scholarly journals Threatening increase in alcohol consumption in physicians quarantined due to coronavirus outbreak in Poland: the ALCOVID survey

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 461-465 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrzej Silczuk
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Alcohol Dependence ◽  
Problem Drinking ◽  
Medical Professionals ◽  
Cover Letter ◽  
Current Crisis ◽  
Potential Risks

ABSTRACT Background The potential risks of increased alcohol use and of the development of alcohol dependence during COVID-19 pandemic were identified. So far there have been no studies concerning pandemic influence on alcohol consumption in medical professionals in quarantine or isolation. Methods The 12 point ‘online’ ALCOVID survey with a cover letter was designed and addressed to physicians, recruited online via accessible networks, who underwent isolation or quarantine during recent pandemic. The AUDIT-3 scale was included. Results A representative trial of 113 physicians participated in the study. Over 53% of screened doctors revealed that the amounts of the consumed alcohol have escalated; almost 20% of subjects binged over seven standard drinks for one occasion. Close to every second used six or more drinks on one occasion. Over 40% used alcohol more than four times per week. Female used alcohol more often and more standard drinks per occasion. Male binged more. Anxiety and hopelessness were the most common motives to drink. Conclusions Alcohol consumption in physicians in quarantine has threateningly increased. It is important to identify the group of people at the risk of problem drinking and dependence development, especially when it concerns key professional branches in the fight against the current crisis.

scholarly journals Is Alcohol Consumption Associated with Poor Perceived Academic Performance? Survey of Undergraduates in Finland

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 1369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walid El Ansari ◽  
Abdul Salam ◽  
Sakari Suominen
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Alcohol Dependence ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Problem Drinking ◽  
Heavy Episodic Drinking ◽  
Sociodemographic Characteristics ◽  
Living Situation ◽  
Alcohol Behaviors

The relationship between academic performance and alcohol consumption among students remains inconsistent. We assessed this relationship, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics across seven faculties at the University of Turku (1177 undergraduates). An online questionnaire assessed: seven sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, year/discipline of study, accommodation type, being in intimate relationship, parental education, and income sufficiency); two perceived academic performance (students’ subjective importance of achieving good grades and students’ appraisal of their academic performance compared to peers); and six alcohol consumption behaviors (length of time, amount consumed, frequency, heavy episodic drinking, problem drinking, and possible alcohol dependence). Simple logistic regression assessed relationships between sociodemographic and academic variables with alcohol consumption behaviors; multiple logistic regression assessed the same relationships after controlling for all other variables. Students reported long duration and large amount of drinking (46% and 50%), high frequency of drinking (41%), heavy episodic drinking (66%), problem drinking (29%), and possible alcohol dependence (9%). After controlling, gender was associated with all alcohol consumption behaviors, followed by religiosity (associated with four alcohol behaviors), living situation, marital status, age (each associated with two alcohol behaviors), and parental education and year of study (each associated with one alcohol behavior). Study discipline, income sufficiency, importance of achieving good grades, and academic performance compared to peers were not associated with any alcohol behaviors. Universities need to assess problem drinking and alcohol use disorders among students. Prevention strategies are required to reduce risk. Health promotion efforts could focus on beliefs and expectations about alcohol and target student groups at risk for more efficient and successful efforts.

scholarly journals Estimating need for alcohol treatment in Ireland using national treatment surveillance data

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Marie Carew ◽  
Derek O’Neill ◽  
Suzi Lyons ◽  
Bobby P. Smyth
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Alcohol Dependence ◽  
Alcohol Treatment ◽  
Surveillance Data ◽  
Drinking Patterns ◽  
National Treatment ◽  
Geographic Variations ◽  
Problem Alcohol Use ◽  
Treatment Entry

Abstract Background International evidence indicates that about 10% of people with alcohol dependence will seek and commence treatment each year. Based upon Irish estimates of prevalence of dependence, a target of 690.0 treated cases per 100,000 population per annum is expected. Aims This study analyses routine national surveillance data on alcohol treatment to measure how treatment need is being met. Methods National treatment surveillance data on problem alcohol use collected by the National Drug Treatment Reporting System (NDTRS) were analysed. The study included cases resident in Ireland, aged 18–64 years entering treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD) between 2015 and 2019 (n = 44,079). Treatment rates were calculated per 100,000 of the population. Descriptive and exploratory statistics were used to describe characteristics of cases treated. Results National rate of treated AUD was 270 cases per 100,000 annually, with a rate of treated alcohol dependence of 165/100,000. There was a fivefold difference between the lowest and highest rates (119 cases per 100,000 in Meath versus 633 in Waterford). Drinking patterns indicate high levels of alcohol consumption and prolonged use prior to treatment. The use of other drugs alongside alcohol was common. Conclusions Despite high rates of alcohol consumption and dependence, the rate of treatment entry nationally is sub-optimal, although there are wide geographic variations. There is a need to better understand the reasons for low treatment entry rates in Ireland for people with alcohol dependence. Monitoring and surveillance play a key role in measuring the successful efforts to reduce the harm of alcohol.

scholarly journals A Qualitative Study of Local Perspectives on Problem Drinking in Peruvian Andean Highlands: Control, Power, and Responsibility

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sakiko Yamaguchi ◽  
Raphael Lencucha ◽  
Thomas Gordon Brown
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Political Violence ◽  
Problem Drinking ◽  
Cultural Practice ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Public Health Approach ◽  
Government Control ◽  
Lack Of Control ◽  
Local Perspectives

Abstract Background The public health approach to alcohol consumption that encourages moderate alcohol consumption and self-control often sits in tension with an ever-expanding profit-driven alcohol industry and an unwillingness of governments to regulate alcohol supply. The Peruvian Andean highland has seen the change of the Andean practice of collective drinking in response to the increased availability of alcohol and the experience of political violence. This paper sheds light on the ways that control, and specifically lack of control, intersects with the growing influence of alcohol companies and the reconfiguring of alcohol in Andean cultural practice.Methods Data were collected through focus group interviews (n=19) with community participants, teachers, and health workers, and key informant interviews (n=28). Thematic analysis was conducted to identify patterns of individual and collective meaning and social, political and economic factors associated with alcohol use. Results Local perspectives regarding loss of control over alcohol highlight the complex patterns of power and meaning exerted and experienced by different actors, shaping both understanding and behaviour. Participants’ focus on parents’ lack of control over alcohol use by some “abandoned” children reflects the structural vulnerability of some Andean families struggling with economic hardships. Another focus was on the money spent by men to engage in problem drinking. Participants interpreted alcohol consumption in this context as a way that men demonstrate their masculine identity and symbolic power as the breadwinner who controls the household economy. The third focus is superimposed onto the market economy. Participants expressed that the expansion of the alcohol market and perceived absence of government control coupled with macroeconomic conditions shaped patterns of alcohol consumption.Conclusion Echoing the political economy perspective, participants’ perspectives on control illustrate how problem drinking is shaped not simply by an individual drinker’s lack of self-control but also by an environment that enables the unrestrained marketing of alcohol products and the creation of a culture of consumption. Furthermore, harmful consumption is mediated by the reshaping of the Andean cultural practice of collective drinking. Attending to local perspectives is essential for policies and interventions that connect structural dynamics with the cultural and experiential aspects of alcohol consumption.

Other ways for the treatment of alcohol dependence: A patient treated with nalmefene

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S484-S484
Author(s):  
O. Porta Olivares ◽  
M. Juncal Ruiz ◽  
M. Gómez Revuelta ◽  
G. Pardo de Santayana Jenaro ◽  
L. Sánchez Blanco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Alcohol Dependence ◽  
Alcohol Use Disorder ◽  
Opiate Receptors ◽  
Heavy Drinking ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Total Consumption ◽  
Excessive Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Competing Interest

IntroductionAlcohol dependence belongs to one of the major risk factors to health worldwide. Alcohol consumption is a significant factor for mortality in the world: 6.3% in men and 1.1% in women. The alcohol use disorder is also very common: 5.4% in men, 1.5% in women. Despite its high frequency and severity of this disorder, only 8% of all alcohol dependents are treated once.AimsAn interesting treatment option is geared toward reducing alcohol intake. Some patients in treatment for alcohol use disorder prefer an initial target of reducing consumption. Nalmefene, an antagonist naltrexone associated with opioid receptors, has been authorized in the European Union to help alcohol-dependent patients reduce their consumption. Antagonists’ opiate receptors are associated with reduced reward in relation to alcohol consumption, thus helping patients in reducing energy consumption.MethodsA man of 39 years old, with a diagnosis of alcohol use disorder and depressive disorder and poor outcome despite different types of treatment (as aversive agents) was treated with nalmefene.ResultsAfter a few months, nalmefene had a beneficial effect on the patient, with a significant reduction in the number of days of excessive alcohol consumption and total consumption in the sixth month. In addition, treatment was well tolerated, with no observed secondary effects.ConclusionsNalmefene appears to be effective and safe in reducing heavy drinking. Drugs such as nalmefene have demonstrated efficacy in association with a biopsychosocial approach to help patients achieve their personal objectives for this disorder.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Polygenic contributions to alcohol use and alcohol use disorders across population-based and clinically ascertained samples

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma C. Johnson ◽  
Sandra Sanchez-Roige ◽  
Laura Acion ◽  
Mark J. Adams ◽  
Kathleen K. Bucholz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Alcohol Dependence ◽  
Problem Drinking ◽  
Alcohol Use Disorders ◽  
Collaborative Study ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Parents And Children ◽  
Generation Scotland ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Background Studies suggest that alcohol consumption and alcohol use disorders have distinct genetic backgrounds. Methods We examined whether polygenic risk scores (PRS) for consumption and problem subscales of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C, AUDIT-P) in the UK Biobank (UKB; N = 121 630) correlate with alcohol outcomes in four independent samples: an ascertained cohort, the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA; N = 6850), and population-based cohorts: Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC; N = 5911), Generation Scotland (GS; N = 17 461), and an independent subset of UKB (N = 245 947). Regression models and survival analyses tested whether the PRS were associated with the alcohol-related outcomes. Results In COGA, AUDIT-P PRS was associated with alcohol dependence, AUD symptom count, maximum drinks (R2 = 0.47–0.68%, p = 2.0 × 10−8–1.0 × 10−10), and increased likelihood of onset of alcohol dependence (hazard ratio = 1.15, p = 4.7 × 10−8); AUDIT-C PRS was not an independent predictor of any phenotype. In ALSPAC, the AUDIT-C PRS was associated with alcohol dependence (R2 = 0.96%, p = 4.8 × 10−6). In GS, AUDIT-C PRS was a better predictor of weekly alcohol use (R2 = 0.27%, p = 5.5 × 10−11), while AUDIT-P PRS was more associated with problem drinking (R2 = 0.40%, p = 9.0 × 10−7). Lastly, AUDIT-P PRS was associated with ICD-based alcohol-related disorders in the UKB subset (R2 = 0.18%, p < 2.0 × 10−16). Conclusions AUDIT-P PRS was associated with a range of alcohol-related phenotypes across population-based and ascertained cohorts, while AUDIT-C PRS showed less utility in the ascertained cohort. We show that AUDIT-P is genetically correlated with both use and misuse and demonstrate the influence of ascertainment schemes on PRS analyses.

scholarly journals Prevalence of Alcohol Use and Factors Associated With Problem Drinking in Social Networks of People Living With HIV Infection in St. Petersburg, Russia

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 380-393
Author(s):  
Yuri A. Amirkhanian ◽  
Jeffrey A. Kelly ◽  
Sergey S. Tarima ◽  
Anna V. Kuznetsova ◽  
Wayne J. DiFranceisco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Binge Drinking ◽  
Illicit Drugs ◽  
Problem Drinking ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Hiv Care ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
The Past

Russia has over 1.2 million HIV infections and Europe's highest HIV incidence. Although its HIV epidemic is intertwined with high alcohol consumption rates, the interaction between alcohol use and HIV care in Russia is understudied. Five hundred eighty-six HIV-positive persons were recruited using social network methods in St. Petersburg. Fifty-nine percent of males, and 45% of females, drank regularly. Thirty percent of alcohol users reported binge drinking (males: ≥ 5 drinks; females ≥ 4 drinks) in the past week. Alcohol use was associated with lower HIV care engagement and having a detectable viral load. Multivariate analyses showed that any alcohol consumption, number of alcohol drinks consumed, and having a binge drinking day in the past week were associated with male gender, use of illicit drugs, drug injection, smaller social network size, lower social supports, being unmarried, and reporting condomless intercourse with non-main partners. Interventions to improve HIV care in Russia must comprehensively address the use of alcohol and substances that interfere with care engagement.

scholarly journals Validation of an Online Version of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) for Alcohol Screening in Spanish University Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 5213
Author(s):  
Laura Ballester ◽  
Itxaso Alayo ◽  
Gemma Vilagut ◽  
José Almenara ◽  
Ana Cebrià ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
University Students ◽  
Alcohol Dependence ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Alcohol Use Disorders ◽  
Alcohol Screening ◽  
Online Version ◽  
Timeline Followback ◽  
Identification Test

Online alcohol screening may be helpful in preventing alcohol use disorders. We assessed psychometric properties of an online version of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) among Spanish university students. We used a longitudinal online survey (the UNIVERSAL project) of first-year students (18–24 years old) in five universities, including the AUDIT, as part of the WHO World Mental Health International College Student (WMH-ICS) initiative. A reappraisal interview was carried out with the Timeline Followback (TLFB) for alcohol consumption categories and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) for alcohol use disorder. Reliability, construct validity and diagnostic accuracy were assessed. Results: 287 students (75% women) completed the MINI, of whom 242 also completed the TLFB. AUDIT’s Cronbach’s alpha was 0.82. The confirmatory factor analysis for the one-factor solution of the AUDIT showed a good fit to the data. Significant AUDIT score differences were observed by TLFB categories and by MINI disorders. Areas under the curve (AUC) were very large for dependence (AUC = 0.96) and adequate for consumption categories (AUC > 0.7). AUDIT cut-off points of 6/8 (women/men) for moderate-risk drinking and 13 for alcohol dependence showed sensitivity/specificity of 76.2%/78.9% and 56%/97.5%, respectively. The online version of the AUDIT is useful for detecting alcohol consumption categories and alcohol dependence in Spanish university students.

scholarly journals Trans-ancestral GWAS of alcohol dependence reveals common genetic underpinnings with psychiatric disorders

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond K. Walters ◽  
Mark J. Adams ◽  
Amy E. Adkins ◽  
Fazil Aliev ◽  
Silviu-Alin Bacanu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Alcohol Dependence ◽  
Problem Drinking ◽  
Behavioral Outcomes ◽  
Genetic Correlations ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Genome Wide Data ◽  
Dsm Iv ◽  
Family Based ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractLiability to alcohol dependence (AD) is heritable, but little is known about its complex polygenic architecture or its genetic relationship with other disorders. To discover loci associated with AD and characterize the relationship between AD and other psychiatric and behavioral outcomes, we carried out the largest GWAS to date of DSM - IV diagnosed AD. Genome - wide data on 14,904 individuals with AD and 37,944 controls from 28 case / control and family - based studies were meta - analyzed, stratified by genetic ancestry (European, N = 46,568; African; N = 6,280). Independent, genome - wide significant effects of different ADH1B variants were identified in European (rs1229984; p = 9.8E - 13) and African ancestries (rs2066702; p = 2.2E - 9). Significant genetic correlations were observed with schizophrenia, ADHD, depression, and use of cigarettes and cannabis. There was only modest genetic correlation with alcohol consumption and inconsistent associations with problem drinking. The genetic underpinnings of AD only partially overlap with those for alcohol consumption, underscoring the genetic distinction between pathological and non - pathological drinking behaviors.

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