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Background This study aims to understand which young adults' drinking behaviors change in the presence of happy hour specials, the ways in which they change, and whether a link exists between happy hour drinking behavior and negative outcomes. Methods Using data collected from bar-going respondents (n = 1,423) within a print survey administered to a general college sample (n = 2,349), we identify significant differences in changes in happy hour behavior between demographic groups using χ2 tests and determine whether this behavior is related to six negative alcohol-related outcomes using logistical and ordinary least squares regression models with a variety of controls, including age of onset and frequency of use. Results Women, individuals under 21, non-athletes, members of Greek-affiliated organizations, more affluent students, unemployed, and students living on campus were more likely to change their drinking behavior in the presence of happy hour specials. In general, the most robust predictors of negative events are gender, alcohol use frequency, age of onset, and increasing drinking due to happy hours/bar specials. While it was linked to various negative and illegal behaviors, altered happy hour drinking was not associated with an increased likelihood of an alcohol-related arrest. Conclusions This study lends support to the idea that alcohol price specials should be regulated in an effort to reduce high consumption and alcohol-related negative consequences. Future research into the relationship between happy hour drinking and negative outcomes is necessary and should examine the impact of happy hour advertisements, different types of specials, and the timing of happy hours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on substance use, health-, and risk-seeking behavior has focused on various control mechanisms, which are either embedded in the person (self-control) or in the social environment (social control), that prevent individuals from engaging in unhealthy behavior. The present article examines the role of both types of control with respect to alcohol consumption. Whereas most previous research into the interdependence of the two control types has focused on indirect concepts of social control, the present study targets direct social control exerted through social interaction with network persons. The study’s findings indicate that both control types have a mutually independent influence as well as an interdependent influence on drinking behavior. The results show that the effect of one control instance is attenuated when the control level of the other instance is high. The results are discussed with respect to the life-course interdependence model, the cumulative control model, and action-theoretical perspectives of health-related social interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background To date, scholarly discourse over the Amethyst Initiative has primarily debated the relative effectiveness of the 21 year-old Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA). Unfortunately, this discourse has failed to account for the Amethyst Initiative's central tenet/mission: facilitating responsible drinking among college students. This investigation seeks to help fill this gap by quantitatively determining whether a random sample of underage (n = 158) and legal (n = 298) drinkers differed with regard to their alcohol-related behaviors, responsible drinking behaviors, and responsible drinking beliefs. Findings Compared to legal drinkers, underage drinkers reported: (a) significantly less confidence to perform responsible drinking behaviors during their next drinking episode [t(446) = -2.97, p < .003; d = -0.297], (b) significantly more perceived barriers to responsible drinking [t(388) = 3.44, p < .001; d = .368], and (c) significantly lower behavioral intentions to perform responsible drinking behaviors the next time they consumed alcohol [t(437) = -3.45, p < .001; d = -0.350]. Each of these differences remained statistically significant, even after controlling for sex and race, in three separate multiple linear regression models. Conclusion While college students both above and below the 21 year-old MLDA have similar beliefs regarding what constitutes responsible drinking, students below the current MLDA have less intention to drink responsibly regardless of their behavioral beliefs and/or motives. College/university administrators should consider the negative repercussions that are possible if underage students who are less confident in their ability to drink responsibly are given the legal right to drink on campus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the historical and social significance of alcohol consumption and intoxication in Senegambia, Ghana, and South Africa during the 19th and 20th centuries. Particular focus is given to the roles played by concepts of tradition in modernity in attitudes towards drunkenness and sobriety. Islamic prohibitions on alcohol and the social functions of drunkenness at communal events like funerals are also discussed.

A parallel-process latent growth curve model was used to model alcohol and marijuana use (vs. nonuse). Participation in team sports and gender were considered to be time-invariant covariates. The sample consisted of 8,179 youth from the National Survey of Parents and Youth. Data were collected over four yearly rounds. Analysis revealed that being part of a competitive sports team was related to a lower probability of marijuana initiation, but to increased rates of alcohol use over time. Males had significantly higher levels of marijuana initiation and decreases in rates of alcohol use over time; females had significantly greater rate of increase in alcohol use over time. Analysis suggests that youth involved in sports are less likely to use marijuana over time. This information may help to uncover other predictors of use over time and to inform policy making as well design as effective prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Introduction and Aims In many high-income countries, the responsibility for alcohol regulation is being devolved from central to local governments. Although seeking public input is typically required by law, there remains little empirical evidence on whether and how the public is involved. We investigated public participation in local liquor licensing and related regulation in New Zealand. Design and Methods In 2007, we randomly sampled 2337 residents from the national electoral roll in seven communities and invited them to complete a postal questionnaire assessing their level of general community engagement, whether they had taken action on alcohol issues, and barriers to participation they perceived or encountered. Results A total of 1372 individuals responded (59% response). Fifty-two percent were current members of community organisations, and 40% had ever taken action on a local issue. Respondents considered alcohol to be a major problem locally, but only 4% had been involved in action to address a problem, whereas 18% had considered taking action. In their communities, 12% and 24%, respectively, felt they could influence the number or location of alcohol outlets. There was little variation across communities. Discussion and Conclusion Despite high levels of general community engagement and alcohol being widely regarded as a local problem, few community members reported acting on alcohol issues, and their self-efficacy to effect change was low. [ Kypri K, Maclennan B. Public participation in local alcohol regulation: Findings from a survey of New Zealand communities. Drug Alcohol Rev 2014;33:59-63] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores youth drinking in Zurich, Switzerland, on both public squares away from nightlife areas, referred to as ‘square street drinking’ and on the street within the vicinity of nightclubs, defined as ‘club street drinking’. Taking a relational space approach, the analysis adds a social perspective to the dominant economic-political perspective to drinking in urban nightlife zones. The results suggest that the normative landscapes of drinking are constructed differently: the same regulation by police and social workers works differently between the two areas both in terms of inclusion and exclusion as well as in terms of how the material and social dimensions interact. Production and regulation are dependent on how young people participate in these processes. This finding suggests that it would be fruitful to develop a regulation approach on drinking in the post-industrial city that is sensitive to young people as co-producers of space. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Russia's future is put in jeopardy by a decline in both the size of the population and its health and human capital. There is an urgent need for policies to deal with this problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public discourse and public policy relating to alcohol tend to concentrate on the social problem of 'excessive' drinking. Rather than concentrating on forms of 'excess', this paper investigates its counter-point, moderation, which, in regards to alcohol consumption, is a poorly understood concept. Official definitions of moderate drinking vary considerably between different countries and change across time. These fluid definitions are often connected to political or moral values, including temperance in the nineteenth century and personal responsibility today. This situation is complicated by the blurry nature of scientific evidence on the relationship between alcohol consumption and various forms of harm. There is an absence of compelling evidence about what amount or form of drinking can be considered responsible, safe or engendering an acceptable level of risk. In current understandings, risk cannot be precisely calculated or expressed on an individual basis and, hence, scientific discourse offers little certainty. Concentrating on the interpretation of evidence and the role of expertise, this article examines how experts and policy-makers arrive, nonetheless, at definitions of moderate drinking as well as policies that seek to promote them. It is argued that this process circumvents rather than confronts uncertainty and hence is damaging to both scientific validity and governmental credibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study tested the effects of committed relationships and presence of dates on alcohol consumption and preliminary sexual outcomes in natural drinking groups ( NDGs). Undergraduate drinkers ( N = 302) answered an online questionnaire on their most recent participation in a NDG. The interaction between relationship commitment and presence of a date on alcohol consumption was significant. Among students not in committed relationships, those dating within their NDG reported heavier drinking than those not dating. Students in committed relationships drank less than those who were not committed only when their partners were present. The positive correlation between drinking and sexual contact was significant only for those who were not in committed relationships. Implications for future research and interventions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Temptation and restraint have long been associated with problematic drinking. Among college students, social norms are one of the strongest predictors of problematic drinking. To date, no studies have examined the association between temptation and restraint and perceived descriptive norms on drinking and alcohol-related problems among college students. The purpose of this study was to examine whether perceived descriptive norms moderated the relationship between temptation and restraint and drinking outcomes among college students. Participants were 1095 college students from a large, public, culturally-diverse, southern university who completed an online survey about drinking behaviors and related attitudes. Drinks per week and alcohol-related problems were examined as a function of perceived descriptive norms, Cognitive Emotional Preoccupation (CEP) (temptation), and Cognitive Behavioral Control (CBC) (restraint). Additionally, drinking outcomes were examined as a function of the two-way interactions between CEP and perceived descriptive norms and CBC and perceived descriptive norms. Results indicated that CEP and perceived descriptive norms were associated with drinking outcomes. CBC was not associated with drinking outcomes. Additionally, perceived descriptive norms moderated the association between CEP and drinks per week and CEP and alcohol-related problems. There was a positive association between CEP and drinks per week and CEP and alcohol-related problems, especially for those higher on perceived descriptive norms. College students who are very tempted to drink may drink more heavily and experience alcohol-related problems more frequently if they have greater perceptions that the typical student at their university/college drinks a lot. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study examined how parental and cognitive factors are structurally related to college students' intention to drink alcohol as well as possible gender differences in these relationships. Multiple-group comparison was used in structural equation modeling to assess data-to-model fit of the hypothesized model. Perceived parental alcohol use, positive expectancies, abstinence self-efficacy in social situations, and intent to drink alcohol were structurally modeled and examined in 714 college students based on self-report measures. Results showed good fit of the hypothesized model in both men and women. Invariance of model fit was found across genders, although a more detailed analysis of the results suggested gender-specific influence of parental alcohol use over students' cognitions. Perceptions of greater parental alcohol use were associated with higher positive expectancies for alcohol use, which, in turn, were significantly related to lower drink refusal self-efficacy. Both higher expectancies and lower refusal self-efficacy were related to the intention for future use. Results of the study shed light on the development of alcohol-related cognitions in male and female college students and contribute to our understanding of the structural relationship between expectancies and self-efficacy in alcohol use. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Drinking habits are socially patterned and social networks influence individuals' drinking behaviors. Previous studies have focused primarily upon the influence from family members to drink less. Those studies that have focused upon peer influence have been largely confined to social norms among adolescent and college-age drinkers. By contrast, based in adult populations, this article examines exhortations from friends not only to reduce alcohol consumption but also to increase it. Survey data in 15 countries that participate in the Gender, Alcohol and Culture: An International Study project (GENACIS) were used to test whether there were country and gender differences concerning the influence to drink less or to drink more by friends and examine if this was affected by the drinking behavior. The findings revealed that those influenced to drink less had more heavy episodic drinking (HED) occasions than those who did not report such influence. By contrast, influence to drink more, originating mainly from same-sex friends, may be more the result of social situations that encourage all drinkers, regardless of their frequency of HED occasions. At the country level, influence to drink less for both sexes decreased with the proportion of drinkers in a country. Similarly, influence to drink less for both sexes also decreased in countries where gender roles were more egalitarian. Thus, in countries where alcohol use is more widespread and fewer differences are observed between male and female gender role expectations, fewer people were influenced to drink less. These findings have implications for social and behavioral strategies designed to reduce alcohol-related harm across a wide range of cultures. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Culture & Society: Journal of Social Research / Kultūra ir Visuomenė: Socialinių Tyrimų Žurnalas is the property of Vytautas Magnus University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Culture & Society: Journal of Social Research / Kultūra ir Visuomenė: Socialinių Tyrimų Žurnalas is the property of Vytautas Magnus University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Older adults may be more vulnerable to negative health effects from alcohol as they age. Distress and adverse neighborhood conditions that provoke distress may influence drinking behavior. Using baseline data from the Baltimore Memory Study, a cohort study of adults aged 50-70 years living in 65 Baltimore City neighborhoods, we investigated the association between neighborhood psychosocial hazards (NPH) and the number of binge drinking days in the past month among non-abstainers ( N = 645). We used negative binomial regression with generalized estimating equations to estimate the relative number of binge drinking days per month associated with a one standard deviation increase in NPH score. Residing in neighborhoods with more psychosocial hazards was independently associated with more binge drinking for females, but not for males. For females, each one standard deviation increase in NPH score was associated with a 1.52 relative risk of binge drinking (95 % confidence interval, 1.10, 2. 10) in the adjusted model. The findings were robust to a sensitivity analysis in which we used the average number of drinks per drinking occasion as an alternative outcome. Our findings provide evidence linking adverse neighborhood conditions with alcohol consumption in non-abstaining late middle-aged women, and suggest that late middle-aged men and women may have different reactions to adverse residential neighborhoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses not only influence and selection of friends as sources of similarity in alcohol use, but also peer processes leading drinkers to be chosen as friends more often than nondrinkers, which increases the number of adolescents subject to their influence. Analyses apply a stochastic actor-based model to friendship networks assessed five times from 6th through 9th grades for 50 grade cohort networks in Iowa and Pennsylvania, which include 13,214 individuals. Results show definite influence and selection for similarity in alcohol use, as well as reciprocal influences between drinking and frequently being chosen as a friend. These findings suggest that adolescents view alcohol use as an attractive, high-status activity and that friendships expose adolescents to opportunities for drinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel version of Snijders's stochastic actor-based modeling ( SABM) framework is applied to model the diffusion of first alcohol use through middle school-wide longitudinal networks of early adolescents, aged approximately 11-14 years. Models couple a standard SABM for friendship network evolution with a proportional hazard model for first alcohol use. Meta-analysis of individual models for 12 schools found significant effects for friendship selection based on the same alcohol use status and for an increased rate of onset to first use based on exposure to already-onset peers. Onset rate was greater at higher grades and among participants who spent more unsupervised time with friends. Neither selection nor exposure effects interacted with grade, adult supervision, or gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

aObjective: Patients' unhealthy alcohol use is often undetected in primary care. Our objective was to examine whether physicians' attitudes and their perceived self-efficacy for screening and counseling patients is associated with physicians' counseling of patients with unhealthy alcohol use, and patients' subsequent drinking. Methods: This study is a prospective cohort study (nested within a randomized trial) involving 41 primary care physicians and 301 of their patients, all of whom had unhealthy alcohol use. Independent variables were physicians' attitudes toward unhealthy substance use and self-efficacy for screening and counseling. Outcomes were patients' reports of physicians' counseling about unhealthy alcohol use immediately after a physician visit, and patients' drinking six months later. Results: Neither physicians' attitudes nor self-efficacy had any impact on physicians' counseling, but greater perceived self-efficacy in screening, assessing and intervening with patients was associated with more drinking by patients six months later. Conclusions: Future research needs to further explore the relationship between physicians' attitudes towards unhealthy alcohol use, their self-efficacy for screening and counseling and patients' drinking outcomes, given our unexpected findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of an extensive survey of primary and secondary sources from 19th-century central Sweden this article looks into the most neglected area of alcohol history, namely the role that alcohol played within the middle and upper classes. More specifically, it aims to analyze the relationship between drinking habits and ‘respectability’, as described by scholars such as George Mosse. The author identifies an aristocratic drinking culture with roots in the 18th century, in which respectability was not the governing structure of gendered behaviour. Among men belonging to the middle strata of society a different drinking culture existed, where the primary aim was to create a sense of brotherhood between men. The increasing insistence on respectability during the course of the period slowly eroded the old aristocratic drinking pattern, but also challenged the heavy drinking in middle-class male circles. The study thus adds detail and complexity to concepts such as ‘respectability’ and ‘separate spheres’. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background and aims: Based on social disorganization theory, the present study examined the effects of neighborhood disadvantage on gambling behaviors and problems as well as on alcohol use and abuse. Methods: Findings were based on a combined sample of two representative U.S. telephone surveys of gambling and substance use. One survey (n = 2,631) included adults 18 years and older and the second survey (2,274) included young people aged 14-21 years old. Results: Neighborhood disadvantage had a highly significant effect on problem gambling over and above the significant individual effects of gender, age, race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Alcohol abuse did not show the same relationship to neighborhood disadvantage as did problem gambling. Furthermore, when neighborhood disadvantage was high and individual socioeconomic status was low, the highest levels of problem gambling were observed. Conclusions: This study provides strong evidence for the effects of neighborhood ecology on the occurrence of problem gambling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fearing the negative effect that alcohol advertising might have on adolescents' receptiveness to the consumption of alcohol, health educators have used media literacy as an effective strategy to mitigate the effect of these messages in the media. The present study applied parental mediation to the design and evaluations of a media literacy curriculum that targets alcohol decision-making processes illustrated in the message interpretation process model. The authors conducted a pretest–posttest quasi-experiment of 171 adolescents to examine the effect of a negative evaluative approach and a balanced evaluative approach (a combination of negative and positive evaluative strategies) to media literacy on modifying adolescents' responses to alcohol messages. Results showed that different media literacy approaches had varying degrees of effectiveness on adolescent boys and girls. After receiving a negative media literacy lesson, adolescent boys regarded television characters as less realistic and believed that drinking alcohol had negative consequences. In contrast, adolescent girls benefited more from a balanced evaluative approach as their media skepticism attitude was enhanced. Results suggest that health educators should choose tailored pedagogical approaches that are based on gender to improve decision making regarding alcohol consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Drinking motives have been established as an important construct in the prediction of alcohol use and drinking problems among younger adults, but there is little understanding about the drinking motivations of older adults. Although emerging evidence shows the importance of studying older adults'' own reasoning for their alcohol consumption, measures that have been used to assess such reasons lack psychometric assessment. This study aims to validate the three-dimensional structure of the Drinking Motives Questionnaire (DMQ) in older adults and to investigate the relationships between drinking motives and alcohol use. A sample of community dwelling older adults (N =370) completed self-report measures assessing drinking behavior and motives for drinking. Using confirmatory factor analysis, the results supported a three-factor model of drinking motives. Multi-group analysis of invariance showed support for configural and metric invariance, and partial support was met for scalar invariance. Social motivations for drinking were the most frequently endorsed, followed by enhancement, and coping motives. Males reported more frequent drinking for each of the three motives. Social motives were consistently related to drinking behaviors and coping had a direct relationship to drinking problems. Overall, the study shows that the DMQ has promise as a measure for use with older adults. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Alcohol attitudes are often considered an important predecessor of drinking behavior, although the literature is equivocal. Lately, attention has turned to enhancing positive cognitions on alcoholic-free drinks to discourage heavy drinking. The current study was the first to longitudinally examine associations between attitudes towards binge drinking and alcohol-free drinks and binge drinking behavior in a cross-lagged path model in Mplus. Participants were 293 adolescents (131 boys, Mage =16.1years) who filled in two online questionnaires with a six-month interval. Binge drinking behavior and attitudes towards binge drinking and alcohol-free drinks were all significantly correlated at both waves. The multivariate model, however, showed that only higher levels of binge drinking at T1 were prospectively related to more positive binge drinking attitudes at T2, and not vice versa. Analyses were controlled for sex, educational level, and age. Findings discard the Theory of Planned Behavior, but rather seem consistent with the Theory of Cognitive Dissonance, i.e., adolescents may adapt their cognitions to their behavior. More longitudinal research with several time points and over a longer period of time is needed to further examine the development of attitudes and drinking behavior. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This experiment examined the interaction effects of message framing and counterfactual thinking on attitudes toward binge drinking and behavioral intentions. Data from a 2 (message framing: gain vs. loss) × 2 (counterfactual thinking priming: additive vs. subtractive) between-subjects factorial design showed that a gain-framed message resulted in lower binge drinking intentions than did a loss-framed message after subjects engaged in additive counterfactual thinking. The effects of a loss-framed message on binge drinking intentions occurred when subtractive counterfactual thinking was induced. Theoretical and practical implications for anti–binge drinking public service announcements are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Of the alcohol-related risks faced by college students, it is arguable that none presents a greater public health hazard than driving after drinking (DAD). The present study examined the extent to which students' injunctive misperceptions toward DAD predicted the likelihood to engage in DAD and how this relation was mediated by self-approval of DAD. Participants were 2,848 college students (59.1% female, 64.6% Caucasian) from two U.S. West Coast universities who completed confidential web-based surveys assessing DAD beliefs and behaviors. Results revealed that respondents tended to overestimate their peers' approval toward DAD. Moreover, the subgroups likely to engage in DAD—men, 21 + years of age, Greek affiliated students, Caucasians, students with a family history of alcohol abuse—were also more likely to misperceive (i.e., overestimate) their peers' level of approval toward DAD. Using binary logistic regression analyses, self-approval of DAD emerged as an important statistical mediator in the relation between misperception of typical student approval toward DAD and engagement in DAD. Results point to the considerable role injunctive peer misperceptions may play in the pathways leading to drinking-driving risk. These findings provide preliminary support for DAD-specific social normative interventions, either complementing or supplementing existing alcohol interventions. By targeting high-risk student subgroups and communicating accurate drinking-driving norms, these proposed interventions have the potential to reduce self-approval and incidence of DAD. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: The predominately Hispanic U.S.–Mexico border population is at an elevated risk for drinking and associated problems due to the area''s low SES, poor services infrastructure, and drug-related violence. Among Mexican American residents, recent studies suggest this risk is particularly pronounced among younger age groups, and a key characteristic of this elevated risk involves crossing the border to drink in Mexico (where the legal drinking age is 18). However, few studies have compared the drinking behavior of U.S. residents who consume alcohol on the Mexico side of the border with those who do not. We address this gap in the present study. A multistage household probability sample of 1307 Mexican American border residents was interviewed about their drinking and associated problems over the past year. The survey response rate was 67%. Among current drinkers who reported going to Mexico in the past 12months (N=468), 36.1% reported consuming alcohol in Mexico. Those who drank in Mexico reported significantly more drinks per week (12.8 versus 8.7, p<.05), were more likely to have binged (58.3% versus 35.4%, p<.001), and were more likely to report one or more alcohol problem (35.5% versus 19.5%, p<.01) than those who did not drink in Mexico. Among those who drank in Mexico, men reported significantly more drinks per day while in Mexico than women (6.2 versus 4.0, p<.001). Male gender and lower income were significant predictors of drinking in Mexico. These findings suggest that drinking in Mexico contributes to the heightened risk for drinking and associated problems seen in previous research among Mexican Americans living on the U.S.–Mexico border. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Preliminary research has demonstrated reductions in alcohol-related harm associated with increased use of protective behavioral strategies (PBS) and higher levels of drinking refusal self-efficacy (DRSE). To extend research that has evaluated these protective factors independently of one another, the present study examined the interactive effects of PBS use and DRSE in predicting alcohol outcomes. Participants were 1084 college students (63% female) who completed online surveys. Two hierarchical linear regression models revealed that both DRSE and PBS use predicted alcohol use and consequences. Additionally, DRSE moderated the relationship between PBS use and both typical weekly drinking and negative alcohol-related consequences, such that participants who reported lower levels of PBS use and DRSE in the social pressure or emotional regulation dimensions were at greatest risk for heavy drinking and consequences respectively. Interestingly, for those who reported higher levels of social and emotional DRSE, levels of PBS use had no impact on alcohol use or alcohol consequences respectively. These findings demonstrate that DRSE and PBS use differentially reduce risk, suggesting the utility of collegiate, alcohol harm reduction interventions that aim to both increase PBS use and bolster self-efficacy for greater harm reduction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objectives: To examine how legal age status, gender, and self-reported reasons for pregaming are linked to pregaming for two common drinking contexts: a bar and a Greek party. Method: Participants who reported pregaming at least once a month (n = 2888 students aged 18-25 years) were recruited from 30 colleges/universities across the United States. Results: Many students pregame for social reasons regardless of pregaming destination. Multivariate analyses indicated that legal age students were more likely than underage students to pregame before going to a bar, whereas the opposite was true with respect to pregaming for a Greek party. Women were more likely than men to pregame before going to a bar or a Greek party, whereas men reported higher levels of consumption while pregaming for these destinations compared with women. Conclusions: The present findings suggest areas for targeted intervention efforts and promising avenues for research on context-specific pregaming behaviors among college students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students report drinking for social reasons, yet the social benefits of alcohol use are less understood. Associations between social drinking motives, drinking behaviors, and college friendships were examined via in-person interviews with 72 college freshmen from a large Midwestern University. Consistent with previous research, social drinking motives were significantly associated with drinking behaviors; however, drinking behaviors were not associated with the number of new casual or close friends students made at college. Drinking prevention campaigns might incorporate these findings in an effort to alter college freshmen's social alcohol expectancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Purpose: Alcohol-related violence is a major public health problem, which can be tackled at a number of different levels, including societal, contextual, familial, social, and individual. The focus in this paper is on individual treatments to reduce the risk of violence associated with social drinking. Methods: This is a narrative review of the processes by which alcohol increases the likelihood of violence, with an emphasis on its deleterious effects on social information processing. Results: Alcohol priming promotes aggression cognitions and behavior; the drinking context presents triggers for violence; alcohol focuses attention on aggression cues; alcohol outcome expectancies predict drinking; anxious antisocial people who drink to increase social confidence may be at increased risk for aggression; hypermasculine values play a part in aggressive responding; emotional responses of anger, fear and excitement play a part in aggressive responses to perceived provocation; having a broad and accessible aggressive response repertoire, along with positive evaluations of aggressive responses predict aggressive behavior. Conclusions: Additional intervention components that could improve the effectiveness of individual-level interventions for alcohol-related violence are suggested. These could augment conventional interventions, but there is a considerable amount of work to be done in developing applications specifically for alcohol-related violence and evaluating outcomes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Numerous studies have highlighted that personality traits are associated with alcohol problems and disorders; however, little is known on the link between personality and the quantities of alcohol actually ingested during given drinking episodes (i.e. in situ alcohol consumption, in grams of pure alcohol). Based on data of 123 young adults who participated in two wine-tasting assignments (one performed in group, the other individually; sequence of participation assigned at random), the results from regression models suggest that individual characteristics and personality traits are, to some extent, associated with in situ alcohol consumption, but contextual factors (e.g., in line with behavioral exposition and perceptions of norms) might overwhelm such associations in a social context, or later on in similar drinking contexts. These findings argue for the development of early preventive initiatives focusing on social influences and on specific drinking context. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We sought to 1) describe the settings or groups of settings where men who have sex with men (MSM) consume alcohol in 16 U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (MSA); and 2) investigate whether certain drinking settings or groups of settings are associated with higher levels of alcohol consumption, problem drinking, and sexual risk behavior. Latent class analysis was used to develop our measure of drinking settings. The final latent class model consisted of four distinct classes which captured the typical settings where MSM consumed alcohol: “home” “social,” “bar/social,” and “general” drinkers (i.e., drinks in all settings). Regression models showed that “general” drinkers were more likely than “social” drinkers to engage in frequent heavy drinking. Compared to ‘social’ drinkers, general drinkers were also more likely to engage in unprotected anal intercourse (UAIMP) and UAIMP with men met in bars and other venues (e.g., private parties, bath houses) while intoxicated. Assessment of drinking settings may be a means of identifying MSM who are at greater risk for frequent, heavy drinking and related sexual risk behavior. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Alcohol misuse has become central for policy makers with approaches to addressing and providing solutions a persistent challenge. Alcohol Treatment Requirements (ATRs) were introduced through the legislation of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, making available to the courts an ATR as one of the possible requirements of a community order for offenders who have committed an alcohol-related offence. This form of 'coercive treatment' is delivered collaboratively with the criminal justice system and the National Health Service (NHS) working in partnership. Those sentenced to the ATR are predominantly young male, persistent offenders presenting with severe alcohol problems. As part of a research project funded by the NHS, qualitative participant observations were undertaken during treatment delivery on the ATR. This paper presents an analysis of the interactions observed between male offenders and female alcohol workers. Explored is the nature of coercive treatment and how young men sentenced to treatment engage with the process. The analysis utilises positioning theory to show how control and compliance operate within a complex, relational and interactive encounter that while focussed on alcohol consumption and behaviour change are impacted upon by wider cultural and social issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A crucial yet disputed element in the attempt to regulate sexually oriented businesses has been the negative secondary effects these firms have on nearby businesses and residential communities. This paper addresses a new dimension of the negative effects from such businesses by examining data on administrative and criminal infractions inside a large number of sexually oriented businesses and a comparable group of alcohol establishments. We compare administrative and criminal violations data from the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission for all adult entertainment clubs (AECs) serving alcohol against a randomly selected sample of bars in the State of Texas. We find that there are important differences between the clubs and bars in 10 of the 23 t-test comparisons. What is more, even though alcohol-related infractions are the most common type of infraction for both AECs and for bars, the number of sex- and drug-related offenses was consistently more prevalent for sexually oriented businesses than for bars. In contrast, the bars have much higher numbers of criminal violations, primarily because of the higher incidence of infractions involving minors. This paper contributes to the literature on negative primary and secondary effects of sexually oriented businesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Latin American & Caribbean Anthropology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article studies self-reported alcohol consumption of European juveniles and examines its link to the level of their self-control, making use of data from International Self-Report Delinquency Study 2 (ISRD-2). The proportion of problematic drinkers and the mean level of self-control as well as the strength of the association differs among European countries. Following Gottfredson and Hirschi’s general theory of crime, two hypotheses are tested, focusing on different degrees of social tolerance of juvenile drinking and alcohol availability (i.e., opportunity). Findings based on logistic multilevel models for several indicators of problematic alcohol use suggest that social tolerance (reflected in the level of cultural acceptance of juvenile drinking and in the level of policy strictness) can indeed explain the cross-national differences in the strength of self-control–problematic drinking relationship, while the contribution of opportunity is questionable in this respect. Opportunity, however, is highly relevant when explaining cross-cultural differences in the extent of problematic drinking. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Underage use of alcohol is a large and increasing problem in Eastern Europe. The objective of this comparative study is to examine the effects of family-related factors on youth alcohol consumption in three East-European countries (Estonia, the Czech Republic, and Hungary). Data on alcohol use and risk factors were drawn from the International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD-2). Using binary logistic regression, it was found that in all three countries, adolescents with stronger parental supervision were more likely to be abstinent and less likely to be involved in heavy episodic drinking than those with weaker supervision. Parental bonding had similar positive effects regarding abstinence in Hungary and the Czech Republic but not in Estonia. In the Czech Republic, adolescents living in single-parent households were less involved in heavy episodic drinking, whereas affluence increased heavy episodic drinking. This effect is not found for Hungary and Estonia. Adolescents in Estonia who experienced more negative life events were more involved in heavy episodic drinking; this was not so for the other two countries. We conclude that family social control is a universal protective factor in decreasing alcohol use in these three Eastern European countries; concerning the other factors, the results were more mixed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Alcohol mixed with energy drink (AmED) consumption has garnered considerable attention in the literature in recent years. Drinking AmED beverages has been associated with a host of negative outcomes. The present study sought to examine associations between AmED consumption and high-risk sexual behaviors in a sample of young adults. Participants (N =704; 59.9% female) completed an online survey assessing AmED consumption, other drug use, and sexual behavior. A total of 19.4% of the entire sample (and 28.8% of those who reported using alcohol) reported consuming AmED. Participants who reported consuming AmED were significantly more likely to report marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy use. Those who reported consuming AmED also had increased odds of engaging in high-risk sexual behaviors, including unprotected sex, sex while under the influence of drugs, and sex after having too much to drink. Relationships between AmED consumption and sexual behavior remained significant after accounting for the influence of demographic factors and other substance use. Results add to the literature documenting negative consequences for AmED consumers, which may include alcohol dependence, binge drinking, and the potential for sexually transmitted infections via high-risk sexual behavior. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: College students drink in consistent patterns over the course of the academic semester and year (Beets et al., 2009; Del Boca et al., 2004). However, it is unclear if there are naturally occurring groups of female Thursday drinkers who display their own unique patterns of drinking across the semester. In a fall semester 10-week mixed online- and paper-based study of college female drinking, classes of Thursday drinkers were identified using Repeated Measures Latent Class Analysis. The 424 participants were recruited via flyers and advertisements in the student newspaper. It was determined that three latent classes provided optimal fit to the data: 1. Unlikely to report Thursday drinking; 2. Normal probability of Thursday drinkers; and 3. High probability of Thursday drinkers. The proportion of students within the latent classes differed across academic year in school. Seniors were least likely to be in the Unlikely group, and juniors and seniors were not in the Normal group. An additional analysis indicated that women in a sorority were four times more likely to be in the Normal or High groups compared to the Unlikely group. A final set of analyses indicated that women who enrolled in Friday morning classes were more likely to be in the Unlikely or Normal groups compared to the High group. Results indicated that the Unlikely group consumed significantly less alcohol at baseline, had lower levels of negative alcohol-related consequences prior to and during the study, and drank less on the weekends (Friday and Saturday). Female students who report drinking on Thursdays tend to be older, to be part of sororities, to have later classes or no classes on Friday, and to experience more negative alcohol-related consequences. Female students whose “weekends” start early are high-risk drinkers and might be targeted for future prevention and intervention efforts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The objectives of the present study were to examine the utility of distinguishing among negative consequence types when seeking to predict drinking later in college, to understand which consequences in particular were associated with future drinking, and to determine the direction of those associations. We also examined whether there were differences in the types of drinking outcomes (quantity, frequency, binge) predicted by unique consequences. Finally, we tested whether the link between consequences and future drinking was different for men versus for women. Incoming first year college students (n =997; 65% female) completed an online assessment in September of the first college year, and again at the same time the following year. Results of structural equation model tests offered support for the utility of distinguishing among different consequence types, as specific consequences experienced during the first semester of college were associated differently with drinking at the beginning of the second school year. Gender differences also were observed. For both men and women, social consequences were associated with increases in drinking over time. Blackout drinking also evidenced prospective prediction, but differentially for men and women. For men, these consequences were associated with later increases in drinking, whereas for women, they were associated with a diminution in drinking the next year. For men, only consequences associated with self-care (impairment in physical activity, physical appearance, less time to pursue recreation) predicted decreases in drinking at Year 2. Prediction was generally similar across drinking outcomes. Results suggest that whether negative consequences result in downward titration, escalation, or no change at all in later drinking depends on the type of consequence experienced, and who experiences it. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objectives: Research from developed countries shows that child maltreatment increases the risk for substance use and problems. However, little evidence on this relationship is available from developing countries, and recognition of this relationship may have important implications for substance demand reduction strategies, including efforts to prevent and treat substance use and related problems. Latin America and the Caribbean is a rich and diverse region of the world with a large range of social and cultural influences. A working group constituted by the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission and the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in June, 2010 identified research on this relationship as a priority area for a multinational research partnership. Methods: This paper examines the association between self-reported child maltreatment and use in the past 12 months of alcohol and cannabis in 2294 university students in seven participating universities in six participating countries: Colombia, El Salvador, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama and Uruguay. The research also considers the possible impact of religiosity and minimal psychological distress as factors contributing to resiliency in these samples. Results: The results showed that experience of maltreatment was associated with increased use of alcohol and cannabis. However, the effects differed depending on the type of maltreatment experienced. Higher levels of religiosity were consistently associated with lower levels of alcohol and cannabis use, but we found no evidence of an impact of minimal psychological distress on these measures. Conclusions: This preliminary study shows that the experience of maltreatment may increase the risk of alcohol and cannabis use among university students in Latin American and Caribbean countries, but that higher levels of religiosity may reduce that risk. More work to determine the nature and significance of these relationships is needed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this article we examine the effects of public self-consciousness (PSC) and a cross-situational reactivity to embarrassing encounters (EMB) on college students' levels of alcohol consumption by levels of perceived peer drinking. The analysis of self-report data from two undergraduate samples (n = 118 and n = 195) yielded virtually identical results and suggests that PSC and EMB affect alcohol use primarily among students with friends who drink heavily. Among these individuals, our findings are consistent with a protective self-presentational model. While PSC increased levels of alcohol consumption among students who believed drinking to be prevalent within their social circle if they were low in EMB, a susceptibility to embarrassment in response to the transgressions of self and others counteracted this tendency. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

There is growing evidence from multiple disciplines that alcohol outlet density is associated with community levels of assault. Based on the theoretical and empirical literatures on social organization and crime, we tested the hypothesis that the association between alcohol outlet density and neighbourhood violence rates is moderated by social organization. Using geocoded police data on assaults, geocoded data on the location of alcohol outlets, and controlling for several structural factors thought to be associated with violence rates, we tested this hypothesis employing negative binomial regression with our sample of 298 block groups in Cincinnati. Our results revealed direct effects of alcohol outlet density and social organization on assault density, and these effects held for different outlet types (i.e., off-premise, bars, restaurants) and levels of harm (i.e., simple and aggravated assaults). More importantly, we found that the strength of the outlet-assault association was significantly weaker in more socially organized communities. Subsequent analyses by level of organization revealed no effects of alcohol outlet density on aggravated assaults in organized block groups, but significant effects in disorganized block groups. We found no association between social (dis)organization and outlet density. These results clarify the community-level relationship between alcohol outlets and violence and have important implications for municipal-level alcohol policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HIV/AIDS is concentrated in impoverished communities. Two critical aspects of poverty are food insufficiency and substance abuse, and both are associated with sexual risks for HIV/AIDS in southern Africa. The current study is the first to examine both hunger and substance use in relation to sexual risks for HIV infection in South African alcohol serving establishments. Anonymous venue-based intercept surveys were completed by men ( n = 388) and women ( n = 407) patrons of six informal drinking places (e.g., shebeens) in Cape Town, South Africa. Food insufficiency and its more extreme form hunger were common in the sample, with 24 % of men and 53 % of women experiencing hunger in the previous 4 months. Multiple regression analyses showed that quantity of alcohol use was related to higher rates of unprotected sex for men and women. Trading sex to meet survival needs was related to food insufficiency and methamphetamine use among men but not women. Food insufficiency and substance use may both contribute to HIV risks in South African shebeens. However, the influence of hunger and substance use on sexual risks varies for men and women. Interventions to reduce HIV transmission risks may be bolstered by reducing both food insufficiency and substance use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Social norms are key predictors of college student drinking. Additionally, the social reasons for consumption (i.e. social drinking motives) are important to understanding drinking behaviour. This study investigated the effects of social norms and social motives on alcohol consumption. A total of 229 college students completed an online questionnaire assessing their drinking behaviour, social drinking motives and their perceived drinking social norms. Drinking social norms were assessed as descriptive norms (i.e. the individual''s perceived prevalence of alcohol consumption), and injunctive norms (i.e. the individual''s perceived approval of drinking by their peers). Additionally, injunctive norms were further separated into distal (socially distant peers) and proximal (socially close peers). Hierarchical regression analyses revealed descriptive norms, proximal injunctive norms and social motives all independently predicted alcohol consumption. Additionally, the relationship between proximal injunctive norms and consumption, and descriptive norms and consumption was mediated by social motives. Lastly, there was a significant three-way interaction between descriptive norms, distal injunctive norms and social motives on drinking. Consideration of both the individual factors and the complex interplay between social norms and social motives on alcohol consumption is necessary to further understand drinking behaviour, and to develop more effective alcohol harm-reduction strategies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and associated factors of problem drinking among South African youth (18-24 years). A cross-sectional population-based household survey was conducted using a multi-stage stratified cluster sampling approach. The total sample included 3123 participants (age range 18-24 years, 45.4%women) from four of nine provinces in South Africa. Results indicate that current alcohol was relatively more common among male (40.7%) than female youths (21.3%). Similarly, hazardous or harmful drinking was more prevalent among males (24.3%) than among women (12.9%). In multivariable analyses among men and women high on sexually permissiveness had hazardous or harmful alcohol use. Lifestyle including high peer pressure, and spending more nights away in a week were associated with hazardous or harmful alcohol use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context is important in developing strategies to address alcohol related violence. Knowledge of local conditions is critical to action in rural areas. The aim of this study was to gather information about context specific alcohol related problems experienced by frontline workers in a regional centre to inform the local alcohol action plan. Frontline workers were invited to participate in one of five focus group discussions that investigated problems experienced as a result of other people's alcohol use. Alcohol related problems were more frequently associated with time periods than any single group in the community. Social media was used to incite arguments between groups in different venues during the lock-out periods. The focus groups identified that the location of licensed premises and a taxi rank; and previous relationships between protagonists were the key contextual factors causing alcohol related problems. A second taxi rank was identified as a useful local management strategy. Supply reduction was suggested as a key factor in long term solutions to alcohol related problems in rural towns. The local liquor accord did not want to reduce supply of alcohol by closing late night venues earlier. Local action to reduce alcohol related problems will be limited to pragmatic solutions because supply reduction is unacceptable to those in the business of selling alcohol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research study of 153 college-bound students, perceived sexual benefits of alcohol use were associated with greater drinking and related consequences during the senior year of high school and freshman year of college. Perceived benefits predicted drinking outcomes during fall after adjustment for gender, sensation seeking, parental education, and the corresponding outcome in high school. Inadequately addressed concerns about sexual pleasure may lead to high-risk drinking among subsets of youth. Sexuality education programs delivered in high school should address concerns about sexual pleasure and highlight advantages of refraining from alcohol use with respect to developing healthy and satisfying relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]