Feature Channels: Alcohol and Alcoholism

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Despite the pervasive use of social media by young adults, little is known about whether, and how, social-media engagement influences their drinking patterns and risk of alcohol-related problems. Reviews thus far have looked at drinking relative to risky behaviors and advertising. This review examined associations between young adults’ alcohol-related social-media activity – defined as posting, liking, commenting on, and viewing of alcohol-related content on social media – and their drinking behaviors and alcohol-related problems.

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About 22 million Americans are substance dependent, yet only 2.5 million seek treatment. Reviewing 5,443 records of adult substance use treatment clients, a new study examined treatment readiness, or the characteristics that are likely to promote treatment engagement, to predict who seeks and stays in treatment. Results show that white and black race, being male, lower levels of education, and being married or divorced (vs. never married) were all negatively related to substance-use treatment engagement.

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Lung transplant patients who showed evidence of alcohol use before their transplants spent more time in the hospital and on the ventilator, a Loyola University Chicago Study has found. Researchers said abstaining from alcohol prior to lung transplants could improve outcomes.

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Michael “Mick” MacLean, associate professor of psychology, who has done extensive research on adolescent alcohol and substance use. Most recently, he’s implemented a strategy for reaching teens who are experiencing substance-related problems but are not yet addicted. Instead of berating them, trying to scare them, or using other well-worn tactics, MacLean suggests “motivational interviewing,” which he said has a significantly higher success rate.

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Alcohol use during pregnancy can lead to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs), a range of effects that include lowered intelligence and developmental delays. Over 30 percent of the pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, with most women unaware of being pregnant until after the fourth week, and many not recognizing that they are pregnant until after that. However, the early weeks of pregnancy are critical for fetal development and susceptibility to the damaging effects of alcohol. While face-to-face interventions can significantly reduce risk for an alcohol-exposed pregnancy (AEP), this study, the Contraception and Alcohol Risk Reduction Internet Intervention (CARRII), examined an Internet-delivered intervention designed to reach more women at risk.

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A new review by Michigan Medicine finds that women drinkers are disproportionately affected in alcohol-related cirrhosis cases. Why — and what's next.

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Previous research showed that the combination of two risk factors – parental separation/ divorce and family history of alcoholism (FH+) – can have negative effects on offspring, including an earlier onset of substance use among adolescents and young adults, lower educational attainment in adulthood, and a greater risk of alcohol dependence. This study looked at the impact of parental divorce and FH+ on offspring’s alcohol problems, marijuana use, and interpersonal relationships with parents.

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Parents and adults spend a lot of time worrying about the influence of peers when it comes to teen substance use. Using a unique sample of 476 twin pairs who have been followed since birth, a new study examines if there is a genetic component that drives teens’ desire for risk taking and novelty.

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When compared with nondrinkers, men and women who had one or more alcoholic drinks per day had an overabundance of oral bacteria linked to gum disease, some cancers, and heart disease. By contrast, drinkers had fewer bacteria known to check the growth of other, harmful germs.

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The Latest News On Marijuana Research

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Decades of clinical and pre-clinical studies have demonstrated that chronic drinking leads to long-lasting changes in reward- and stress-related neuronal circuitry. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is an important part of this circuitry. Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADDs) are commonly used by neuroscientists to identify signals in nerve circuits that specify certain behaviors, perceptions, emotions, innate drives, or motor functions. This rodent study investigated the effects of DREADDs on nerve cell activity in the NAc (comprised of a core and a shell) in relation to binge-like drinking.

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Peer support specialists are people with a history of substance use disorder or mental illness who are in recovery and have been trained to provide personal, experience-based guidance and assistance to others with similar problems.

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Pancreatitis in ethnic minorities is linked to very high levels of triglycerides and the risk is further increased by alcohol abuse and gallstones, according to a study published in the journal Endocrine Practice.

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Many young adults know firsthand that alcohol hangovers are unpleasant. However, few psychometrically sound instruments (tests that accurately measure personality, mental ability, opinions, etc.) have measured hangovers beyond the college-age years. This study investigated the psychometric properties of two interconnected scales – the Hangover Symptom Scale (HSS) and the Hangover Symptom Scale – Short Form (HSS-5) – among a) light and heavy drinkers, b) individuals with a positive or negative family history of an alcohol use disorder (AUD), and c) men and women in a post college-aged sample.

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Click here to go to the Food Science News Source

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UT Southwestern researchers identify a hormone that acts on the brain to increase the desire to drink water in response to specific nutrient stresses that can cause dehydration.

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Engineers have developed a tiny, ultra-low power chip that could be injected just under the surface of the skin for continuous, long-term alcohol monitoring. The chip is powered wirelessly by a wearable device such as a smartwatch or patch. The goal of this work is to develop a convenient, routine monitoring device for patients in substance abuse treatment programs.

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Dairy that is fermented and brewed like beer could soon be on tap as Sam Alcaine, assistant professor in the Department of Food Science, turns dairy waste into a flavorful drink with an alcoholic kick.

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Underage drinking can lead to risky or harmful behaviors that include unintentional and unprotected sex, physical and sexual assault, traffic and other injuries, suicide, homicide, and overdoses. Binge drinking among adults is defined as five drinks consumed during two hours by adult men and four drinks by adult women – typically producing a blood alcohol level (BAL) of ≥0.08%. Adolescents can reach a similar BAL after consuming fewer drinks. This paper explored whether and how different levels of adolescent drinking affected associations with health-risk behaviors.

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Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a complex trait, both in its causes and characteristics. Individuals’ sensitivity to alcohol can predict their risk of adverse alcohol outcomes like AUD. Further, AUD runs in families, reflecting in part a genetic component. Alcohol sensitivity includes multiple sub-types whose characteristics (phenotypes) reflect the genetic and environmental factors that interact to produce the disorder. This critical review examines phenotypes related to a person’s response to alcohol, with an emphasis on specific gene variants that potentially impact alcohol sensitivity.