The Association between Alcohol Hangover Frequency and Severity: Evidence for Reverse Tolerance?

Although hangover is a common consequence of heavy alcohol consumption, the area is heavily under-researched. Hangover frequency is a potential predictor of future alcohol use disorder that may be affected by hangover severity, yet the relationship between hangover frequency and severity has not been investigated. Using different methodologies and assessment instruments, two surveys, and one naturalistic study collected data on hangover frequency, hangover severity, and alcohol consumption. The relationship between hangover frequency and severity was investigated via correlational analysis, considering potentially moderating variables including alcohol intake, estimated blood alcohol concentration, demographics, and personality characteristics. In all the three studies, a positive and significant association between hangover frequency and severity was found, which remained significant after correcting for alcohol intake and other moderating factors. These findings suggest that hangover severity increases when hangovers are experienced more frequently and may be driven by sensitization or reverse tolerance to this aspect of alcohol consumption. Future research should further investigate the relationship between hangover frequency and severity and alcohol use disorder and its implications for prevention.

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Nalmefene against alcohol use disorder: A report of one case

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2017.01.1734 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 41 (S1) ◽

pp. s866-s866

Author(s):

M. Juncal Ruiz ◽

O. Porta Olivares ◽

L. Sánchez Blanco ◽

R. Landera Rodríguez ◽

M. Gómez Revuelta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Opioid Receptor ◽

Treatment Option ◽

Withdrawal Syndrome ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Alcohol Intake ◽

Family Relationship ◽

Heavy Drinking ◽

Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome

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.

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Make Mission Impossible Feasible: The Experience of a Multidisciplinary Team Providing Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder to Homeless Individuals

Alcohol and Alcoholism ◽

10.1093/alcalc/agaa052 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 55 (5) ◽

pp. 547-553

Author(s):

Tommaso Dionisi ◽

Carolina Mosoni ◽

Giovanna Di Sario ◽

Claudia Tarli ◽

Mariangela Antonelli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Clinical Evaluation ◽

Treatment Program ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Alcohol Intake ◽

Multidisciplinary Treatment ◽

Social Reintegration ◽

Multidisciplinary Treatment Program ◽

Glutamyl Transpeptidase

Abstract Aim People experiencing homelessness are often excluded from treatment programs for alcohol use disorder (AUD). The goal of this study was to describe the impact of a multidisciplinary treatment program on alcohol consumption and social reintegration in individuals with AUD experiencing homelessness. Methods Thirty-one individuals with AUD experiencing homelessness were admitted to an inpatient unit for 5–6 days for clinical evaluation and to treat potential alcohol withdrawal syndrome. A group of volunteers, in collaboration with the Community of Sant’Egidio, provided social support aimed to reintegrate patients. After inpatient discharge, all patients were followed as outpatients. Alcohol intake (number drinks/day), craving and clinical evaluation were assessed at each outpatient visit. Biological markers of alcohol use were evaluated at enrollment (T0), at 6 months (T1) and 12 months (T2). Results Compared with T0, patients at T1 showed a significant reduction in alcohol consumption [10 (3–24) vs 2 (0–10); P = 0.015] and in γ-glutamyl-transpeptidase [187 (78–365) vs 98 (74–254); P = 0.0021]. The reduction in alcohol intake was more pronounced in patients with any housing condition [10 (3–20) vs 1 (0–8); P = 0.008]. Similarly, compared with T0, patients at T2 showed significant reduction in alcohol consumption [10 (3–24) vs 0 (0–15); P = 0.001], more pronounced in patients with any housing condition [10 (3–20) vs 0 (0–2); P = 0.006]. Moreover, at T2 patients showed a significant reduction in γ-glutamyl-transpeptidase [187 (78–365) vs 97 (74–189); P = 0.002] and in mean cell volume [100.2 (95–103.6) vs 98.3 (95–102); P = 0.042]. Conclusion Patients experiencing homelessness may benefit from a multidisciplinary treatment program for AUD. Strategies able to facilitate and support their social reintegration and housing can improve treatment outcomes.

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Preliminary Effectiveness of Remotely Monitored Blood Alcohol Concentration Device as Treatment Modality (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.30186 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Frank D. Buono ◽

Colette M. Greed ◽

Martin Boldin ◽

Allison Aviles ◽

Natalie Wheeler

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Blood Alcohol Concentration ◽

Alcohol Concentration ◽

Treatment Motivation ◽

Blood Alcohol ◽

Limited Effectiveness ◽

Long Term Treatment ◽

The Impact

UNSTRUCTURED Alcohol use disorder is a chronic disorder with a high likelihood of relapse. Consistent monitoring of blood alcohol concentration through breathalyzers is critical to identifying relapse or misuse. Smartphone applications as a replacement of, or in conjunction with breathalyzers, have shown limited effectiveness. Therefore, the purpose of this research protocol manuscript is to evaluate the usage and acceptability of a wireless blood alcohol concentration device in collaboration with a long-term treatment facility to assess increased sobriety for patients with alcohol use disorder. The randomized clinical trial will be across two arms, access to the wireless breathalyzer versus no access to the breathalyzer, while both groups have access to treatment. Evaluation will last three months with a six week-follow up, during which each participant will be interviewed at admission, 1 month in, 2 months in, 3 months in and follow-up. Outcomes will focus on the acceptability of the wireless breathalyzer within the alcohol use disorder population and the impact of quality-of-life measures and clinical features on treatment motivation. In addition, we intend to identify the participants’ experiences in relationship to their treatment satisfaction and perceived support.

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Effects of varenicline on alcohol self-administration and craving in drinkers with depressive symptoms

Journal of Psychopharmacology ◽

10.1177/0269881117699618 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 31 (7) ◽

pp. 906-914 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Walter Roberts ◽

Terril L Verplaetse ◽

Kelly Moore ◽

Lindsay Oberleitner ◽

Marina R Picciotto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Blood Alcohol Concentration ◽

Alcohol Concentration ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Self Administration ◽

Alcohol Craving ◽

Ad Libitum ◽

Alcohol Users

Varenicline (VAR) is approved to aid in smoking cessation and has been shown to be effective for reducing alcohol consumption in heavy drinkers. Little is known, however, about treatment moderators that may influence efficacy. The current study reanalyzed data from a human laboratory study (Verplaetse et al., 2016) to determine whether VAR was more effective at reducing alcohol use among drinkers reporting symptoms of depression. Participants were 60 adults meeting DSM-IV criteria for alcohol use disorders ( n = 60) who were randomly assigned to receive VAR (1 mg/day, 2 mg/day) or placebo. Following 7 days of medication pretreatment, participants attended a laboratory testing session. They provided self-reported ratings of alcohol craving and performed an ad libitum alcohol consumption task after receiving a priming dose of alcohol (target blood alcohol concentration = 0.030 g/dL). Higher blood VAR plasma levels were associated with less alcohol craving and less drinking among participants with more depressive symptoms. Among participants with fewer depressive symptoms, VAR was associated with more drinking during the ad libitum drinking task. These findings show that depression symptoms may be a moderator of VAR efficacy in alcohol users and provides evidence for the role of nAChRs in depression and alcohol use.

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Lifetime alcohol intake and pattern of alcohol consumption in patients with alcohol-induced pancreatitis in comparison with patients with alcohol use disorder

Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology ◽

10.1080/00365521.2018.1455893 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 53 (6) ◽

pp. 748-754 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Sigurdur Jon Juliusson ◽

Jon Kristinn Nielsen ◽

Valgerdur Runarsdottir ◽

Ingunn Hansdottir ◽

Ragna Sigurdardottir ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Alcohol Intake

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Alcohol Consumption Mediates the Relationship BetweenADH1Band DSM-IV Alcohol Use Disorder and Criteria

Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs ◽

10.15288/jsad.2014.75.635 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 75 (4) ◽

pp. 635-642 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Bari Kilcoyne ◽

Dvora Shmulewitz ◽

Jacquelyn L Meyers ◽

Efrat Aharonovich ◽

Eliana Greenstein ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Dsm Iv ◽

The Relationship

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“Free won’t” after a beer or two: chronic and acute effects of alcohol on neural and behavioral indices of intentional inhibition

BMC Psychology ◽

10.1186/s40359-019-0367-z ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Yang Liu ◽

Wery P. M. van den Wildenberg ◽

Gorka Fraga González ◽

Davide Rigoni ◽

Marcel Brass ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Blood Alcohol Concentration ◽

Young Male ◽

Alcohol Concentration ◽

Stop Signal ◽

Stop Signal Task ◽

Placebo Condition ◽

Behavioral Indices

Abstract Background Response inhibition can be classified into stimulus-driven inhibition and intentional inhibition based on the degree of endogenous volition involved. In the past decades, abundant research efforts to study the effects of alcohol on inhibition have focused exclusively on stimulus-driven inhibition. The novel Chasing Memo task measures stimulus-driven and intentional inhibition within the same paradigm. Combined with the stop-signal task, we investigated how alcohol use affects behavioral and psychophysiological correlates of intentional inhibition, as well as stimulus-driven inhibition. Methods Experiment I focused on intentional inhibition and stimulus-driven inhibition in relation to past-year alcohol use. The Chasing Memo task, the stop-signal task, and questionnaires related to substance use and impulsivity were administered to 60 undergraduate students (18–25 years old). Experiment II focused on behavioral and neural correlates acute alcohol use on performance on the Chasing Memo task by means of electroencephalography (EEG). Sixteen young male adults (21–28 years old) performed the Chasing Memo task once under placebo and once under the influence of alcohol (blood alcohol concentration around 0.05%), while EEG was recorded. Results In experiment I, AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test) total score did not significantly predict stimulus-driven inhibition or intentional inhibition performance. In experiment II, the placebo condition and the alcohol condition were comparable in terms of behavioral indices of stimulus-driven inhibition and intentional inhibition as well as task-related EEG patterns. Interestingly, a slow negative readiness potential (RP) was observed with an onset of about 1.2 s, exclusively before participants stopped intentionally. Conclusions These findings suggest that both past-year increases in risky alcohol consumption and moderate acute alcohol use have limited effects on stimulus-driven inhibition and intentional inhibition. These conclusions cannot be generalized to alcohol use disorder and high intoxication levels. The RP might reflect processes involved in the formation of an intention in general.

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Nalmefene effectiveness in reducing alcohol consumption and prevention of craving: A case report

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2017.01.1756 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 41 (S1) ◽

pp. S873-S873

Author(s):

G. Pardo de Santayana ◽

R. Landera ◽

M. Juncal ◽

O. Porta ◽

L. Sánchez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Side Effects ◽

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Opioid Receptors ◽

Alcohol Withdrawal ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Alcohol Intake ◽

Therapeutic Option ◽

Observation Time ◽

Psychiatric Consultation

IntroductionAlcohol use disorder is a pressing problem in our society. However, only a small percentage of patients with alcohol use disorder are ever treated. Nalmefene acts as an antagonist of mu opioid receptors preventing the pleasurable sensation that often accompanies alcohol consumption, while its modulation of kappa opioid receptors can decrease the dysphoria associated with alcohol withdrawal.AimStudying the effect of nalmefene on patients with alcohol use disorder who are trying to reduce their daily alcohol consumption.MethodsThis is a descriptive study that pretends to assess the effect of nalmefene 18 mg/day on alcohol intake in a sample of five patients (3 men and 2 women) that came to our psychiatric consultation from March to September 2016. They all had tried in the past to stop or reduce their alcohol consumption but were unable to do so. We initiate follow-up with the patients in psychiatric consultation for the next three months with a monthly frequency.ResultsOut of the 5 patients, 4 reported to have reduced their alcohol consumption over the observation time, going from 32 drinks per week to 18 drinks per week on average. The fifth patient abandoned prematurely the treatment due to the appearance of side effects (nausea). No other relevant side effects were detected.ConclusionsNalmefene appears to be effective and safe reducing abusive alcohol intake and avoiding alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Therefore, nalmefene can be considered a good therapeutic option helping reduce alcohol consumption in patients with alcohol use disorder.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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Predictors of Symptom Course in Alcohol Use Disorder

10.31234/osf.io/xuvaz ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

William Conlin ◽

Kenneth J. Sher ◽

Alvaro Vergés ◽

Michaela Hoffman ◽

Douglas Steinley

Keyword(s):

Family History ◽

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Heavy Drinking ◽

Epidemiological Survey ◽

Future Research ◽

Heavy Alcohol ◽

Heavy Alcohol Consumption ◽

History Of

Objective: Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) has traditionally been viewed as a chronic, progressive, relapsing disorder (Jellinek, 1960; National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2018). However, little is known about the course of individual AUD criteria. To the extent that individual symptoms represent the focus of some treatments (e.g., withdrawal, craving), understanding the course of specific symptoms, and individual differences in symptom course, can inform treatment efforts and future research directions.Method: The current study examined 34,653 participants form Wave 1 (2001-2002) and Wave 2 (2003-2004) of the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC; Grant, Moore, & Kaplan, 2003; Grant, Kaplan, and Stinson, 2005), using logistic regression to analyze the extent to which AUD symptom course is predicted by heavy alcohol consumption, family history of alcoholism, and lifetime diagnosis of Conduct Disorder. Results: The course of all AUD symptoms was significantly influenced by all four external criteria, with the magnitude of the prediction varying across different symptoms and different aspects of course. Conclusion: The strength of the relationship appeared to be related to the theoretical proximity of a given predictor to AUD symptomatology, with heavy drinking being the strongest and family history of AUD being the weakest. The course of all AUD symptoms was strongly associated with the prevalence of the given symptom in the overall sample. Future work should include examining the interchangeability of AUD symptoms and considering heavy alcohol consumption as a criterion for AUD diagnosis.

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Information on Blood Alcohol Concentration: Evaluation of Two Alcohol Nomograms

Journal of Drug Education ◽

10.2190/28qh-dlwm-daqw-ydy9 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 81-92 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Chudley E. Werch

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Blood Alcohol Concentration ◽

Alcohol Concentration ◽

Future Research ◽

Blood Alcohol ◽

State Laws ◽

Consumer Evaluation ◽

Evaluation Measures ◽

Health Fair ◽

Southern University

The purpose of this study was to compare the utility of two common alcohol nomograms (tables) on impacting decisions regarding drinking, driving after drinking, the development of knowledge of the relations between personal alcohol consumption and the legal level of intoxication, and consumer evaluation measures, compared to an alcohol information warning card. A total of 159 subjects (65 males and 94 females) attending a two-day health fair at a southern university participated in this study. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of five conditions by shaking a large plastic die at an alcohol information booth at the fair. Conditions included three treatments (two alcohol nomogram conditions, and one alcohol information card comparison condition), and two conditions of administration (brief instruction, and no instruction). Subjects completed an Alcohol Card Questionnaire six weeks after the conclusion of the health fair. Two commonly found alcohol nomograms were no more effective than an information card warning of the penalties for DWI offenses under new state laws. Subjects receiving the information cards were more likely to have made decisions about driving after drinking. A greater number of subjects who had not received brief instruction had read the card, compared to those who had received instruction. The implications of these results and recommendations for future research are discussed.

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