuse, a nationally representative sample with 9,204 individuals aged 18–64 years. Classification of NOA abuse was based on self-reported information according to the definition of the ICD-10-GM diagnosis F55.2 abuse of non-dependence producing substances. Multiple logistic regression was performed to examine associations between NOA abuse and sociodemographic, behavioral, and health-related variables. Results: The weighted 12-month prevalence of NOA abuse was 14.6% (95%-CI [13.2- 16.0]) among self-medicated users of these drugs. Extrapolation of the proportion of individuals abusing NOA to the German population aged 18 to 64 is 3,243,396 individuals or 6.4% (95%-CI [5.7- 7.1]). Inexplicable physical pain, being underweight, depression, hazardous alcohol use, daily smoking, illegal drug use, and frequent use of NOA (one or more times per week and daily use) were associated with an increased probability of NOA abuse. The use of cannabis was associated with a lower probability of NOA abuse. Conclusion: Abuse of NOA is highly prevalent in the German population. Against the background of increasing self-medication of NOA, healthcare providers need to be aware of potential risk factors of abuse to better identify and prevent this problem.

AimsThe current study examined the association between pain catastrophizing and alcohol cue-elicited brain activation in individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD).MethodsNon-treatment seeking heavy drinkers with AUD (n = 45; 28 males) completed self-report measures of pain catastrophizing and alcohol use/problems as part of a clinical trial of the neuroimmune modulator ibudilast. Participants were randomized to either placebo (n = 25) or ibudilast (n = 20) and completed an functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan to assess neural activation to alcohol cues 1 week into the medication trial. Multiple linear regression examined whether pain catastrophizing predicted cue-induced activation in a priori regions of interest, namely the dorsal and ventral striatum (VS). An exploratory whole-brain analysis was conducted to assess the relationship between pain catastrophizing and neural alcohol cue reactivity.ResultsPain catastrophizing predicted greater cue-induced activation in the dorsal (b = 0.006; P = 0.03) but not VS controlling for medication. Pain catastrophizing was positively associated with neural activation to alcohol cues in regions including the bilateral thalamus, left precuneus and left frontal pole.ConclusionGreater pain catastrophizing is associated with greater cue-induced neural activation in brain regions sub-serving habits and compulsive alcohol use. These findings provide initial support for a neural mechanism by which pain catastrophizing may drive alcohol craving among individuals with AUD.

Background and Aims: Alcohol consumption changes markedly over the life course, with important implications for health and social development. Assessment of these patterns often relies on cross-sectional data, which cannot fully capture how individuals' drinking changes as they age. This study used data from 18 waves of a general population panel survey to measure drinking trajectories over the life course in Australia. Design and Setting: Longitudinal survey data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey between 2001 and 2018. Participants: A total of 20 593 individuals ages 15 or above in two samples assessing quantity-frequency (n = 20 569, 52.0% female) and risky single occasion drinking (RSOD), respectively, (n = 17 340, 52.5% female), interviewed as part of HILDA. Measurements: Usual quantity of alcohol consumed per drinking occasion; frequency of drinking occasions per week; average daily consumption, calculated by combining reported usual quantity and frequency; and average reported frequency of RSOD per week. Findings: Multilevel, mixed effects models run with fractional polynomial terms found similar male and female alcohol consumption trajectories for quantity-frequency and RSOD measures. Usual quantity of alcohol consumed per drinking occasion (5.4 drinks for men, 3.8 for women) and RSOD frequency (0.56 occasions/week for men, 0.38 for women) peaked in young adulthood, whereas frequency of drinking occasions (2.5 occasions/week for men, 1.7 for women) peaked in middle age. Middle-age drinkers had the highest average daily consumption of alcohol (1.4 drinks/day for 54-year-old men, 0.6 drinks for 57-year-old women) and engaged in RSOD slightly less than young adults. Conclusions: Alcohol consumption in Australia appears to vary substantially over the life course, with usual quantity per drinking occasion and frequency of risky single occasion drinking peaking during early adulthood and average daily consumption and frequen

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association between alcohol consumption and the prevalence of stroke in Chinese adults aged 40 years and over. Method: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis among 113,573 Chinese adults aged >= 40 years in the China National Stroke Prevention Project (2014-2015) to examine correlations of alcohol consumption with the prevalence of stroke. Logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), controlling for various confounders, e.g., gender, age, smoking, physical activity and other health conditions. Results: Within the study population, a total of 12,753 stroke survivors were identified. The prevalence of light to moderate and of heavy alcohol consumption was 10.1% and 5.7% respectively. The multivariate logistic regression results show that light to moderate alcohol consumption was associated with reduced risk of stroke of all types [0.91 (95%CI: 0.85-0.97)] and of ischemic stroke [0.90 (0.84-0.97)]. No association was found between alcohol consumption and hemorrhagic stroke. Compared with abstainers, the adjusted ORs of all stroke were 0.83 (0.75-0.92) for those who drank 11-20 years, and no association was found between 1 and 10 years or over 20 years of drinking and risk of stroke. Conclusions: These results indicate that light to moderate alcohol consumption may be protective against all and ischemic stroke, and heavy drinking was not significantly associated with risk of all stroke in China. No association between alcohol consumption and hemorrhagic stroke was found.

BackgroundDirect biomarkers such as phosphatidylethanol (PEth) have the capability to detect heavy alcohol use, but it is unclear how strongly self-reported reduction in alcohol use correlates with reduction in PEth. We sought to explore the strength of correlation between reductions in self-reported alcohol use and change in PEth among a sample of women living with HIV (WLWH) who participated in a clinical trial to reduce heavy alcohol use. We also sought to determine whether this correlation was stronger in women with lower body mass index (BMI) and women without an alcohol use disorder (AUD).Methods81 WLWH (mean age = 48.7, 80% Black) engaging in a randomized trial of naltrexone versus placebo with a positive baseline PEth (≥8 ng/ml), and alcohol use data at baseline, 2, and 7 months were included in this analysis. Spearman correlation coefficients were compared to measure the correlation between baseline PEth and number of drinks per week by demographic, biological, and alcohol use factors. Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview was used to screen for AUD. Further analyses were stratified by BMI and AUD. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated for the change in PEth and the change in number of drinks per week over 7 months, including 3 time-points: baseline, 2, and 7 months.ResultsAt baseline, the correlation between baseline PEth and the number of drinks per week was significantly stronger for those with a BMI ≤25 compared to those with a BMI > 25 (r = 0.66; r = 0.26, respectively). Similarly, the correlation between baseline PEth and number of drinks was stronger for those who did not screen positive for AUD compared with those who did (r = 0.66; r = 0.25, respectively). When stratifying by BMI, a low-to-moderate correlation (r = 0.32, p = 0.02) was present for persons with a BMI > 25; when stratifying by AUD, a moderate correlat

ObjectivePharmacological treatments that can concomitantly address cigarette smoking and heavy drinking stand to improve health care delivery for these highly prevalent co-occurring conditions. This superiority trial compared the combination of varenicline and naltrexone against varenicline alone for smoking cessation and drinking reduction among heavy-drinking smokers.MethodsThis was a phase 2 randomized double-blind clinical trial. Participants (N=165) who were daily smokers and drank heavily received either 2 mg/day of varenicline plus 50 mg/day of naltrexone or 2 mg/day of varenicline plus matched placebo pills for 12 weeks. Primary outcomes were 7-day point prevalence of nicotine abstinence (bioverified by a breath CO reading ≤5 ppm) at the 26-week follow-up and number of drinks per drinking day during the 12-week treatment phase.ResultsSmoking abstinence at week 26 was significantly higher in the varenicline plus placebo condition than in the varenicline plus naltrexone condition (N=37 [45.1%] compared with N=22 [26.5%]). For drinks per drinking day, there was a medication effect favoring the combination of varenicline and naltrexone over varenicline alone across the 12-week treatment phase, although it did not meet the significance threshold.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that smoking cessation and drinking reduction can be concomitantly targeted with pharmacotherapy and that while varenicline alone may be sufficient as a smoking cessation aid in heavy-drinking smokers, the combination of varenicline and naltrexone may confer benefits with regard to drinking outcomes, particularly during the 12-week period of active medication treatment.

Background & Aims: In experimental models, alcohol induces acute changes in lipid metabolism that cause hepatocyte lipoapoptosis and inflammation. Here we study human hepatic lipid turnover during controlled alcohol intoxication. Methods: We studied 39 participants with 3 distinct hepatic phenotypes: alcohol-related liver disease (ALD), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and healthy controls. Alcohol was administrated via nasogastric tube over 30 min. Hepatic and systemic venous blood was sampled simultaneously at 3 time points: baseline, 60, and 180 min after alcohol intervention. Liver biopsies were sampled 240 min after alcohol intervention. We used ultra-high performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry to measure levels of more than 250 lipid species from the blood and liver samples. Results: After alcohol intervention, the levels of blood free fatty acid (FFA) and lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) decreased, while triglyceride (TG) increased. FFA was the only lipid class to decrease in NAFLD after alcohol intervention, whereas LPC and FFA decreased and TG increased after intervention in ALD and healthy controls. Fatty acid chain uptake preference in FFAs and LPCs were oleic acid, linoleic acid, arachidonic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid. Hepatic venous blood FFA and LPC levels were lower when compared with systemic venous blood levels throughout the intervention. After alcohol intoxication, liver lipidome in ALD was similar to that in NAFLD. Conclusions: Alcohol intoxication induces rapid changes in circulating lipids including hepatic turnaround from FFA and LPC, potentially leading to lipoapoptosis and steatohepatitis. TG clearance was suppressed in NAFLD, possibly explaining why alcohol and NAFLD are synergistic risk factors for disease progression. These effects may be central to the pathogenesis of ALD. Clinical Trials Registration: The study is registered at Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03018990). Lay summary: We report that alcohol induces h

Background: South Africa temporarily banned alcohol and tobacco sales for about 20 weeks during the COVID-19 lockdown. We described changes in alcohol and tobacco consumption after implementation of these restrictions among a small number of participants in a tuberculosis treatment cohort. Method: The timeline follow-back procedure and Fägerstrom test for nicotine dependence was used to collect monthly alcohol and tobacco use information. We report changes in heavy drinking days (HDD), average amount of absolute alcohol (AA) consumed per drinking day, and cigarettes smoked daily during the alcohol and tobacco ban compared to use prior to the ban. Results: Of the 61 participants for whom we have pre-ban and within-ban alcohol use information, 17 (27.9%) reported within-ban alcohol use. On average, participants reported one less HDD per fortnight (interquartile range (IQR): −4, 1), but their amount of AA consumed increased by 37.4 g per drinking occasion (IQR: −65.9 g, 71.0 g). Of 53 participants who reported pre-ban tobacco use, 17 (32.1%) stopped smoking during the ban. The number of participants smoking >10 cigarettes per day decreased from 8 to 1. Conclusions: From these observations, we hypothesize that policies restricting alcohol and tobacco availability seem to enable some individuals to reduce their consumption. However, these appear to have little effect on the volume of AA consumed among individuals with more harmful patterns of drinking in the absence of additional behavior change interventions.

Adolescence is a critical time period for human development. It is associated with major interrelated changes to the brain and sleep regulatory systems. These changes continue into young adulthood, and often coincide with the onset and acceleration of alcohol use. This is concerning as research suggests alcohol consumption may harm the developing brain and sleep systems. Indeed, sleep is an essential neurophysiological process that is necessary for optimal health, functioning, and development. Disturbances to sleep are associated with adverse physiological and psychological consequences. Alcohol is well-known for its sleep disturbing properties. Research has reliably shown that pre-sleep alcohol ingestion in light-drinking late adolescents leads to characteristic objective sleep disruption. These effects are bi-phasic, manifesting as sedation in the first half of the sleep period, followed by major sleep disruption in the second half. However, there is growing evidence that young people may be less sensitive to the initial sedative effects of alcohol. Critically, the effects of acute alcohol consumption on sleep have not yet been investigated in young people who habitually engage in heavy alcohol use. It is well-established that chronic heavy alcohol use leads to enduring sleep disturbances, such as degradations in slow wave sleep (SWS), that persist into periods of long-term abstinence. This has been investigated exclusively in adults with long-term alcohol use disorders. It is currently unknown whether heavy-drinking young people also suffer disturbances to normal sleep. Due to their ongoing development, it is possible that young people experience unique alcohol-related sleep disturbances. These disturbances could negatively impact physical and mental health. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of acute and habitual alcohol use on sleep quality, architecture, and electroencephalography (EEG) spectral power, in male and female late adolescents, aged

Acute alcohol intoxication and alcohol use disorders are characterized by a wide range of psychological and cerebral impairments, which have been widely explored using neuropsychological and neuroscientific techniques. Eye tracking has recently emerged as an innovative tool to renew this exploration, as eye movements offer complementary information on the processes underlying perceptive, attentional, memory or executive abilities. Building on this, the present systematic and critical literature review provides a comprehensive overview of eye tracking studies exploring cognitive and affective processes among alcohol drinkers. Using PRISMA guidelines, 36 papers that measured eye movements among alcohol drinkers were extracted from three databases (PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus). They were assessed for methodological quality using a standardized procedure, and categorized based on the main cognitive function measured, namely perceptive abilities, attentional bias, executive function, emotion and prevention/intervention. Eye tracking indexes showed that alcohol-related disorders are related to: (1) a stable pattern of basic eye movement impairments, particularly during alcohol intoxication; (2) a robust attentional bias, indexed by increased dwell times for alcohol-related stimuli; (3) a reduced inhibitory control on saccadic movements; (4) an increased pupillary reactivity to visual stimuli, regardless of their emotional content; (5) a limited visual attention to prevention messages. Perspectives for future research are proposed, notably encouraging the exploration of eye movements in severe alcohol use disorders and the establishment of methodological gold standards for eye tracking measures in this field.

There is a positive association between parental alcohol use and the alcohol use of their offspring. It is less clear whether this relation exists at different developmental periods. The purpose of the current study was to examine the associations between parental alcohol use at two developmental periods (prenatal and adolescence) and the alcohol misuse of their offspring at two developmental periods (adolescence and young adulthood). Data from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 (NFBC1986; n = 6963; 51% of offspring were girls) were used. The NFBC1986 is a population-based study of individuals born during a 1-year period in Finland. Multi-informant (parent, teacher, and youth) and multi-method (surveys and population registers) data were collected at four developmental periods (prenatal, childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood). The findings indicated that parents’ alcohol use was stable from the prenatal period to adolescence. Mothers’ and fathers’ (based on mothers’ perceptions) alcohol use during the prenatal period and adolescence were directly related to adolescents’ heavy drinking. Prenatal alcohol use by mothers and fathers were related to young adults’ alcohol use disorder indirectly (but not directly) through mothers’ and fathers’ alcohol use during adolescence and then through adolescents’ heavy drinking. The results suggest that early and ongoing screening for alcohol use by mothers and fathers could help identify individuals at risk for heavy drinking and alcohol-related problems during adolescence and young adulthood.

Alcohol hangover is a combination of mental, sympathetic, and physical symptoms experienced the day after a single period of heavy drinking, starting when blood alcohol concentration approaches zero. How individual measures/domains of hangover symptomology might differ with moderate to heavy alcohol consumption and how these symptoms correlate with the drinking markers is unclear. We investigated the amount/patterns of drinking and hangover symptomology by the categories of alcohol drinking. We studied males and females in three groups: 12 heavy drinkers (HD; >15 drinks/week, 34-63 years old (y.o.)); 17 moderate drinkers (MD; 5-14 drinks/week, 21-30 y.o.); and 12 healthy controls (social/light drinkers, SD; <5 drinks/week, 25-54 y.o.). Demographics, drinking measures (Timeline followback past 90 days (TLFB90), Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)), and alcohol hangover scale (AHS) were analyzed. Average drinks/day was 5.1-times greater in HD compared to MD. Average AHS score showed moderate incapacity, and individual measures and domains of the AHS were significantly elevated in HD compared to MD. Symptoms of three domains of the AHS (mental, gastrointestinal, and sympathetic) showed domain-specific significant increase in HD. A domain-specific relation was present between AUDIT and specific measures of AHS scores in HD, specifically with the dependence symptoms. Exacerbation in hangover symptomology could be a marker of more severe alcohol use disorder.

BACKGROUND:Low level of responses (low LRs) to alcohol established using the Self-Report of the Effects of Alcohol (SRE) questionnaire are genetically influenced phenotypes related to heavy drinking and alcohol problems. To date, most studies using SREs focused on scores for the number of drinks needed for effects across the first 5 times of drinking (SRE-5), and few evaluated scores that also included the prior 3 months and heaviest drinking periods (SRE-T). This paper evaluates characteristics of SRE-5 and SRE-T within and across generations. METHODS:Data were extracted from 407 participants across 2 generations of 107 families in the San Diego Prospective Study (SDPS). Pearson's product-moment correlations for SRE-5 and SRE-T were determined across first-degree relatives both within and across generations and sexes, as well as correlations of each measure to maximum drinking quantities and alcohol problems. RESULTS:Responding to 4 hypotheses, first the analyses demonstrated significant within-generation positive correlations for both SRE measures across brother-brother and sister-sister pairs as well as cross-generation correlations for fathers and sons, although correlations for mothers and daughters were not robust. Second, both SRE-5 and SRE-T correlated with maximum drinks and alcohol problems for both sexes and both generations. Third, within parental and offspring generations SRE-T correlated more robustly than SRE-5 to maximum drinks and alcohol problems. Fourth, across generations SRE values for sons were more closely related to drinking quantities and problems than for their fathers, but the mother-daughter SRE relationships to adverse alcohol characteristics were not different. CONCLUSIONS:Both the SRE-5 and SRE-T offered useful information about propensities toward heavier drinking and alcohol problems in SDPS families. Correlations with adverse alcohol outcomes were greater for the more broad-based SRE-T, but both scores appeared to be genetically inf

There are personality factors that are related to the practice of binge drinking (BD) among Spanish university students, a pattern of consumption associated with serious biopsychosocial implications. The aim is to explore the relationship of the personality traits and facets according to the level of severity of BD. The participants were 601 students from the Miguel Hernández University of Elche between 18 and 20 years old (64.1% women) completed a self-registration of the consumption pattern and the Spanish adaptation of the NEO-PI-R. BD groups have been differentiated by different intensity and frequency levels, both in males and females. The results show the existence of certain relationships between some facets of personality and the different types of BD consumers. Specifically, in men who perform BD more regularly, it is recommended to specifically attend facets of the Openness and Agreeableness dimensions. As for the most extreme BD women, the dimension of Neuroticism is the one that stands out, specifically the Impulsivity. Finally, it would be important to work on aspects related to the Excitement Seeking among men who consume larger amounts., Existen factores de personalidad que se encuentran relacionados con la práctica del binge drinking (BD) entre la población universitaria española, patrón de consumo asociado a graves implicaciones biopsicosociales. En este estudio se pretende explorar la relación que existe entre las dimensiones y facetas de la personalidad en función del nivel de gravedad del BD. Los participantes fueron 601 estudiantes de la Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche comprendidos entre 18 y 20 años (64.1% mujeres) cumplimentaron un autorregistro del patrón de consumo y la adaptación española del NEO-PI-R. Los grupos de hombres y mujeres BD se clasificaron según la intensidad y frecuencia del consumo. Los resultados muestran la existencia de ciertas relaciones entre algunas facetas de personalidad y los diferentes tipos de consumidores BD. Concretamente, en los varones que realizan BD con mayor regularidad se recomienda atender concretamente a las facetas de las dimensiones de Apertura y Amabilidad. En cuanto a las mujeres BD más extremas, la dimensión de Neuroticismo es la que más destaca, concretamente la Impulsividad. Por último, sería importante trabajar aspectos relacionados con la faceta de Búsqueda de Sensaciones en los varones que consumen mayores cantidades.

Introduction: Although most drinkers have experienced a hangover the day following heavy alcohol consumption, a minority claims to be hangover resistant despite consuming the same large quantities of alcohol as those reporting alcohol hangover. The aim of the current study was to examine if susceptibility to experiencing hangovers is related to a drinker's interpretation of wellbeing and psychological assets to bounce back.Methods: A survey was conducted among 2295 Dutch students assessing their past month alcohol consumption patterns, and measuring mental resilience and wellbeing. Estimated peak blood alcohol concentration (e-pBAC) for their heaviest drinking occasion in the past month was computed for each participant. Data from participants who reported a past month hangover, i.e. hangover sensitive drinkers, were compared with hangover resistant drinkers. The analyses were conducted for (a) all participants reaching an e-pBAC ≥ 0.11% (N = 986, of which 24.6% claimed to be hangover resistant) and (b) participants reaching an e-pBAC ≥ 0.18% (N = 480, of which 16.7% claimed to be hangover resistant).Results: For both e-pBAC cut-off values, no significant differences between hangover sensitive and hangover resistant drinkers were found for mental resilience and wellbeing.Conclusion: The current findings suggest that having a hangover is not simply an expression of poor psychological coping with the next-day consequences of heavy alcohol consumption.

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a major health problem, yet most individuals with AUD do not perceive a need for formal treatment and do not receive treatment. The lack of treatment seeking among individuals with AUD may suggest a lack of self-awareness and insight into the seriousness of AUD related problems. Moreover, individuals who have lost or are at risk of losing major relationships are especially likely to perceive the need for help. Thus, it may be the case that awareness of the influence of one’s drinking on social relationships and the feelings of others (i.e., empathy) could improve treatment seeking among individuals with AUD. Given recent research, it is hypothesized that empathic processing (EP) is impaired among individuals with AUD and this impairment may explain continued heavy drinking despite disruptions in social relationships. Further, scant research to date examines alcohol-related neural atrophy in EP-related networks, which may explain deficits in EP among individuals with AUD. The current study examined the association between structural correlates of self-reported EP and heavy drinking among non-treatment seeking heavy drinkers with AUD (N = 136). Results showed scores on the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) Perspective Taking (PT) scale were inversely associated with temporoparietal and frontotemporal gray matter volume. An interaction between IRI PT and sex was associated with alcohol craving, such that higher PT scores were associated with less craving for men, only. IRI Empathic Concern (EC) was related to fewer percent heavy drinking days for men and women. This replicated previous research finding sex differences on EP within an AUD sample (Robinson et al., 2018). The results may inform future research and suggest that sampling with regard to sex must be controlled and other brain-based phenotypes, particularly those that independently examine the functional correlates of effortful and more- automatic EP, should be investigated.

Adolescence and early adulthood are periods of particular vulnerability to the neurotoxic effects of alcohol. Young people with alcohol-use disorders display deficits in working memory (WM). This function is supported by the prefrontal cortex, a late-maturing brain region. However, little is known about the progression of cognitive dysfunctions associated with a binge-drinking (BD) pattern of alcohol consumption among non-clinical adolescents. The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between BD trajectory and WM in university students. An initial sample of 155 male and female first-year university students was followed prospectively over 6 years. The participants were classified as stable non-BDs, stable BDs, and ex-BDs, according to the third item of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). WM was assessed using the Self-Ordered Pointing Task. Generalized linear mixed models were applied. The results showed that stable BDs committed more total perseverative errors and showed a lower WM span in the difficult blocks than stable non-BDs. Difficulties in WM span showed some improvement, whereas perseveration errors remained constant throughout the follow-ups in the stable BDs. There were no significant differences between ex-BDs and non-BDs. In conclusion, stable BD is associated with WM deficits, particularly perseverations and low WM span in demanding trials, when compensatory mechanisms may no longer be successful. The partial improvement in WM span may support the notion of a neuromaturational delay, whereas the temporal stability of perseveration deficits may reflect either neurotoxic effects of alcohol or premorbid characteristics. Abandoning the BD pattern of alcohol consumption may lead to partial recovery

Up to now, there is no adequate definition of the alcohol hangover. The purpose of the current study was to develop a useful definition, and consensus among those who will use it in scientific publications. A survey was conducted among N=1099 social drinkers who recently had a hangover. They were asked to provide their definition of the alcohol hangover. Text mining and content analysis revealed 3 potential definitions. These were submitted to members of the Alcohol Hangover Research Group, who were asked to give their expert opinion on the proposed definitions. Taking into account their comments and suggestions, the following definition for the alcohol hangover was formulated: “The alcohol hangover refers to the combination of mental and physical symptoms, experienced the day after a single episode of heavy drinking, starting when blood alcohol concentration approaches zero.”

Introduction and Aims This study adds to the meagre body of longitudinal research on the link between emotional distress and alcohol use among young people. We address the following research questions: Are symptoms of anxiety and depressed mood likely to be causally related to heavy episodic drinking (HED)? Does the association change as individuals move from adolescence to early adulthood? Design and Methods Data stemmed from a national sample of young people in Norway that was assessed in 1992 (T1; mean age = 14.9 years), 1994 (T2), 1999 (T3) and 2005 (T4) (response rate: 60%, n = 2171). We applied fixed-effects modelling, implying that intra-individual changes in the frequency of HED were regressed on intra-individual changes in emotional distress. Hence, confounding due to stable underlying influences was eliminated. Self-perceived loneliness was included as a time-varying covariate. Results Emotional distress was unrelated to HED in adolescence (T1 to T2). In the transition from adolescence to early adulthood (T2 to T3), changes in depressiveness were positively and independently associated with changes in HED, whereas changes symptoms of anxiety were not. A similar pattern emerged in early adulthood (T3 to T4). Discussion and Conclusions The potential causal relationship between emotional distress and heavy drinking did not manifest itself in adolescence, but increased symptoms of depressiveness were related to more frequent HED in subsequent periods of life. Hence, this study provides conditional support to the notion that emotional distress and HED may be causally related and indicates that the association among young people may be specific to depressiveness. [Pape H, Norström T. Associations between emotional distress and heavy drinking among young people: A longitudinal study. Drug Alcohol Rev 2016;35:170–6]

BACKGROUND Tobacco use and heavy alcohol consumption occur more frequently in socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. Little is known about the sociodemographic and psychosocial factors associated with use of alcohol and tobacco in disadvantaged groups in comparison to low-risk users. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to compare the characteristics of low-risk users with: disadvantaged smokers only; disadvantaged heavy drinkers only; and disadvantaged concurrent smokers and heavy drinkers. METHODS A cross-sectional survey of socioeconomically disadvantaged adult clients attending a community welfare agency assessed tobacco use, alcohol use, demographic, and psychosocial variables. Multivariable analysis using multinomial logistic regression was carried out. RESULTS The sample consisted of 835 participants; 40% (n = 331) were concurrent users, 31% were smokers only (n = 252), 11% were heavy drinkers only (n = 93), and 18% were low-risk users (n = 149). Compared with those who neither smoked nor consumed alcohol heavily, concurrent users were more likely to be younger, have only some contact with family, have more friends and family who were smokers, have no fixed home address, live alone, and have higher levels of financial stress. Most of these factors were shared by individuals who were smokers only. Factors associated with heavy drinkers only were frequent contact with family and having more friends and family who were smokers. CONCLUSION Among those Australians who suffer severe economic hardship, being a concurrent smoker and heavy drinker appears to be associated with more isolated living conditions and financial stress but some contact with family.

Background and aims: The Örebro Prevention Programme (ÖPP) was found previously to be effective in reducing drunkenness among adolescents [Cohen's d=0.35, number needed to treat (NNT)=7.7]. The current study tested the mediating role of parents' restrictive attitudes to underage drinking in explaining the effectiveness of the ÖPP, and the potential moderating role of gender, immigration status, peers' and parents' drinking and parent-adolescent relationship quality. Design: A quasi-experimental matched-control group study with assessments at baseline, and at 18- and 30-month follow-ups. Participants: Of the 895 target youths at ages 12-13years, 811 youths and 651 parents at baseline, 653 youths and 524 parents at 18-month and 705 youths and 506 parents at 30-month follow-up participated in the study. Measurements: Youths reported on their past month drunkenness, their parents' and peers' alcohol use and the quality of their relationship with parents. Parents reported on their attitudes to underage drinking. Findings: The mediation analyses, using latent growth curve modeling, showed that changes in parents' restrictive attitudes to underage drinking explained the impact of the ÖPP on changes in youth drunkenness, which was reduced, and onset of monthly drunkenness, which was delayed, relative to controls. Mediation effect explained 57 and 45% of the effects on drunkenness and onset of monthly drunkenness, respectively. The programme effects on both parents' attitudes and youth drunkenness were similar across gender, immigrant status, parents' and peers' alcohol use and parent-youth relationship quality. Conclusions: Increasing parents' restrictive attitudes to youth drinking appears to be an effective and robust strategy for reducing heavy underage drinking regardless of the adolescents' gender, cultural origin, peers' and parents' drinking and relationship quality with parents., References: Lopez, A.D., Mathers, C.D., Measuring the global burden of disease and epidemiological transitions: 2002-2030 (2006) Ann Trop Med Parasitol, 100, pp. 481-499; Foxcroft, D.R., Ireland, D., Lister-Sharp, D.J., Lowe, G., Breen, R., Longer-term primary prevention for alcohol misuse in young people: a systematic review (2003) Addiction, 98, pp. 397-411; Petrie, J., Bunn, F., Byrne, G., Parenting programmes for preventing tobacco, alcohol or drugs misuse in children<18: a systematic review (2007) Health Educ Res, 22, pp. 177-191; Smit, E., Verdurmen, J., Monshouwer, K., Smit, F., Family interventions and their effect on adolescent alcohol use in general populations; a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (2008) Drug Alcohol Depend, 97, pp. 195-206; Hansen, W.B., Derzon, J., Dusenbury, L., Bishop, D., Campbell, K., Alford, A., (2010) Operating Characteristics of Prevention Programs: Connections to Drug Use Etiology. Handbook of Drug Use Etiology: Theory, Methods and Empirical Findings, pp. 597-616; Spijkerman, R., van den Eijndena, R.J.J.M., Overbeekb, G., Engelsb, R.C.M.E., The impact of peer and parental norms and behavior on adolescent drinking: the role of drinker prototypes (2007) Psychol Health, 22, pp. 7-29; MacKinnon, D.P., Analysis of mediating variables in prevention and intervention research (1994) NIDA Res Monogr, 139, pp. 127-127; Özdemir, M., Giannotta, F., Improving dissemination of evidence-based programs through researcher-practitioner collaboration (2014) New Dir Youth Dev, 2014, pp. 107-116; Koutakis, N., Stattin, H., Kerr, M., Reducing youth alcohol drinking through a parent-targeted intervention: the Örebro Prevention Programme (2008) Addiction, 103, pp. 1629-1637; Özdemir, M., Stattin, H., Does the Örebro Prevention Programme Prevent Youth Drinking? (2012) Addiction, 107, pp. 1705-1706; Galambos, N.L., Barker, E.T., Almeida, D.M., Parents do matter: trajectories of change in externalizing and internalizing problems in early adoles

Alcohol use disorders (AUDs), and alcohol dependence (AD)in particular, are prevalent and associated with a large burdenof disability and mortality. The aim of this study wasto estimate prevalence of AD in the European Union (EU), Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland for the year 2010, and toinvestigate potential influencing factors. The 1-year prevalenceof AD in the EU was estimated at 3.4% among people18–64 years of age in Europe (women 1.7%, men 5.2%), resultingin close to 11 million affected people. Taking into accountall people of all ages, AD, abuse and harmful use resultedin an estimate of 23 million affected people. Prevalenceof AD varied widely between European countries, andwas significantly impacted by drinking cultures and socialnorms. Correlations with level of drinking and other drinking variables and with major known outcomes of heavy drinking,such as liver cirrhosis or injury, were moderate. Theseresults suggest a need to rethink the definition of AUDs.

The use of a standard definition of ‘binge drinking’ can potentially offer the advantage of ‘objectifying’ the concept of excessive drinking. Nevertheless, the term has become somewhat confusing, as it is often used as a synonym of drunkenness, making cross-cultural comparison difficult. The present study investigates the meaning Italian young people attribute to binge drinking, to explain the gap between self-reported rates of drunkenness and episodes of binge drinking found by comparative youth drinking surveys. About 134 face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted, targeting adolescents (aged 15–17) and young adults (aged 22–24) who had admitted to drinking excessively. In addition, an online forum was created, using a video clip as a stimulus and asking for web users' comments (132 were analysed). Results show how in the view of Italian bingers, binge drinking does not necessarily entail drunkenness, but only being tipsy. This is what they aim at when they drink, while they have negative attitudes and expectations regarding intoxication and its effects. This boundary establishes the concept of excess and marks the threshold between socially acceptable and unacceptable drinking. In conclusion, the concept of binge drinking cannot be used as a synonym of drunkenness, which young people in Italy judge severely.

Young women’s frequent heavy drinking in New Zealand has increased substantially in recent years and is one of the country’s leading health problems. Theorising drinking as an embodied experience bound up in social relationships offers valuable insights into the maintenance of this behaviour. This research utilised a theory of embodiment to better understand the physical pleasures and sensations involved in becoming drunk, and how experiences of being a physical body are intertwined with the social environment while drinking to intoxication. Five friendship discussion groups were conducted in Wellington and Dunedin with 23 women aged 19-26, and were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis revealed that the women’s accounts of their drinking were highly contradictory, and two major contradictions were identified which demonstrated how the women negotiated different performances of femininity while drinking. Firstly, there was a strong emphasis on being heterosexually attractive in the discussions, which contradicted the idea that getting drunk allowed them to forget other people’s judgements. Secondly, the importance of sharing the pleasure of drinking with friends was contradicted by descriptions of drunkenness as embodied and individual. The women also described two intricate and precarious ‘balancing acts’ they engaged in when drinking heavily. They discussed balancing between performances of acceptable feminine behaviour and risking ‘looking tragic’ when drinking to intoxication. Managing the physical effects of drinking heavily so as not to appear ‘tragic’, or have a hangover was also described as a well-learnt balancing act, which the women were expected to expertly perform following years of training. This research offers valuable and novel insights into the social and embodied aspects of drinking that maintain young women’s heavy drinking. It extends on previous research into the gendered nature of drinking practices and the embodied experi

Previous attempts to determine the psychological cost of military deployment have been limited by reliance on convenience samples, lack of predeployment data or confidentiality, and cross-sectional designs. This study addressed these limitations using a population-based, prospective study of U.S. military personnel deployed in support of the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The sample consisted of U.S. military service members in all branches, including active duty, reserve, and national guard who deployed once (n = 3,393) or multiple times (n = 4,394). Self-reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress (PTS) were obtained prior to deployment and at two follow-ups spaced 3 years apart. Data were examined for longitudinal trajectories using latent growth mixture modelling. Latent growth mixture modeling revealed 4-class solutions representing remarkably similar PTS trajectories across time for both subpopulations: low-stable PTS (83.1% single deployers, 84.9% multiple deployers), moderate-improving PTS (8.0%, 8.5%), worsening-chronic PTS (6.7%, 4.5%), high-stable continuous PTS (2.2% single deployers only), and high-improving PTS (2.2% multiple deployers only). Covariates associated with each trajectory were identified. The final models exhibited similar types of trajectories for single and multiple deployers; most notably, the stable trajectory of low post-traumatic stress pre- to postdeployment, or resilience, was exceptionally high. Several factors predicting trajectories were identified, which we hope will assist in future research aimed at decreasing the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder among deployers., Published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, v200 n4, p317-323, April 2012. Sponsored in part by the Navy Medicine Support Command, Jacksonville, FL.

These analyses of the COMBINE Study examined the effects of naltrexone among non-abstainers. Given that one of the most well-established mechanisms of action of naltrexone involves blunting of alcohol reward, it is hypothesized that naltrexone should be more effective among individuals who drank during treatment. Participants were 952 (78% of the total COMBINE Study sample) treatment-seeking alcohol-dependent men and women who received pharmacotherapy for alcoholism and drank at least once during the 16-week trial. Mixed model analyses revealed that individuals who drank more regularly during the trial seemed to benefit most from naltrexone and the effects of naltrexone on heavy drinking was significant in treatment months 2 through 4 among individuals who reported drinking on 81, 68, and 60% or more of days, respectively. Those drinking frequencies were observed in 11, 15, and 19% of the sample. Similar effects were not observed for drinks per drinking day. These results suggest that a small subgroup of non-abstainers, composed primarily of very regular drinkers, appears to benefit from naltrexone in reducing heavy drinking days. Naltrexone may be effective in the context of controlled-drinking approaches, even among very frequent drinkers.

Late adolescence (i.e., the age-group between 16 and 20 years) is characterized by significant changes in neurological and cognitive processes, behavioral and social functioning, and relational and physical contexts as the individual moves toward adulthood. In this age-group, major role transitions affect almost every aspect of life. Moreover, brain development continues-and with it the development of cognitive functions, working memory, emotional and behavioral self-regulation, and decisionmaking. The adolescent's social and emotional development also continues to evolve, affecting interactions with parents, siblings, peers, and first romantic relationships. All of these changes impact drinking behavior during late adolescence, and, in fact, alcohol use, binge drinking, and heavy drinking are particularly prevalent in youth ages 16-20. Determining the common trajectories of drinking behavior in this age-group is important for understanding how adolescent alcohol use helps shape adult outcomes and for identifying risk and protective factors. It also is important to study the short- and long-term consequences of adolescent alcohol use and abuse, including alcohol's effects on the developing adolescent brain and accomplishment of important developmental tasks of this age.

Studies have suggested that wine drinkers are at lower risk of death than beer or spirit drinkers. The aim of this study is to examine whether the risk of becoming a heavy drinker or developing alcoholic cirrhosis differs among individuals who prefer different types of alcoholic beverages. In a longitudinal setting we found that both the risk of becoming a heavy or excessive drinker (above 14 and 21 drinks per week for women and above 21 and 35 drinks per week for men) and the risk of developing alcoholic cirrhosis depended on the individuals preference of wine, beer or spirits. We conclude that moderate wine drinkers appear to be at lower risk of becoming heavy and excessive drinkers and that this may add to the explanation of the reported beverage-specific differences in morbidity and mortality.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of an alcohol misuse prevention program on drinking behavior and alcohol-related problems among United States Marine Corps personnel. A total of 567 men from two Marine Corps infantry battalions participated in the evaluation in which members of one battalion received an alcohol misuse prevention program, while members of the second battalion served as controls. The program consisted of targeted, small-group training sessions, with corporals and sergeants training their subordinates. Subjects completed questionnaires on alcohol use behavior at baseline and at 3- and 6-months postintervention. Alcohol-related legal incidents, alcohol abuse counseling referrals, and other outcomes were measured in aggregate. This study found that there was a greater decrease in the percentage of some self-reported alcohol-related problems, including serious consequences resulting from alcohol and specifically in the inability to remember things that happened while drinking, not being able to stop drinking, and getting drunk from alcohol among the intervention group compared with the control group. There was a small decrease in the number of drinks per day at the 3-month follow-up and in the rate of counseling referrals among the intervention group. No differences were observed in the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test score, drinking days per month, or in the other outcomes. The results suggest that the alcohol reduction training program did not have a significant overall effect on drinking behavior, however, the program may have prompted a short-term decrease in drinking and affected some alcohol-related problems.

This paper examines the Irish drinking habits and to what extent drinking is associated with experiences of adverse consequences in the year 2002. The analysis is based on a survey containing similar questions that was used in a recent European comparative survey involving Finland, Sweden, Germany, UK, France and Italy, known as the ECAS countries (Leifman,2002; Ramstedt, 2002). This provides a unique opportunity to examine the Irish results in a comparative framework. Furthermore, several aggregate level studies have revealed that a higher overall level of drinking in Ireland is associated with higher alcohol-related mortality,e.g., deaths from liver cirrhosis (Ramstedt, 2001), accidents (Skog, 2001) and homicide (Rossow, 2001). However, no previous study has examined to what extent higher alcohol consumption at the individual level affects the likelihood of suffering from adverse health, social and psychological consequences of drinking in Ireland.

Alcohol disorders are among the leading sources of disease burden in industrialized countries, and the finding is not exclusive to civilian populations. For example, a recent study among US Navy recruits found that, despite being overwhelmingly underage, 75% had consumed alcohol and 26% had engaged in heavy drinking in the year prior to enlisting. Surveys among active military members found that they are significantly more likely than their civilian counterparts to engage in heavy uses of alcohol and that heavy drinking is especially prevalent among the youngest and male members. In the 1990s, alcohol dependence was the second leading cause of hospitalizations of service members; and in 2001, alcohol dependence was the sixth leading cause of ambulatory visits (source: DMED). Finally, drinking alcohol has been associated with increased risk of accidental death among US soldiers. Appropriately, the US Department of Defense has included alcohol disorders among its top priorities for prevention. For this report, records of hospitalizations and ambulatory medical visits were used to estimate rates of, and to characterize individuals who received, diagnoses of alcohol disorders (including "abuse" and "dependence") while serving on active duty in the US military between January 1998 and March 2002., Pub. in Medical Surveillance Monthly Report (MSMR), v8 n8, p1-20, November/December 2002. Analysis by Jennifer Tai, Coleen Weese, and Vivian Rush.

Of 301 participants in a telephone survey, 201 could identify a problem drinker within their social networks. In 67 cases the drinker was a partner, in 45 another family member, in 61 a friend, and in 28 a work colleague. Another person's heavy drinking was reported as most disrupting to one's life when that person was a partner or other family member or if one was living in the same residence as the drinker. The exception to this was that reported disruption to respondents' work life was greatest when the drinker was a work colleague. While there appear to be problems for friends and work colleagues, partners and other family members appear to report the most disruption so providing services to family members seems appropriate.

Heavy drinking and associated problems are relatively common in young men, including those in a military setting. This paper explores characteristics of alcohol intake and associated difficulties, and their relationship to a self-report of the usual intensity of response to alcohol in a sample of U.S. Marines. Two questionnaires related to demography and alcohol-use histories, along with a simple, 12-item self-report measure of the usual number of drinks to experience an effect (the SRE) were administered to 1,320 United States Marines. The sample had an average age of 22 years, 78% were Caucasian, and 92% were enlisted personnel. The relationships and correlations among drinking characteristics and problems, and the usual number of drinks for an effect were determined. These subjects drank an average of six days per month, consuming an average of almost six drinks per drinking day, and reported more than three times per month in which they consumed six or more drinks per occasion. Consistent with studies of other populations, the SRE measures of intensity to response to alcohol showed a positive correlation with both drinking practices and problems, with the latter remaining significant even after controlling for recent drinking practices. The prodigious level of alcohol intake and associated problems, along with the SRE scores, indicate that the Marine Corps personnel are at especially high risk for alcohol- related life problems. These data also support the potential usefulness of the SRE in both identifying individuals likely to have more severe alcohol profiles, and in educating individuals regarding their levels of risk for alcohol abuse and dependence.