Released: 4-Apr-2016 9:05 PM EDT
Effects of Alcohol, Methamphetamine, and Marijuana Exposure on the Placenta
Research Society on Alcoholism

In the United States, prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is the most common preventable cause of developmental delay. Animal studies have shown some of the adverse effects of PAE on placental development, but few studies have examined these effects in humans. This is the first study to examine the effects of prenatal exposure to methamphetamine, marijuana, and cigarette smoking on human placental development.

Released: 4-Apr-2016 9:05 PM EDT
Fluctuations in Student Drinking During the Calendar Year
Research Society on Alcoholism

Heavy drinking by students is common during the college years and is associated with potentially serious consequences. While student drinking tends to fluctuate throughout the calendar year, with marked increases during celebrations, most studies of the issue are limited to the academic year itself, relatively few focus specifically on special heavy drinking events, and even fewer include drinking during summer break and subsequent school return. This study uses longitudinal data to address these gaps.

Released: 4-Apr-2016 9:05 PM EDT
Examining Alcohol Use Prior to Suicides and Motor Vehicle Crash Deaths
Research Society on Alcoholism

Injury death – including those due to intentional injury, with suicide most common, as well as unintentional injury, with motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) causing a majority – is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Postmortem examinations commonly test for blood alcohol concentration (BAC). This study utilizes postmortem data to examine the hypotheses that high, and very high, BACs are more common among MVC decedents than among suicide decedents, whereas low alcohol levels are more common among suicide decedents.

Released: 4-Apr-2016 9:05 PM EDT
Closer Examination Reveals Changes to the “Gender Gap” in Drinking
Research Society on Alcoholism

Previous research on an apparent narrowing of the historical “gender gap” in drinking prevalence found that girls were more likely to start drinking before 18 years of age compared to boys. This research seeks to extend these epidemiological findings by estimating the fine-grained, age-specific incidence of becoming a drinker among 12- to 24-year-old U.S. males and females, and comparing incidence estimates with prevalence proportions.

19-Apr-2016 12:05 PM EDT
Using “Heavy Drinking Days” to Measure Treatment Effectiveness
Research Society on Alcoholism

One of the challenges in evaluating the effectiveness of alcohol treatment is determining what constitutes a “good” outcome or meaningful improvement. While abstinence at the end of treatment is clearly a good outcome, a focus on abstinence ignores the benefits of patients reducing their drinking to less problematic levels so that they can function better and incur fewer social costs. This study estimates the relationship between drinking practices at the end of a treatment program and subsequent health-care costs, with an emphasis on heavy and non-heavy drinking levels.

   
19-Apr-2016 12:05 PM EDT
Graduated Driver Licensing Laws Need to Be Expanded Throughout the U.S.
Research Society on Alcoholism

Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) are the leading cause of death among U.S. teens. In 2012, 184,000 young drivers were injured in MVCs, and 23 percent of young drivers (15 - 20 years old) involved in fatal MVCs had consumed alcohol. One policy that may reduce alcohol-use behaviors and impaired driving among young people at a population level is graduated driver licensing (GDL), which increases the driving privileges of young novice drivers as they age and gain more driving experience. This research seeks to determine the effects of GDLs on risky driving behaviors of youth and to assess whether GDLs have an unintended effect on underage drinking behaviors.

   
19-Apr-2016 12:05 PM EDT
Alcohol Availability Affects Local Crime Patterns
Research Society on Alcoholism

Restrictions on alcohol availability may be an important crime-control policy, given that alcohol availability appears to influence crime by increasing consumption and alcohol-induced impulsivity. In 2003, Pennsylvania repealed its Sunday alcohol-sales ban for a portion of its state-run liquor stores. This paper investigates whether this change in alcohol policy, which affected alcohol availability, had an impact on crime occurring within the vicinity of liquor stores that opened on Sundays in Philadelphia.

   
19-Apr-2016 1:05 PM EDT
Alcohol-Induced Blackouts: The Last Five Years of Research
Research Society on Alcoholism

Alcohol-induced blackouts, defined as memory loss of all or a portion of events that occurred during a drinking episode, are reported by approximately 50 percent of drinkers, and are associated with a wide range of negative consequences, including injury and death. Identifying the factors that contribute to and result from alcohol-induced blackouts is critical for developing effective prevention programs. This manuscript is an updated review of clinical research that has focused on alcohol-induced blackouts. It outlines practical and clinical implications of these findings and provides recommendations for future research.

   
26-May-2016 9:00 AM EDT
Uncovering the Genetics Behind Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Research Society on Alcoholism

This review examines the current literature on the genetics of FASD susceptibility and gene-ethanol interactions. The authors also comment on potential mechanisms of reported gene-ethanol interactions.

   
26-May-2016 6:05 AM EDT
Unique Effects of Caffeinated Alcohol Consumption in Adolescents
Research Society on Alcoholism

This review examines three areas of study – one, the biological pathways of alcohol-linked breast cancer; two, the epidemiological risk relationship between drinking and breast cancer; and three, the global burden of breast cancer incidence and mortality that is attributable to drinking – with a focus on light drinking.

   
26-May-2016 6:05 AM EDT
Even Light Drinking May Increase Breast Cancer Risk
Research Society on Alcoholism

This review examines three areas of study – one, the biological pathways of alcohol-linked breast cancer; two, the epidemiological risk relationship between drinking and breast cancer; and three, the global burden of breast cancer incidence and mortality that is attributable to drinking – with a focus on light drinking.

   
26-May-2016 7:05 AM EDT
Alcohol Decreases Use of Condoms, Increases HIV Risk
Research Society on Alcoholism

Alcohol use, especially at binge levels, is associated with sexual HIV-risk behavior, but the mechanisms through which alcohol increases sexual risk taking are not well understood. This study addresses that gap.

   
Released: 1-Jun-2016 9:05 AM EDT
2008-2009 Recession: Alcohol Use Contributed to Suicide Among Men
Research Society on Alcoholism

Prior research has shown a link between the impact of contracting economies, especially as reflected by the unemployment rate, and suicide mortality risk. This study assesses changes in the rate of heavy alcohol use among suicide decedents, for both genders, during the 2008-2009 economic crisis.

   
Released: 1-Jun-2016 9:05 AM EDT
Alcohol’s Rewarding Effects Can Enhance Memories of Environmental Stimuli
Research Society on Alcoholism

Drug-cue associations can have a powerful influence over individuals with drug and alcohol use disorders, often leading to relapse in those attempting to stay abstinent. Few studies have investigated how drugs affect learning or memory for drug-associated stimuli in humans. This study examined the direct effects of alcohol on memory for images of alcohol-related beverages, such as beer bottles or liquor glasses, or neutral beverages, such as water bottles or soda cans, in social drinkers.

   
Released: 1-Jun-2016 9:05 AM EDT
Is Beer Good for the Brain?
Research Society on Alcoholism

While most people will agree that excessive consumption of alcohol can have a detrimental effect on the brain, there is less agreement regarding the effects of light or moderate drinking. This includes concern and controversy surrounding the effects of drinking on the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s (AD). This study investigated the association between consumption of different alcoholic beverages – beer, wine, and spirits – and one of the neuropathological signs of Alzheimer’s disease, β-amyloid (Aβ) aggregation in the brain.

   
Released: 1-Jun-2016 9:05 AM EDT
Can Maternal Alcohol Biomarkers Help Determine Risk for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?
Research Society on Alcoholism

It is well known that drinking during pregnancy can lead to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) in the offspring. Unfortunately, not all pregnant women are truthful about their levels of drinking. This study explored the feasibility of testing for various alcohol biomarkers in the blood of pregnant women to help identify pregnancies that are at high-risk for FAS.

   
20-Jun-2016 7:00 PM EDT
Understanding Risk Factors Involved in Initiation of Adolescent Alcohol Use
Research Society on Alcoholism

Underage drinking is a major public health and social problem in the U.S. The ability to identify at-risk children before they initiate heavy alcohol use has immense clinical and public health implications. A new study has found that demographic factors, cognitive functioning, and brain features during the early-adolescence ages of 12 to 14 years can predict which youth eventually initiate alcohol use during later adolescence around the age of 18.

   
20-Jun-2016 7:05 PM EDT
Substance User’s Social Connections: Family, Friends, and the Foresaken
Research Society on Alcoholism

It’s no secret that social environments can play a role in the development as well as recovery from substance-abuse problems. A new study, designed to uncover how individual relationships respond to substance use and social influences, has found that the links between substance use and social connections are bidirectional and strong.

20-Jun-2016 7:05 PM EDT
Multi-Media Project Targets Binge Drinking and HIV Infection Among Hispanic/Latino Young Adults
Research Society on Alcoholism

Health-promotion and disease-prevention efforts can no longer use a one-size-fits-all approach. Efforts targeting emerging adult populations – encompassing late adolescence and early adulthood – must embrace and utilize multi-pronged, multi-media approaches in order to be successful. This presentation discusses a unique media-awareness campaign designed to reduce binge drinking, as well as associated HIV/HCV risk, among Hispanic/Latino emerging adults.

   
20-Jun-2016 8:05 PM EDT
Mobile Breathalyzers Can Help Treatment Providers Extend the Reach of Outpatient Treatment
Research Society on Alcoholism

Alcohol treatment has come a long way from enforced isolation in asylums, and technological advancements are particularly promising in terms of their capacity to improve treatment effectiveness. Promising research looks at the feasibility, implementation, validity and utilization of mobile momentary-assessment breathalyzers within the context of an intensive outpatient (IOP) treatment for alcohol-use disorders (AUDs).

   
20-Jun-2016 8:05 PM EDT
Cancer-Treating Drugs May Help Reduce Alcoholism-Related Anxiety
Research Society on Alcoholism

Epigenetics is the study of changes in organisms caused by modifying gene expression – by alcohol, for example – rather than alteration of the genetic code itself. Recent evidence suggests that alcohol can inhibit activity of an enzyme called histone deacetylase (HDAC) in the amygdala, a brain region that is crucial for storing memories and regulating fear, anxiety, and other emotions. This presentation will address histone modifications in the rodent amygdala during chronic alcohol exposure and withdrawal.

   
20-Jun-2016 8:05 PM EDT
Drunkorexia 101: Increasing Alcohol’s Effects Through Diet and Exercise Behaviors
Research Society on Alcoholism

While many people view college drinking as the norm, less understood is that how students drink can place them at a higher risk for multiple problems. Drinking on an empty stomach usually means that someone will get drunk faster, given that food helps to absorb alcohol, slowing down alcohol absorption into the bloodstream. A growing trend among college drinkers is called “drunkorexia,” a non-medical term that refers to a combination of alcohol with diet-related behaviors such as food restriction, excessive exercising, or bingeing and purging.

   
20-Jun-2016 8:05 PM EDT
“Inflamm-Aging:” Alcohol Makes It Even Worse
Research Society on Alcoholism

The immune system in the elderly is dysfunctional and infections are more prevalent, more severe, and harder to defeat. Drinking alcohol has a variety of damaging effects on the immune system and organs – like the gut, liver and lung – which can be worsened by pre-existing conditions as well as consumption of prescription and over-the-counter medications that aged individuals often take. This presentation addresses how alcohol affects the elderly more dramatically, and also suppresses their ability to battle infections, like pneumonia, much more severely than it does younger individuals.

   
20-Jun-2016 8:05 PM EDT
“The Anonymous People” Documentary: 25 Million Americans Will No Longer Be Quiet
Research Society on Alcoholism

Current public perceptions about alcohol- and other drug-use disorders are out of step with scientific knowledge. There remains a general belief that these disorders are essentially moral failings and/or bad choices. This view is completely at odds with research demonstrating that these disorders are indeed a brain disease. A documentary called “The Anonymous People” features personal narratives that call for a fundamental reframing of the national conversation about alcohol and substance-use disorders and recovery.

   
Released: 20-Jun-2016 8:05 PM EDT
RSA 2016 Featured Research Findings
Research Society on Alcoholism

The 39th annual Research Society on Alcoholism Scientific Meeting will take place June 25-29 in New Orleans, Louisiana. RSA 2016 provides a meeting place for scientists and clinicians from across the country, and around the world, to interact. The meeting also gives members and non-members the chance to present their latest findings in alcohol research through abstract and symposia submissions.

   
22-Jun-2016 5:05 PM EDT
Minimum Legal Drinking Age of 21 Can Protect Against Later Risk of Death
Research Society on Alcoholism

The minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) in the U.S. regulates the age at which individuals can legally purchase and possess alcohol in public. An MLDA of 21 has been linked to a number of benefits, including a lower risk for alcoholism in adulthood. However, no studies have examined linkages between exposure to MLDAs during young adulthood and mortality later in life. This study examined if young adults – college and non-college students – exposed to a permissive MLDA (younger than 21) had a higher risk of death from alcohol-related chronic diseases compared to those exposed to an MLDA of 21.

   
22-Jun-2016 5:05 PM EDT
Adolescent Girls Choose to Drink at Lower Blood Alcohol Concentrations
Research Society on Alcoholism

Gender and a family history of alcoholism (FH) are two genetically determined factors known to affect someone’s risk for developing alcohol-use disorders (AUDs). Adolescence is also a critical period for the development of AUDs; drinking habits can be unstable and environmental factors such as peer pressure may be substantial. This study looked at how gender and FH might affect alcohol use in a sample of 18- to 19-year-olds from the Dresden Longitudinal Study on Alcohol use in Young Adults (D-LAYA).

   
29-Jun-2016 9:05 AM EDT
Trauma Induces More Alcohol Craving than Stress among Veterans with PTSD and Co-occurring Alcohol Dependence
Research Society on Alcoholism

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol dependence (AD) are two of the most common and debilitating disorders diagnosed among American military veterans. AD and PTSD often occur together, and this co-occurrence has a worse prognosis than either disorder alone. Alcohol craving is related to relapse, but the relationship between PTSD symptoms, craving, and relapse is not well understood. This study is the first to explore the effects of trauma-induced and stress-induced imagery on alcohol craving, affect, and cardiovascular and cortisol responses in a laboratory setting.

   
13-Jul-2016 10:05 AM EDT
There Is Something About Those Energy Drinks
Research Society on Alcoholism

Energy drinks combined with alcohol (AmEDs) were once available for purchase as a premixed beverage, until 2010 when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration determined that the combination was unsafe. However, the popularity of AmEDs continues to rise, fueled by private consumers and bartenders. There are a variety of risks associated with AmEDs, including a greater chance of binge drinking than with alcoholic beverages alone. This study investigated whether consuming high-caffeine energy drinks mixed with alcohol results in a greater desire to drink alcohol than alcohol alone.

   
13-Jul-2016 10:05 AM EDT
Working Memory in Aging Adults Becomes Increasingly Affected by Alcohol
Research Society on Alcoholism

Working memory can be thought of as short-term memory, temporarily holding ideas and recent events in the mind for quick recall. Working memory often declines with age; it may also be susceptible to interactions between age and alcohol use. Frontal theta power (FTP) and posterior alpha power (PAP) are electrophysiological measures of brain activity associated with cognitive effort and maintenance of visual information. This study looks at alcohol effects on FTP and PAP during a working memory task in younger and older social drinkers.

   
18-Jul-2016 11:05 AM EDT
Glutamate Levels in the Brain May Be Linked to Alcohol Craving
Research Society on Alcoholism

Craving consists of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral elements related to a desire to drink alcohol, and can be experienced during intoxication, withdrawal, and/or prior to relapse. Different types of craving are hypothesized to be associated with different neurotransmitter systems. For example, reward craving may be mediated by dopamine and opioids, obsessive craving by serotonin, and relief craving by glutamate. This study used magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) to examine the correlation between craving and glutamate levels in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (LDLPFC) of patients with alcohol use disorders (AUDs).

   
22-Jul-2016 10:05 AM EDT
When Tasting a Favorite Beer, Are You in Your ‘Right’ Mind?
Research Society on Alcoholism

According to researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine, you might be. Drug-seeking behavior can be prompted or cued by certain kinds of drug-associated stimuli. Prior research shows that this behavior likely depends on interactions between the brain’s frontal activity and release of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the ventral striatum (a structure deep inside the brain that is related to motivated behavior and reward). Previously, the authors of this study, using positron emission tomography (PET), found that beer flavor alone (from small, non-intoxicating amounts of beer) elicited dopamine release in beer drinkers. Here, the authors examined a subset of the previous group, using a similar design, but with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) – a technique that reveals brain activation.

   
25-Jul-2016 10:05 AM EDT
Adolescent Drinking Damages Later Verbal Learning and Memory Performance
Research Society on Alcoholism

Adolescence is both a time of rapid neurobiological changes and of the initiation of drinking – alcohol is the most commonly used substance among students in grades eight to 12. Binge-drinking effects are particularly concerning, although it is unclear whether and how much it affects neurocognitive performance. This study looked at two questions: first, whether moderate, binge, or extreme-binge drinking in adolescence had an impact on later performance in tests of verbal learning and memory (VLM); and second, whether the amount of alcohol consumed is associated with specific changes in learning and memory during six years of adolescence.

   
24-Aug-2016 11:05 AM EDT
Impulsivity Levels Help Identify At-Risk Offspring of Alcoholics
Research Society on Alcoholism

Researchers know that youth with a family history of alcoholism have a greater risk of developing an alcohol use disorder; this heightened vulnerability may be due to impulsive behavior. For this study, researchers examined “waiting” impulsivity – a tendency toward prematurely responding to a reward, and previously associated with a predisposition to drinking. The study sample comprised young, moderate-to-heavy social drinkers who were either positive (FHP) or negative (FHN) for a family history of alcoholism. Impulsivity was assessed after an alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink.

   
31-Aug-2016 12:05 PM EDT
Women at Higher Risk for Alcoholic Liver Disease Than Men
Research Society on Alcoholism

Heavy drinking frequently causes liver inflammation and injury, and fatty acids (FAs) involved in pro- and anti-inflammatory responses could play a critical role in these processes. This study evaluated heavy drinking and changes in levels of omega-6 (ω-6, pro-inflammatory) and omega-3 (ω-3, anti-inflammatory) FAs in alcohol dependent (AD) patients who showed no clinical signs of liver injury.

9-Sep-2016 8:05 AM EDT
Strong Alcohol Policies Can Help Prevent Suicide
Research Society on Alcoholism

Suicide was the tenth leading cause of death in the United States in 2013. There is clear evidence that intoxication and chronic, heavy drinking are often associated with suicide. While alcohol policies are known to be effective in reducing excessive drinking, this review undertakes a critical look at the literature on the relationship between alcohol policies and suicide.

   
12-Sep-2016 11:05 AM EDT
Testing for Damage to Airways Caused by Drinking and Smoking
Research Society on Alcoholism

Cells in the lung are constantly exposed to oxygen and intermittently exposed to other environmental factors, resulting in a susceptibility to oxidative injury. Both alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and cigarette smoking heighten pulmonary oxidative stress, likely due to antioxidant depletion. Pulmonary oxidative stress damages innate immunity, which can contribute to increased pneumonia susceptibility and severity. This study sought to understand whether measures of pulmonary oxidative stress in upper airway fluid are comparable to measures in the lower airways, and whether either compartment is preferentially affected by AUDs and/or smoking. If upper airways’ and lower airways’ oxidative stress indices are similar, less invasive methods to assess pulmonary oxidative stress, such as mini-bronchoalveolar lavage (mini-BAL) or sputum evaluations, could be used in research and clinical settings.

   
19-Sep-2016 10:05 PM EDT
Older adults with long-term alcohol dependence lose neurocognitive abilities
Research Society on Alcoholism

Heavy drinking can lead to neurophysiological and cognitive changes ranging from disrupted sleep to more serious neurotoxic effects. Aging can also contribute to cognitive decline. Several studies on the interaction of current heavy drinking and aging have had varied results. This study sought to elucidate the relations among age, heavy drinking, and neurocognitive function.

   
19-Sep-2016 10:05 PM EDT
Specific Trauma Experiences Contribute to Women's Alcohol Use, Differs by Race
Research Society on Alcoholism

Trauma exposure has consistently been reported as a risk factor for alcohol use and related problems. Further, racial differences in alcohol use, alcohol use disorder (AUD), and trauma exposure between European American (EA) and African American (AA) women have been reported previously. This study sought to identify racial differences in alcohol involvement, and to examine the risk conferred by specific trauma exposures and PTSD for different stages of alcohol involvement in EA and AA women.

   
23-Sep-2016 9:05 AM EDT
Energy Drink Use, with or Without Alcohol, Contributes to Drunk Driving
Research Society on Alcoholism

Highly caffeinated energy drinks (EDs) have been of concern to the public-health community for almost a decade. Many young people consume EDs with alcohol to decrease alcohol’s sedative effects and stay awake longer, enabling them to drink more alcohol. Adding to the growing body of research linking ED consumption with risk-taking and alcohol-related problems, this study examined its relationship with drunk driving. Importantly, the researchers differentiated between the different ways in which EDs are consumed: exclusively with alcohol, exclusively without alcohol, or both with and without alcohol depending on the occasion.

   
23-Sep-2016 9:05 AM EDT
Alcohol-Involved Homicide Victimization: Common, Linked to Male Gender, Minority Status, and History of Domestic Abuse
Research Society on Alcoholism

While the association between alcohol and homicide may seem obvious, there has been no recent study of alcohol involvement in homicide victimization in U.S. states. This study drills down into the subject, looking at how often alcohol was involved in homicide victimization, and what socio-demographic and other factors may be predictors.

   
3-Oct-2016 12:05 PM EDT
Impulsivity and Sensation Seeking Increase Risk of Alcohol and Drug Use among Youths
Research Society on Alcoholism

Adolescence can be a challenging time for both young people and their parents. Adolescents often face temptations to experiment with various substances and, unfortunately, this is the time when problem substance use typically begins. Vulnerability likely stems from at least two changes that occur during adolescence: although there are rapid increases in sensation seeking during early- to mid-adolescence, gradual improvements in impulse control become evident only during later adolescence. This study examines how these processes develop in high-risk youths.

   
3-Oct-2016 12:05 PM EDT
Alcoholism Worsens Insomnia, but There Is Hope
Research Society on Alcoholism

Individuals with alcohol dependence (AD) often have sleep-related disorders such as insomnia, circadian-rhythm sleep disorders, breathing-related sleep disorders, movement disorders, and parasomnias such as sleep-related eating disorder, sleepwalking, nightmares, sleep paralysis, and REM sleep behavior disorder. The last comprehensive review on this topic was published in March 2005. This review examines the various aspects of insomnia associated with AD, especially using findings over the last decade, and employing updated diagnostic criteria for sleep disorders found in the third edition of the International Classification of Sleep Disorders.

   
19-Oct-2016 10:05 AM EDT
Fake IDs Are a Red Flag for Problem Behaviors
Research Society on Alcoholism

Have you heard of the CNN effect? There is also a “fake ID effect:” This is when a fake piece of identification facilitates later harms. Researchers already know that underage college students who obtain and use false identification are at risk for negative outcomes. This study investigated the strength of the fake ID effect to determine whether having a fake ID is a signal of being at risk or it actually increases the likelihood that a student will suffer alcohol-related problems.

   
1-Nov-2016 10:05 AM EDT
The Brain Can Reveal Drinking Status Even After Death
Research Society on Alcoholism

Scientists who use postmortem brain tissue to study alcohol’s effects on brain structure and function will find this research interesting. Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) is an alcohol metabolite and its concentration in whole blood samples is a biomarker of drinking habits. For this study, scientists examined PEth levels in postmortem brains of individuals known to have had alcohol use disorders (AUDs).

   
3-Nov-2016 10:00 AM EDT
Does Sugar Make Your Alcoholic Drink Less Dangerous?
Research Society on Alcoholism

Recent research suggests that some women restrict food before and while drinking, quite possibly to compensate for alcohol-related calories. This can result in a combined state of fasting/alcohol intake, which can lead to higher breath alcohol concentrations (BrACs). Artificially sweetened alcohol mixers are also a commonly reported weight-control strategy. To determine whether artificial sweeteners accelerate alcohol responses or sugar dampens its effect (or a combination of both), this study investigated the effects of consuming alcohol with mixers containing no sweetener, sugar, or artificial sweetener on BrACs in a group of young women.

   
30-Nov-2016 3:30 PM EST
Resilience: A Small, Quiet Word with Huge Alcohol Use Disorder Implications
Research Society on Alcoholism

Certain personality traits – such as disinhibition (a lack of restraint) and impulsivity – increase the chances of developing alcohol use disorders (AUDs).

   
7-Dec-2016 10:05 AM EST
Liver-Transplant Patients Can Benefit From Screening by an Addiction Specialist
Research Society on Alcoholism

A liver transplant is usually the last-chance remedy for end-stage liver disease. Quality of life and/or survival rates within the first five post-transplant years, independent of the primary reason for the transplant, are similar to those for patients with other types of cirrhosis. Alcohol relapses after liver transplantation are a critical issue and severe alcohol relapse can have dire consequences. This study compares the routine post-transplant evaluation of drinking with one obtained through a specific addiction consultation.

   
14-Dec-2016 9:05 AM EST
Bai Jiu: Chinese Moonshine Has High Ethanol and Acetaldehyde Levels
Research Society on Alcoholism

Bai jiu (白酒) are distilled spirits made and used throughout rural China for everyday use and special occasions. Distillation of bai jiu is regulated lightly or not at all and nearly every town or village has a distiller. Little is known about the composition of these Chinese spirits, a gap this study seeks to fill given the health risks associated with their high ethanol and high acetaldehyde concentrations.

   
28-Dec-2016 10:05 AM EST
College-Student Status Does Not Automatically Mean Excessive Drinking
Research Society on Alcoholism

College matriculation is often associated with increases in the frequency and intensity of drinking. This study used a national sample to examine the association between being a college student and changes in excessive drinking from late adolescence through young adulthood and whether students’ residing with their parents during the school year affected the association.

   

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