Alcohol and alcoholism最新文献

Introduction: The FIFA Men's World Cup is one of the largest global sporting events, with alcohol playing a notable role, evident from major sponsor Anheuser-Busch. Indeed, Brazil altered policies to allow alcohol in the 2015 tournament stadiums. Qatar, the 2022 World Cup host, initially assured alcohol availability in stadiums but reversed this decision 2 days before the tournament began, sparking widespread online discussions about alcohol's role in sports and policies. This study analyses the online discourse surrounding this alcohol ban.

Methods: We collected Tweets from a week prior to the tournament to a week after, using keywords referencing the World Cup, alcohol, and the ban. After excluding retweets, 5252 independent posts were coded by stance on the ban and underlying rationale.

Results: Anti-ban tweets dominated (55.1%; 15.9% pro-ban; 29% neutral). We identified five primary themes. Three opposing the alcohol ban: (i) Timing Backlash: Sudden implementation, (ii) The Power of Budweiser: Impact on sponsor brands, and (iii) A Troubled World Cup: Contribution to other issues, and two supporting it: (iv) Spectator Sobriety: Alcohol's relevance in sport, and (v) Dry Stands, Safer Crowds: Potential to mitigate public disturbances.

Discussions and conclusions: While just over half of Tweets opposed the alcohol ban, they focused on the ban's enactment and concerns over sponsor agreements rather than the absence of alcohol itself. Conversely, pro-ban tweets highlighted improved fan experience. Policymakers should consider how alcohol companies use social media to shape public opinion. Analysing online discourse can provide valuable insights for implementing and reviewing alcohol control strategies in sport.

Aims: Individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) often exhibit heightened delay discounting, a behavioral marker associated with poor treatment outcomes. Medications such as naltrexone and varenicline influence reward-related decision-making, but their effects on delay discounting remain unclear. This study examined whether these medications influence delay discounting rates.

Methods: We conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in 34 treatment-seeking adults with AUD. Participants were assigned to naltrexone (50 mg/day), varenicline (2 mg/day), or placebo and completed a two-week medication titration followed by a six-day quit attempt. Delay discounting was assessed at baseline and post-treatment using the Monetary Choice Questionnaire (MCQ). General linear models tested medication effects on post-treatment discounting, controlling for baseline discounting, education, and income.

Results: A significant interaction between medication and baseline delay discounting emerged (P = .03; η2 = .67). Among participants with lower baseline discounting, naltrexone reduced delay discounting compared to placebo and varenicline. However, no significant effects were observed in participants with higher baseline discounting. Varenicline did not significantly alter delay discounting compared to placebo.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that naltrexone may reduce delay discounting in individuals with AUD, but primarily among those with lower discounting rates. The results highlight the importance of baseline traits in understanding medication effects on decision-making. Given the small sample size, future research should replicate these findings in larger trials and explore whether delay discounting could serve as a biomarker for personalized AUD treatment.

Introduction: This study examines associations between husbands' alcohol use and bidirectional intimate partner violence (IPV)-defined as both IPV victimization and perpetration-among married individuals in India. We also assess the impact of a state-level alcohol ban on IPV outcomes.

Methods: We used data from rounds 4 (2015-16) and 5 (2019-21) of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) to conduct two analyses. First, multivariable multinomial regression models estimated the association between husbands' alcohol use-categorized as frequent intoxication, occasional intoxication, alcohol use without intoxication, and no alcohol use (reference)-and IPV experiences (bidirectional, unidirectional [victimization only], or none). Second, a Difference-in-Differences (DiD) model evaluated the impact of Bihar's 2016 alcohol ban (treatment) compared to Jharkhand (control) on IPV outcomes.

Results: Among currently married respondents (n = 121 148), 28.2% reported IPV victimization, including 2.6% reporting bidirectional IPV and 25.6% reporting unidirectional IPV. Compared to those whose husbands did not drink, women whose husbands drank without intoxication (AOR = 1.54), sometimes became intoxicated (AOR = 3.56), or frequently became intoxicated (AOR = 14.12) had significantly higher odds of experiencing bidirectional IPV. Similar but attenuated associations were observed for unidirectional IPV. The DiD analysis showed no significant effect of the alcohol ban on IPV outcomes.

Conclusion: Husbands' alcohol misuse is strongly associated with increased risk of IPV, particularly bidirectional IPV, which is linked to greater injury severity. However, alcohol bans alone may be insufficient to reduce IPV, underscoring need for comprehensive interventions that address both alcohol use and entrenched patriarchal norms.

Background: While alcohol's ability to impact affective states and lubricate social interactions is well documented, less research has considered this in crowd contexts.

Method: Using a Social Emotion Paradigm, intoxicated (.8 g/kg) or sober (placebo) participants (N = 47, 49% female, Mage = 21.47) were presented with virtually modeled groups of characters displaying various affective states (happy, neutral, sad). Participants' emotional responses to the stimuli were assessed via self-report (Study 1) and, one week later, objective measures of facial muscle movement (facial electromyography; Study 2).

Results: 'Study 1': Self-reported emotions largely mirrored the emotive displays, pointing to emotional contagion. No significant effect of intoxication was apparent. 'Study 2': Compared to those in the sober conditions, significantly more smiling occurred among intoxicated participants when viewing sad crowds.

Conclusion: Discrepancies between objective and subjective measures of emotion were evident and intoxication may be associated with socially inappropriate affective responses to sad crowds. These findings have implications for understanding alcohol behaviors in the nighttime economy.

Background: The alcohol cue-exposure paradigm is widely used in alcohol use disorder (AUD) research. Individuals with AUD exhibit considerable variability in their alcohol cue-reactivity, highlighting the need to identify characteristics that contribute to this heterogeneity. This study applied machine learning models to identify clinical and sociodemographic predictors of subjective alcohol cue-reactivity (ALCUrge).

Methods: Individuals with AUD (N = 139; 83 M/56F) completed an alcohol cue-exposure paradigm and a battery of clinical and sociodemographic measures. ALCUrge (primary outcome variable) was assessed using the Alcohol Urge Questionnaire following alcohol cue-exposure. We implemented three machine learning models (Lasso regression, Ridge regression, Random Forest) to identify clinical and sociodemographic predictors of ALCUrge and compared model performance (i.e. predictive accuracy).

Results: Lasso regression had the strongest predictive accuracy, with a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 9.48, followed by Random Forest (RMSE = 9.95), and Ridge regression (RMSE = 10.40). All models outperformed chance-level prediction (null baseline model RMSE = 14.80). Top predictors of ALCUrge across multiple models were alcohol urge prior to cue-exposure, compulsive alcohol-related behaviors/thoughts, tonic alcohol craving, cigarette smoking status, and biological sex. Higher pre-cue exposure alcohol urge, more compulsive alcohol-related tendencies, greater tonic craving, and occasional cigarette use was associated with greater predicted ALCUrge, while being female was associated with lower predicted ALCUrge.

Conclusion: This study advances our understanding of the phenotypic overlap in the compulsive aspects of tonic craving and phasic cue-induced alcohol urge, and offers insight into additional factors, such as biological sex and cigarette smoking, that may contribute to variability in alcohol cue-reactivity.

Aims: This study aimed to identify predictors of successful completion of a 1-month alcohol abstinence period (OMAAP) in Belgium and to assess a potential rebound effect in alcohol consumption following the campaign (i.e. an increase in alcohol consumption relative to precampaign levels). Additionally, it explored whether participants' expectations regarding the benefits of OMAAP were met.

Methods: A short longitudinal study was conducted with participants of the Belgian OMAAP, "La Tournée Minérale," in 2023 and 2024. A total of 128 participants completed questionnaires assessing alcohol consumption, drinking refusal self-efficacy (DRSE), positive alcohol expectancies (i.e. positive expectancies and beliefs about the effects of alcohol consumption), and expectations about OMAAP benefits at three time points: before (N = 172), immediately after (N = 132), and 1-month post-campaign (N = 128).

Results: Positive alcohol expectancies significantly predicted the likelihood of successfully completing OMAAP. Participants with higher positive alcohol expectancies were less likely to complete the abstinence period. Alcohol consumption decreased significantly 1 month after OMAAP for all participants, with no evidence of a rebound effect. DRSE did not significantly change over time. Participants' expectations regarding benefits such as sleep improvement and weight loss were generally unmet, while expectations for alcohol dependency reduction and money savings were exceeded.

Conclusions: Positive alcohol expectancies were significant predictors of OMAAP completion. The campaign effectively reduced alcohol consumption without a rebound effect, highlighting its potential as a public health strategy. However, managing participants' expectations about the benefits of abstinence might enhance their experience and outcomes.

Aims: Excessive alcohol use is often triggered by traumatic experiences, when subjects consume alcohol-containing beverages as a passive coping mechanism to relieve negative affect. There are no FDA-approved medications that are specifically recommended for patients with alcohol use disorder who use alcohol to decrease the consequences of trauma. The current study used a mouse model of predator stress-enhanced drinking to test whether administration of oxytocin (OXT) could selectively target subjects with increased sensitivity to psychological trauma.

Methods: Male and female C57BL/6J mice established consumption of 10% ethanol in a 2-bottle choice procedure and then were exposed to predator odor (soiled rat bedding) during four intermittent 30-minute sessions. Mice were designated as Sensitive, increasing ethanol intake, or Resilient, showing no increases in intake, following the predator odor exposures. Effects of OXT (1 mg/kg) on ethanol intake were examined at two and at four hours following treatment using an automated lickometer system.

Results: OXT non-selectively decreased ethanol and water intake in male and female mice during the first two hours after administration, suggesting sedative effects. Importantly, when analyzed at four hours post-injection, OXT selectively decreased ethanol, but not water intake, in male mice and in the Sensitive subgroup of female mice and had no significant effects on ethanol intake in the Resilient female mice.

Conclusions: These results indicate that the predator odor model can help screen for pharmacotherapies to treat patients consuming alcohol to passively cope with trauma-induced negative affect. Further studies need to test whether OXT is preferentially effective in such subjects.

Aims: Alcohol consumption is associated with numerous detrimental health outcomes and aging-related disorders. This study aims to investigate the impact of alcohol drinking levels and drinking behavior on serum levels of Klotho protein, an anti-aging biomarker for health and longevity, in middle-aged and older adults.

Methods: A nationally representative sample of 4225 adults aged 40-79 years from the 2013-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys were analyzed using multiple general linear models. Drinking levels were classified as light (consumed ≤ 2 drinks for men and ≤ 1 drink for women in a day), moderate (3-4 for men and 2-3 drinks for women), and heavy drinking (≥ 5 for men and ≥ 4 drinks for women), according to national guidelines.

Results: Significantly decreased serum ɑ-Klotho levels were found in all levels of drinking in a dose-dependent manner, with weighted geometric means of 798.80 (P = .0238), 774.75 (P = .0006), 751.83 (P = .0027), and 744.33 pg/ml (P < .0001) in light, moderate, heavy, and former heavy drinkers, respectively, compared to non-drinkers (827.69 pg/ml). After adjusting for covariates, moderate drinking was associated with a 6.53% (P < .0001) decrease, heavy drinking with an 8.97% (P = .0004) decrease, and former heavy drinking with an 7.26% (P < .0001) decrease in ɑ-Klotho levels. Similarly, binge drinking ≥ 4 days in the past month was associated with a 9.17% (P = .0341) decrease in serum ɑ-Klotho.

Conclusions: This study demonstrates a significantly inverse relationship between alcohol consumption and serum ɑ-Klotho levels in middle-aged and older adults. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the role of reducing Klotho levels in alcohol-induced health and aging disorders.

Dry January is a temporary alcohol abstinence challenge where participants commit to abstaining from drinking alcohol for one month. It has grown in popularity since its inception >10 years ago. The current scoping review sought to broadly characterize the peer-reviewed literature on Dry January, summarize its main findings, strengths and limitations, and delineate future research directions. In total, 90 publications were screened and 16 were reviewed. Findings revealed that compared to drinkers in the general population who did not participate, Dry January participants tended to report having higher incomes, completed university education, reported being female, younger, and engaging in heavy drinking at baseline. Those who consumed light to moderate amounts of alcohol were more likely to report successfully abstaining than heavier drinkers. Among successful abstainers, short- and mid-term sustained reductions in self-reported alcohol use and improved biological outcomes, well-being, and drink refusal self-efficacy were observed. Benefits were also reported among those who did not fully abstain. Most Dry January participants would participate in the program again. Overall, Dry January demonstrates significant promise and warrants more rigorous research. As nearly all extant research derives from the United Kingdom, future research should investigate applications and effects beyond that population.

Introduction: This study investigated if acute alcohol exposure produces sex differences in aged rats compared to adult and adolescent rats on ataxia and nonspatial cognition.

Materials and methods: Sex- and age-related differences were assessed by using aged, young adult, and adolescent Sprague-Dawley rats. For acute alcohol exposure, animals were administered either 1 or 2 g/kg alcohol via intraperitoneal injection before testing. To examine the effects of acute alcohol exposure on balance and motor control and nonspatial learning, animals underwent behavioral testing in the aerial righting reflex (ARR) and Morris water maze (MWM) tests. Blood alcohol levels were determined 60 min following administration of either 1.0 or 2.0 g/kg alcohol.

Results: Sex differences were found in the ARR, as aged females were significantly less sensitive to the effect of acute alcohol exposure compared to aged males. Age was also found to significantly affect ARR performance, where aged animals performed worse than younger animals in response to acute alcohol. However, these sex- and age-related differences were not found in the nonspatial MWM test or in blood alcohol concentrations.

Conclusions: These results indicate that the sex- and age-dependent effects of acute alcohol exposure are task specific. In conclusion, these findings highlight the importance of studying the effects of acute alcohol on the aged population.