Finnish Twins Reared Apart. IV: Smoking and Drinking Habits. A Preliminary Analysis of the Effect of Heredity and Environment

1984 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 425-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Kaprio ◽  
M. Koskenvuo ◽  
H. Langinvainio

AbstractData on alcohol use and smoking habits was available from the 1975 questionnaire of the entire cohort. Prior to pairwise analyses, the data of individuals was compared to that of age-sex matched groups of pairs reared together. The early separated twins had a higer alcohol consumption, while for smoking only slight differences were observed compared to twins reared together. Probandwise concordance rates were computed from smoking status (ever smoker/never smoker), alcohol use (user/nonuser) and “heavy” drinking (half-bottle of spirits on one occasion at least once a month). The following results were obtained in those pairs with the environmental dissimilarity score > 15:

Author(s):  
Ingeborg Rossow ◽  
Miroslav Bartak ◽  
Kim Bloomfield ◽  
Fleur Braddick ◽  
Elin K. Bye ◽  
...  

Evidence suggests that changes in alcohol consumption during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic were unevenly distributed over consumer groups. We investigated possible inter-country differences in how changes in alcohol consumption are contingent on initial consumption (before or at the start of the pandemic), and how changes in consumption translate into possible changes in the prevalence of heavy drinking. We used data from the European Survey on Alcohol use and COVID-19 (ESAC) conducted in Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, Poland, Spain, and the UK (N = 31921). Past-year alcohol consumption and changes in consumption were measured by AUDIT-C. Drinking habits were compared according to percentiles of pre-pandemic consumption levels, below versus above the 90th percentile. Across countries, drinkers in the highest 10% for pre-pandemic consumption increased their drinking during the pandemic, whereas absolute changes among those initially drinking below this level were modest. The percentage of people reporting >28 alcohol units/week increased significantly in seven of eight countries. During the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, alcohol consumption in the upper decile of the drinkers increased as did the prevalence of heavy drinkers, in contrast with a declining consumption in other groups in the sample.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s866-s866
Author(s):  
M. Juncal Ruiz ◽  
O. Porta Olivares ◽  
L. Sánchez Blanco ◽  
R. Landera Rodríguez ◽  
M. Gómez Revuelta ◽  
...  

IntroductionAlcohol consumption represents a significant factor for mortality in the world: 6.3% in men and 1.1% in women. Alcohol use disorder is also very common: 5.4% in men and 1.5% in women. Despite its high frequency and the seriousness of this disorder, only 8% of all alcohol-dependents are ever treated. One potentially interesting treatment option is oriented toward reducing alcohol intake.AimsTo describe one case who has improved his alcohol consumption after starting treatment with nalmefene, an opioid receptor antagonist related to naltrexone.MethodsA 35-year-old male with alcohol use disorder since 2001 came to our consult in November 2015. He was in trouble with his family and he had a liver failure. We offer a new treatment option with nalmefene 18 mg to reduce alcohol consumption.ResultsBefore to start nalmefene he drank 21 drinks/week. Six-month later, he decreased alcohol intake until 5 drinks/week with better family relationship and liver function. After starting nalmefene he complained of nausea, so we recommend to take the middle of the pill for next 7 days. After this time he returned to take one pill with good tolerance and no more side effects or withdrawal syndrome.ConclusionsNalmefene appears to be effective and safe in reducing heavy drinking and in preventing alcohol withdrawal syndrome due to its opioid receptor antagonism. This case suggests nalmefene is a potential option to help patients, who do not want or cannot get the abstinence, in reducing their alcohol consumption.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


1995 ◽  
Vol 12 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 14-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sari Hanhinen

This article compares Nordic drinking habit surveys and their results — a comparison previously done in 1988. It includes all the main surveys regarding drinking habits of the adult population in the Nordic countries since 1988. In addition the analysis takes in Italy and Germany. Drinking habits are described and compared on four dimensions: the share of abstainers and drinkers, overall drinking frequency, the volume of alcohol consumption, and heavy drinking and drinking for intoxication. The study highlights the difficulties inherent in the international comparison of drinking habits. The results indicate that even though the changes in beverage preferences imply a homogenization of drinking patterns, the homogenization hypothesis proves to be wrong when comparing the results concerning the shares of abstainers, drinking frequencies or distribution of alcohol consumption between women and men. Denmark still differs from the rest of the Nordic countries in these respects, being closer to central European countries like Germany. In the other Nordic countries traditional drinking patterns seem to persist despite the changes in beverage preferences. Closest to Denmark and central European countries stands Finland, where drinking frequency has been rising and where more alcohol is consumed than in Sweden, Norway and Iceland. Looking at the previous comparison of Nordic drinking habits, it can be concluded that drinking habits are very open to changes.


2005 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHANNES C. ROTHLIND ◽  
TANYA M. GREENFIELD ◽  
ANNE V. BRUCE ◽  
DIETER J. MEYERHOFF ◽  
DEREK L. FLENNIKEN ◽  
...  

Higher rates of alcohol use have been reported in HIV+ individuals compared to the general population. Both heavy alcohol use and HIV infection are associated with increased risk of neuropsychological (NP) impairment. We examined effects of heavy active alcohol use and HIV on NP functioning in a large sample of community-residing HIV+ individuals and HIV− controls. The four main study groups included 72 HIV− light/non-drinkers, 70 HIV− heavy drinkers (>100 drinks per month), 70 HIV+ light/non-drinkers, and 56 HIV+ heavy drinkers. The heavy drinking group was further subdivided to assess effects of the heaviest levels of active alcohol use (>6 drinks per day) on NP functioning. A comprehensive NP battery was administered. Multivariate analysis of covariance was employed to examine the effect of HIV and alcohol on NP functioning after adjusting for group differences in age and estimated premorbid verbal intellectual functioning. The analyses identified main effects of heavy drinking and HIV on NP function, with greatest effects involving the contrast of HIV+ heavy drinkers and the HIV− light drinkers. Synergistic effects of heaviest current drinking and HIV infection were identified in analyses of motor and visuomotor speed. Supplementary analyses also revealed better NP function in the HIV+ group with antiretroviral treatment (ART) and lower level of viral burden, a finding that was consistent across levels of alcohol consumption. Finally, heavy alcohol use and executive functioning difficulties were associated with lower levels of self-reported medication adherence in the HIV+ group. The findings suggest that active heavy alcohol use and HIV infection have additive adverse effects on NP function, that they may show synergistic effects in circumstances of very heavy active alcohol use, and that heavy drinking and executive functioning may mediate health-related behaviors in HIV disease. (JINS, 2005, 11, 70–83.)


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-39
Author(s):  
Ted H Greiner ◽  
Igor Z Zubrzycki ◽  
Boseul Jegal ◽  
Sang-Sun Lee

Background: There is concern that advice not to drink alcohol could discourage the initiation and particularly shorten the duration of breastfeeding. However, little research has explored the impact of variously worded messages about drinking while breastfeeding on women’s intentions to drink or to breastfeed. Methods: We haphazardly allocated a convenience sample of nulliparous (>95%) Korean female university students to be exposed to three differently worded messages on alcohol use during breastfeeding in the body of a questionnaire. Translated to English, they were as follows: Liberal: “Breastfeeding is compatible with moderate but not heavy drinking of alcohol.” Moderate: “You can use alcohol while breastfeeding, but only on rare occasions and only 1-2 drinks at a time. Too much alcohol can harm the breastfeeding process. After each drink, you should wait 2 hours before breastfeeding to keep the child from being affected.” Strict: “You should never use alcohol while you are breastfeeding.” Results: Most of the 280 valid responses expressed an intention to breastfeed. Over 90% of sampled women drank alcohol currently; 91% of them intended to reduce consumption during breastfeeding. How strictly messages were worded did not affect intention to drink during breastfeeding. Neither strict nor liberal messages reduced intention to drink alcohol while breastfeeding. The strict message clearly told the students what to do, whereas the moderate and liberal messages left choices up to them. Receiving these messages that required women to decide for themselves reduced the women’s intention to breastfeed (p<0.001). Conclusions: In this sample of largely nulliparous university women, a more strictly worded message regarding alcohol use during breastfeeding did not reduce breastfeeding intentions. Messages that left decisions up to the women did. The risk of harm associated with alcohol consumption during breastfeeding should we weighed against the risk that raising concerns about alcohol consumption might reduce the initiation or duration of breastfeeding. Research is needed to test such messages in different cultures and to follow up after delivery to see if indeed expressed intent correlates with actual practices. Until then, messages regarding breastfeeding and alcohol are likely to continue to be based only on the unexamined assumptions as to whether cautions about alcohol will affect women’s breastfeeding practices.


2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 125
Author(s):  
Breanne Hobden ◽  
Jamie Bryant ◽  
Kristy Forshaw ◽  
Christopher Oldmeadow ◽  
Tiffany-Jane Evans ◽  
...  

Objectives This study sought to determine, among a large sample of Australian general practice patients: (1) the prevalence of smoking among different levels of alcohol misuse; and (2) whether the associations between demographic characteristics and alcohol use differ according to smoking status. Methods A cross-sectional survey was administered from 2010 to 2011 to 3559 patients from 12 Australian urban general practices. Patients reported their demographic details, smoking status and their alcohol intake. Results The overall prevalence of reported concurrent smoking and alcohol misuse was 7.8%. Smokers were 3.81-fold more likely to have a higher level of alcohol consumption than non-smokers (95% confidence interval 3.13–4.63; P&lt;0.0001). There was evidence that smoking was an effect modifier of the relationship between alcohol misuse and chronic illness. Conclusions There was an increasing prevalence of smoking with increasing level of alcohol consumption. In addition, those with chronic conditions who smoked had greater odds of higher levels of alcohol consumption. Preventative interventions for these substances are needed to reduce the burden associated with concurrent smoking and alcohol misuse. What is known about the topic? Tobacco and alcohol are the most commonly used substances and contribute to over 10million deaths annually. The risk of disease is high when using either of these substances, however, concurrent use is associated with a greatly compounded risk. Australian data is limited regarding the prevalence of concurrent tobacco and alcohol misuse, however, international studies suggest variation in prevalence rates between different clinical settings. What does this paper add? This study examined the prevalence of concurrent smoking and alcohol misuse among different levels of alcohol misuse severity within an Australian general practice setting. Additionally it explored whether the associations between demographic characteristics and alcohol use differ according to smoking status. What are the implications for practitioners? This study has important implications for disease prevention and the delivery of preventive health services by general practitioners. Considering one in 100 clinical treatments provided in general practice relate to preventative smoking or alcohol counselling, it is critical that efforts are made to ascertain risk factors such as smoking and alcohol misuse to increase treatment rates. General practitioners should consider screening for smoking and alcohol misuse opportunistically during routine clinical encounters, as well as screening for smoking or alcohol misuse if one or the other is present.


1979 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 271-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert Mehrabian

The present study explored effects of emotional states on alcohol use. The three orthogonal dimensions of pleasure-displeasure, level of arousal, and dominance-submissiveness, which are necessary and sufficient to describe and measure any emotional state, were used as independent factors. Reports of amounts of beer, liquor, and wine consumption were the dependent measures. Confirming earlier findings, wine consumption was not a consistent part of the over-all pattern of drinking habits; wine drinking seems to have a distinctive psychological function in contrast to beer and liquor consumption which historically have been a more stable part of alcohol use in the U.S. Almost identical complex patterns of findings were obtained for beer and liquor use. For pleasant emotional states, reported alcohol consumption was greater when subjects felt dominant and aroused (elated, excited) than when they felt dominant and unaroused (relaxed) or submissive and aroused (impressed). For unpleasant emotional states, alcohol consumption was greatest when subjects felt submissive and unaroused (depressed, bored) and dominant and aroused (angry) and least when they felt submissive and aroused (anxious) or dominant and unaroused (unconcerned, detached). In comparisons of the effects of the sets of four pleasant and unpleasant emotional states, only a single significant consistent effect on alcohol use was noted. Subjects feeling displeasure, low arousal, and submissiveness (boredom) reported consuming more beer and liquor than those feeling pleasure, low arousal, and submissiveness (tranquilized, sheltered feeling).


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S118-S118
Author(s):  
D. Vladimirov ◽  
S. Niemelä ◽  
J. Auvinen ◽  
M. Timonen ◽  
S. Keinänen-Kiukaanniemi ◽  
...  

BackgroundLongitudinal studies on how temperament is related to alcohol use in general population are scarce.ObjectivesFinding relations with temperament and problematic alcohol use using prospective birth cohort data.AimsTo investigate trends in self-reported alcohol consumption in adulthood.MethodsIn the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (n = 5247), alcohol use was studied with questionnaires at ages 31 and 46. Participants were classified into abstainers, bingers, heavy drinkers, steady drinkers, increasers or reducers based on the change in consumption (g/day). Cloninger's TCI-scores were calculated for each group. Multinomial regression analysis was conducted with TCI-scores as factors influencing the change in alcohol consumption.ResultsHigh novelty seeking was associated with increased consumption, binging and heavy drinking among both sexes at both time points (P < 0.01). Lower persistence was associated with increased consumption at both time points among men and among women at age 46. Baseline novelty seeking predicted both increasing (OR 1.1; 95% CI: 1.0–1.1) and reducing (1.1; 1.0–1.1) for men and for women also increasing (1.1; 1.0–1.1) and reducing (1.1; 1.0–1.1), but when adjusted with baseline alcohol use novelty seeking only predicted increasing for men (1.0; 1.0–1.1).ConclusionsHigh novelty seeking and low persistence are associated with problematic alcohol use among middle-aged Northern Finns. Gender differences in predictors existed: novelty seeking predicted increase only for men in the adjusted model. Temperament scores do not seem to affect strongly changes in alcohol use.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2005 ◽  
Vol 23 (34) ◽  
pp. 8884-8893 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith M. Bellizzi ◽  
Julia H. Rowland ◽  
Diana D. Jeffery ◽  
Timothy McNeel

PurposeA population-based investigation was conducted to examine the prevalence of health behaviors (smoking, alcohol use, physical activity, and cancer screening) of cancer survivors by age, time since diagnosis, and cancer site. Understanding health behaviors of survivors is imperative, as many survivors are living longer and are at risk for cancer recurrence, second cancers, and complications from treatment.MethodsUsing the National Health Interview Survey, this study examined the prevalence of smoking and alcohol use as well as whether cancer survivors (n = 7,384) are meeting current recommendations for physical activity and cancer screening compared with noncancer controls (n = 121,347).ResultsCancer survivors are similar to controls with respect to smoking status and alcohol consumption after adjusting for group differences. However, younger survivors (18 to 40 years) are at greater risk for continued smoking than controls. Survivors are 9% more likely to meet physical activity recommendations compared with controls. χ2tests indicate no significant differences in smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity by time since diagnosis, but differences by cancer site exist. Female cancer survivors are 34% and 36% more likely to meet mammogram and Papanicolaou smear screening recommendations, respectively, compared with controls. Similar screening patterns were found for prostate-specific antigen screening in men.ConclusionThis study provides benchmark approximations of the prevalence of risky health behaviors of survivors by time since diagnosis and cancer site. As part of the collective effort to reduce late effects of cancer treatment, oncologists may be in the best position to offer initial guidance for promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors among cancer survivors.


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