scholarly journals Craving is everything: An eye-tracking exploration of attentional bias in binge drinking

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 636-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoé Bollen ◽  
Nicolas Masson ◽  
Samuel Salvaggio ◽  
Fabien D’Hondt ◽  
Pierre Maurage

Background: Attentional bias towards alcohol-related stimuli is a core characteristic of severe alcohol use disorders (AUD), directly linked to clinical variables (e.g. alcohol consumption, relapse). Nevertheless, the extent of this bias in subclinical populations remains poorly documented. This is particularly true for binge drinking, an alcohol consumption pattern highly prevalent in youth, characterised by an alternation between excessive intakes and withdrawal periods. Aims: We used eye-tracking to: (a) measure attentional bias in binge drinking, (b) determine its time course by dissociating early/late processing stages, (c) clarify its specificity for alcohol-related stimuli compared to other appetitive stimulations and (d) explore its modulation by current craving intensity. Methods: Binge drinkers ( n=42) and matched controls ( n=43) performed a visual probe task, requiring visual targets preceded by pairs of pictures to be processed, with three conditions (i.e. alcohol vs. soft drink, alcohol vs. high-calorie food, high-calorie food vs. low-calorie food). Results: No group difference was observed for early processing (i.e. first area of interest visited). Dwell times highlighted a bias towards soft drinks and healthy food among controls, without any global bias towards alcohol in binge drinkers. Centrally, a comparison of binge drinkers with low versus high current craving intensity indicated that binge drinking was associated with a bias towards alcohol and high-calorie food only in the presence of a high craving towards these stimuli. Conclusion: Attentional bias towards alcohol reported in severe AUD is only found in binge drinkers in the presence of high craving and is generalised to other appetitive cues.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo-Yeon Kim ◽  
Hyewon Nam ◽  
Jeong-Ju Yoo ◽  
Yoon-Young Cho ◽  
Dug-Hyun Choi ◽  
...  

Abstract Background This study was performed to investigate the association between the amount of alcohol consumption or binge drinking and obesity-related comorbidities in Korean men. Methods A total of 103,048 men aged 19 years or older were investigated in the 2016 Korean Community Health Survey. The participants were divided into five groups according to the standard number of alcoholic drinks consumed per week. Results Of the total participants, 20.7% were in the high alcohol consumption group, consuming more than 28 drinks per week. After adjustment for clinical factors, high alcohol consumption was significantly associated with higher odds ratios (ORs) of obesity (OR, 1.449; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.412 to 1.591; P < 0.0001), hypertension (OR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.636 to 1.894; P < 0.0001), and dyslipidemia (OR, 1.356; 95% CI, 1.247 to 1.474; P < 0.0001). In contrast, mild to moderate alcohol consumption was associated with a lower risk of diabetes (OR, 0.799; 95% CI, 0.726 to 0.88; P = 0.0015) and high alcohol consumption was not associated with a higher risk of diabetes (OR, 0.945; 95% CI, 0.86 to 1.039; P = 0.0662). Among drinkers, except for social drinkers, binge drinking was significantly associated with higher risks of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. Conclusions High alcohol consumption was associated with higher risks of obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia in Korean men. In contrast, high consumption was not associated with a higher risk of diabetes. In particular, binge drinkers were associated with higher risks of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia compared to non-binge drinkers.


2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Correas ◽  
E López-Caneda ◽  
L Beaton ◽  
S Rodríguez Holguín ◽  
LM García-Moreno ◽  
...  

Background: The prevalence of binge drinking has risen in recent years. It is associated with a range of neurocognitive deficits among adolescents and young emerging adults who are especially vulnerable to alcohol use. Attention is an essential dimension of executive functioning and attentional disturbances may be associated with hazardous drinking. The aim of the study was to examine the oscillatory neural dynamics of attentional control during visual target detection in emerging young adults as a function of binge drinking. Method: In total, 51 first-year university students (18 ± 0.6 years) were assigned to light drinking ( n = 26), and binge drinking ( n = 25) groups based on their alcohol consumption patterns. A high-density magnetoencephalography signal was combined with structural magnetic resonance imaging in an anatomically constrained magnetoencephalography model to estimate event-related source power in a theta (4–7 Hz) frequency band. Phase-locked co-oscillations were further estimated between the principally activated regions during task performance. Results: Overall, the greatest event-related theta power was elicited by targets in the right inferior frontal cortex and it correlated with performance accuracy and selective attention scores. Binge drinkers exhibited lower theta power and dysregulated oscillatory synchrony to targets in the right inferior frontal cortex, which correlated with higher levels of alcohol consumption. Conclusions: These results confirm that a highly interactive network in the right inferior frontal cortex subserves attentional control, revealing the importance of theta oscillations and neural synchrony for attentional capture and contextual maintenance. Attenuation of theta power and synchronous interactions in binge drinkers may indicate early stages of suboptimal integrative processing in young, highly functioning binge drinkers.


Author(s):  
Naiefa Rashied

Aims: To examine the socio-economic factors associated with alcohol consumption in South Africa. Design: Cross-sectional study exploring the various socio-economic factors associated with alcohol consumption in South Africa. Setting: South Africans older than 15 years across the country’s nine provinces. Participants: Adult respondents of the alcohol intensity and frequency questions in Wave 4 of the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) (n=28 401). Measures: Alcohol, demographic, emotional, health and neighbourhood variables. Findings: White and Mixed Heritage (referred to as ‘Coloured’ in South Africa) adults were more likely to consume alcohol, while Indian and White adults were less likely to binge drink relative to African adults. Males at greater risk of depression, and those who resided in neighbourhoods where frequent alcohol and drug abuse was common, were more likely to binge drink. Females who exercised more than three times a week were also more likely to drink and binge drink. Adults who smoked were more likely to drink and binge drink relative to non-smoking adults. Accounting for binge drinkers’ household size, average monthly household spending for binge drinkers was low, which suggests that binge drinkers under-reported household alcohol spending. There was evidence of drinking and binge drinking among pregnant women. Conclusions: Binge drinking trends related to race, gender, neighbourhood, pregnancy and household alcohol spending warrant further investigation and consideration for possible future alcohol interventions in South Africa.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Concepción Vinader-Caerols ◽  
Santiago Monleón

Background: This study examines the interaction between a history of binge drinking (BD), alone or with cannabis consumption, and the effects of acute alcohol exposure on immediate visual memory (IVM) (faces memory task, scenes memory task and IVM-IQ) in adolescents of both sexes.Method: Two hundred and ninety adolescents, grouped into refrainers, binge drinkers and subjects with a history of simultaneous BD/Cannabis co-use, received a risk dose of alcohol or a control drink.Results: Consumption Pattern (refrainers vs. binge drinkers vs. BD/Cannabis consumers) was not significant, while Treatment (acute alcohol vs. control drink) was significant in both sexes. Also, male binge drinkers' performance in the faces memory task was poorer than that of refrainers and BD/Cannabis consumers who consumed the control drink. BD/Cannabis consumers performed this task as capably as refrainers. In women, binge drinkers performed better than refrainers in scene memory and IVM-IQ tests when given alcohol, and binge drinkers performed worse than refrainers after consuming the control drink.Conclusions: Acute alcohol consumption worsens IVM. Cannabis exerts a buffering effect in men. A cognitive tolerance effect is observed in women. Exposure during adolescence to alcohol, alone or with cannabis, can trigger different cognitive effects in men and women that could endure into adulthood.


Author(s):  
Margarida Vasconcelos ◽  
Alberto Crego ◽  
Rui Rodrigues ◽  
Natália Almeida-Antunes ◽  
Eduardo López-Caneda

To “flatten the curve” of COVID-19 contagion, several countries ordered lockdowns amid the pandemic along with indications on social distancing. These social isolation measures could potentially bring alterations to healthy behavior, including to alcohol consumption. However, there is hardly any scientific evidence of the impact of such measures on alcohol consumption and binge drinking (BD) among young adults, and how they relate to alcohol craving, stress, anxiety, and depression levels. We addressed these questions by conducting a longitudinal study with 146 Portuguese college students—regular binge drinkers (regular BDs), infrequent binge drinkers (infrequent BDs) and non-binge drinkers (non-BDs)—in three moments: before the pandemic (Pre-Lockdown), during lockdown (Lockdown) and 6 months after (Post-Lockdown). Results revealed that regular BDs decreased alcohol use during Lockdown, a change in behavior that was even greater during Post-Lockdown, when regular BDs displayed similar levels of consumption to infrequent/non-BDs. Additionally, alcohol craving and living with friends were predictive of alcohol use during Lockdown, whereas stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms did not contribute to explain changes in drinking behavior. Collectively, the results suggest that BD in young Portuguese college students can be stopped when the contexts in which alcohol intake usually takes place are suppressed, which may have important implications for future prevention and intervention strategies.


Author(s):  
Tamara Edkins ◽  
Jason D. Edgerton ◽  
Lance W. Roberts

There is a lack of recent research exploring the differences between binge and non-binge drinkers among Canadian university students. The current study aims to address this gap in the literature through an exploratory statistical analysis. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate (logistic regression) analyses were employed to identify the prevalence of binge drinking, as well as its various sociodemographic, behavioural, and mental health correlates. A large majority (83.1%) of the 507 respondents reported consuming alcohol in the previous 12 months; of these, 69.7% (67.0% of males, 70.9% of females) reported engaging in binge drinking (5 drinks in one session for males, 4 for females) at least once in the previous 30 days. Although there was no significant gender difference in the prevalence of binge drinking, there were several gender differences among the correlates. Compared to non-binge drinkers, male binge drinkers reported greater life satisfaction, and greater probability of smoking cigarettes and engaging in risky sex, while females reported greater impulsivity and lower religiosity. As expected, binge drinkers experienced more adverse consequences from alcohol consumption than did non-binge drinkers, but unexpectedly did not differ significantly in mental health and wellbeing. Limitations of the present study and future research directions are discussed with a view to improving our understanding of risk and protective factors related to unhealthy alcohol consumption among university students in Canada and abroad.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. S91
Author(s):  
Z. Bollen ◽  
N. Masson ◽  
S. Salvaggio ◽  
F. D’Hondt ◽  
P. Maurage

2020 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 468-479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Maurage ◽  
Séverine Lannoy ◽  
Jessica Mange ◽  
Delphine Grynberg ◽  
Hélène Beaunieux ◽  
...  

Abstract Rationale Binge drinking (BD), characterized by recurring alternations between intense intoxication episodes and abstinence periods, is the most frequent alcohol consumption pattern in youth and is growing in prevalence among older adults. Many studies have underlined the specific harmful impact of this habit by showing impaired abilities in a wide range of cognitive functions among binge drinkers, as well as modifications of brain structure and function. Aims Several controversies and inconsistencies currently hamper the harmonious development of the field and the recognition of BD as a specific alcohol consumption pattern. The main concern is the absence of consensual BD conceptualization, leading to variability in experimental group selection and alcohol consumption evaluation. The present paper aims at overcoming this key issue through a two-step approach. Methods and conclusions First, a literature review allows proposing an integrated BD conceptualization, distinguishing it from other subclinical alcohol consumption patterns. Six specific characteristics of BD are identified, namely, (1) the presence of physiological symptoms related to BD episodes, (2) the presence of psychological symptoms related to BD episodes, (3) the ratio of BD episodes compared to all alcohol drinking occasions, (4) the frequency of BD episodes, (5) the consumption speed and (6) the alternation between BD episodes and soberness periods. Second, capitalizing on this conceptual clarification, we propose an evaluation protocol jointly measuring these six BD characteristics. Finally, several research perspectives are presented to refine the proposed conceptualization.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tara Ballav Adhikari ◽  
Anupa Rijal ◽  
Per Kallestrup ◽  
Dinesh Neupane

Abstract Background Harmful use of alcohol is a global public health problem. Differences in alcohol consumption patterns may add valuable information to the design of public health interventions to prevent excessive use of alcohol, which is yet missing in Nepal. Hence, the purpose of the study is to determine the prevalence, patterns of alcohol consumption and socio-economic correlates of lifetime alcohol consumption and binge drinking in the semi-urban area of Pokhara Municipality. Methods The cross-sectional data used in this study were collected as part of the COBIN study to understand alcohol consumption patterns and frequency and to determine correlates of lifetime alcohol consumption and binge drinking in the semi-urban area of Pokhara Municipality, Nepal. Results Out of 2815 study participants, 35.6% had ever used alcohol in their lifetime (Male 67.2% and Female 18.9%). Among 571 respondents who drank alcohol within the past 30 days, 77.1% male, and 46.9% female reported binge drinking behaviour. On average, males consumed 8.8 ± 0.3 standard alcohol drinks on one occasion, while females consumed only 4.4 ± 0.3 alcoholic drinks. Male (OR = 16; 95% CI: 12.1–21.1), older adults (OR = 1.5; 95% CI: 1.2–1.7) and people belonging to disadvantaged ethnic group (OR = 6.1; 95% CI: 4.9–6.3) had higher odds of lifetime alcohol consumption than their respective counterparts. Whereas, male (OR = 7.9; 95% CI: 4.3–14.6), having higher educational status and agriculture as the occupation had higher odds of binge drinking. Conclusion Alcohol consumption frequency was significantly higher among males than females in Western Nepal. Although national program and policies should recommend reducing alcohol consumption in general, targeted interventions are needed for males aged 45–65 years of age and certain ethnic groups (Dalit and Janajati).


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mayara Fontes Marx ◽  
Leslie London ◽  
Nadine Harker ◽  
John E. Ataguba

Background: This paper assesses changes in the socioeconomic inequality in alcohol consumption by exploring whether alcohol consumption (current and binge drinkers) is more prevalent among the wealthier (pro-rich) or poorer (pro-poor) group over time.Methods: Data come from the 2008, 2010/11, 2012, and 2014/15 waves of the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS). Various equity stratifiers (sex, age, race, and rural/urban) are used to analyze the prevalence of alcohol consumption and to investigate differences in socioeconomic inequalities. Changes in socioeconomic inequality in alcohol consumption between 2008 and 2014/15 were also assessed using the concentration index.Results: Current drinkers were more concentrated among richer South Africans, while binge drinkers were concentrated among the poorer population. For current drinkers, irrespective of sex, race, age, and urban, socioeconomic inequality in alcohol consumption had become less pro-rich between 2008 and 2014/15; while inequality in binge drinking, outside of the Asian/Indian and rural categories, had become less pro-poor between 2008 and 2014/15.Conclusion: The results show evidence that binge drinking is a bigger problem among those of low-SES, young individuals, male and African populations. This paper concludes that the SA government should continue to push forward policies aiming to reduce the prevalence of binge drinking.


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