Unhealthy Alcohol Use

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen R Holt ◽  
Joseph H. Donroe

Unhealthy alcohol use refers to a spectrum of alcohol consumption ranging from at-risk drinking to alcohol use disorder. It is associated with both a high cost to society and to individuals. Globally, alcohol is a leading cause of death and disability, and despite the high prevalence of unhealthy alcohol use, diagnosis, and treatment of alcohol use disorder remains disproportionately low. Risk for unhealthy alcohol use and alcohol related harms is multifactorial and includes genetic factors, gender, age, socioeconomic status, cultural and societal norms, and policies regulating alcohol consumption among others. Excessive alcohol use is associated with a myriad of poor physical and mental health outcomes, and screening for unhealthy alcohol use is universally recommended and effective. This review contains 1 figures, 2 tables, and 76 references.  Key Words: addiction, alcohol, cancer, diagnosis, drinking, liver disease, screening, stigma, use disorderImportant Advances

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen R Holt ◽  
Joseph H. Donroe

Unhealthy alcohol use refers to a spectrum of alcohol consumption ranging from at-risk drinking to alcohol use disorder. It is associated with both a high cost to society and to individuals. Globally, alcohol is a leading cause of death and disability, and despite the high prevalence of unhealthy alcohol use, diagnosis, and treatment of alcohol use disorder remains disproportionately low. Risk for unhealthy alcohol use and alcohol related harms is multifactorial and includes genetic factors, gender, age, socioeconomic status, cultural and societal norms, and policies regulating alcohol consumption among others. Excessive alcohol use is associated with a myriad of poor physical and mental health outcomes, and screening for unhealthy alcohol use is universally recommended and effective. This review contains 1 figures, 2 tables, and 76 references.  Key Words: addiction, alcohol, cancer, diagnosis, drinking, liver disease, screening, stigma, use disorderImportant Advances


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen R Holt ◽  
Joseph H. Donroe

Unhealthy alcohol use refers to a spectrum of alcohol consumption ranging from at-risk drinking to alcohol use disorder. It is associated with both a high cost to society and to individuals. Globally, alcohol is a leading cause of death and disability, and despite the high prevalence of unhealthy alcohol use, diagnosis, and treatment of alcohol use disorder remains disproportionately low. Risk for unhealthy alcohol use and alcohol related harms is multifactorial and includes genetic factors, gender, age, socioeconomic status, cultural and societal norms, and policies regulating alcohol consumption among others. Excessive alcohol use is associated with a myriad of poor physical and mental health outcomes, and screening for unhealthy alcohol use is universally recommended and effective. This review contains 1 figures, 2 tables, and 76 references.  Key Words: addiction, alcohol, cancer, diagnosis, drinking, liver disease, screening, stigma, use disorderImportant Advances


2009 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 636-640 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Bertholet ◽  
Debbie M. Cheng ◽  
Tibor P. Palfai ◽  
Jeffrey H. Samet ◽  
Richard Saitz

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (7) ◽  
pp. 749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia De Santis ◽  
Patrick Bach ◽  
Laura Pérez-Cervera ◽  
Alejandro Cosa-Linan ◽  
Georg Weil ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel L Kember ◽  
Rachel A. Vickers-Smith ◽  
Hang Zhou ◽  
Heng Xu ◽  
Cecilia Dao ◽  
...  

Recent GWAS of alcohol-related traits have uncovered key differences in the underlying genetic architectures of alcohol consumption and alcohol use disorder (AUD), with the two traits having opposite genetic correlations with psychiatric disorders. Understanding the genetic factors that underlie the transition from heavy drinking to AUD has important theoretical and clinical implications. We utilized longitudinal data from the cross-ancestry Million Veteran Program sample to identify 1) novel loci associated with AUD and alcohol consumption [measured by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C)] and 2) genetic variants with direct effects on AUD not mediated through alcohol consumption. We identified 26 loci associated with AUD, including 5 ancestry-specific and 6 novel loci and 22 loci associated with AUDIT-C, including 3 ancestry-specific and 8 novel loci. In secondary GWAS that excluded individuals who report abstinence, we identify 7 additional loci for AUD and 8 additional loci for AUDIT-C. We demonstrate that, although the heterogeneity of the abstinent group biases the GWAS findings, unique variance between alcohol consumption and disorder remains after the group is excluded. Finally, using mediation analysis, we identified a set of variants with effects on AUD that are not mediated through alcohol consumption. The distinct genetic architectures of alcohol consumption and AUD suggest different biological contributions to the traits. Genetic variants with direct effects on AUD are potentially relevant to understanding the transition from heavy alcohol consumption to AUD and targets for translational prevention and treatment efforts.


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