Differences and Similarities in Motives to Decrease Drinking, and to Drink in General Between Former and Current Heavy Drinkers—Implications for Changing Own Drinking Behaviour

The evidence on why people initiate or cease drinking is vast; however, little is known regarding why people change their frequency and amount of drinking from intense (heavy or dependent drinking) to recreational (with little risk). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate how drinking motives and motives to decrease drinking differ between former heavy drinkers (problematic and dependent), current dependent, and current recreational drinkers. Data were obtained from four groups of individuals (n = 263) using alcohol with different severity. The participants were Polish young adults aged between 18 and 35 years. About 53% of the sample were women. The Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) was used to assess the level of drinking; the Drinking Motive Questionnaire-Revised Short Form (DMQ-R SF) was used to assess drinking motives (social, coping, enhancement, and conformity). The reasons for abstaining and limiting drinking (RALD) instrument was used to assess the RALD. Additionally, a set of questions regarding motives to decrease drinking were analysed. The results show that differences were observed between the investigated groups: the current dependent group scored significantly higher on all the dimensions of drinking motives than the current low-risk group and significantly higher on coping, social, and enhancement motives than former heavy drinkers (both groups). The two groups of former heavy drinkers did not differ from each other on drinking motives. The investigated groups differed on the motives to reduce drinking—low-risk users scored the lowest on all the motives, whereas current dependent—the highest. The differences in motives to decrease drinking between current-depended and former heavy drinkers indicate which motives can be associated with the prevention strategies, programmes, and therapeutic approaches.

Trajectories of alcohol consumption up to 30 years before and after the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases: a longitudinal case–control study of 12 502 participants

BackgroundTo examine the longitudinal trajectories of alcohol consumption prior to and following the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases (CVD).MethodsWe conducted a case–control study of 2501 incident cases of angina, myocardial infarction or stroke and 10 001 matched controls without the condition. Repeated measures of alcohol were centred on the date of diagnosis, spanning up to 30 years before and after CVD onset. Mean trajectories of weekly consumption were estimated using growth curve models.ResultsFor trajectories prior to diagnosis, mean volume of alcohol consumed among male cases increased over time, peaking at around 8 years before diagnosis at 95 (95% CI 60 to 130) g/week and declining afterwards. Trajectories following diagnosis showed mean consumption in male cases dropped from 87 (95% CI 54 to 120) g/week to 74 (95% CI 45 to 102) g/week after the date of diagnosis and then slightly rose to 78 (95% CI 40 to 116) g/week at the subsequent 3.5 years, before gradually declining to 31 (95% CI 2 to 61) g/week at 30 years after diagnosis. Mean consumption among female cases remained stable prior to diagnosis (at about 30 g/week), fell marginally to 25 (95% CI 20 to 30) g/week after the date of diagnosis and kept decreasing afterwards. Similar trajectories were obtained in cases and controls.ConclusionsThis is the first attempt to show how patients with CVD change their drinking volume over such a wide time span. Future research needs to establish insight into drinking behaviour in other ways (such as frequency and context) and address the impact of changes in drinking on patients with CVD.

Thirst and Body Fluid Regulation

Body fluid regulation is pivotal to human health and is served by extensive clinical and pre-clinical science. By combining modern advances with previous findings in the field, this book presents a comprehensive treatment of major experiments, theories, and new advances in the field of body fluid regulation, thirst, and drinking. It features the main integrative brain mechanisms for fluid regulation, the development of such systems, fluid balance during heat and exercise, aging and clinical disorders, and comparative aspects of fluid regulation. The volume focuses on mammalian thirst or drinking behaviour alongside relevant aspects of the physiology of fluid balance. The principal fluid compartments and their regulation by both intakes and losses are highlighted, using both human and animal studies to illustrate the main concepts.

The Relationship between Alcohol Hangover Severity, Sleep and Cognitive Performance; a Naturalistic Study

Alcohol hangover (AH) has been associated with poor sleep due to the negative effects of alcohol intoxication on sleep quantity and sleep quality. The aim of the current study was to further explore the relationship between AH severity and sleep using a naturalistic study design. A further aim was to determine whether quantitative aspects of sleep were a mediating influence on the relationship between AH severity and cognitive performance. As part of the naturalistic study design, 99 drinkers were recruited following a night of drinking in an Australian state capital, with breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) measured as participants were leaving the entertainment district. The following morning at home, participants answered online questions regarding their drinking behaviour on the previous evening, current AH symptoms and sleep quality. Participants also completed an online version of the Trail-Making Test B (TMT-B) to assess cognitive performance. The findings reveal the duration of nightly awakenings to be negatively related to six individual AH symptoms as well as overall AH severity. The number of nightly awakenings, sleep quality and total sleep time correlated with four AH symptoms including overall AH severity. Total AH severity accounted for a moderate amount of variance (11%) in the time to complete the TMT-B. These findings confirm that alcohol consumption negatively affects sleep, which is related to higher next-day hangover severity ratings and poorer cognitive performance.

Students in danger: Binge drinking behaviour and associated factors in Hungary

Introduction Among young adults, high rates of binge drinking were observed in certain European countries. Binge drinking is associated with several health problems (unplanned pregnancy, HIV infections, problems with memory, and injuries). The aim of this questionnaire-based study was to measure the frequency of binge drinking and its association with sociodemographic, familial, lifestyle factors and school performance among secondary and university students (n=2449) in Csongrád County, Hungary. Methods In this cross-sectional study the students’ sociodemographic data, parents’ educational and economic level, and students’ academic performance and self-reported use of tobacco, drugs, and alcohol were collected by a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were applied using SPSS 24.0 software. Results Altogether 2449 Hungarian secondary school students and university students participated in the study. Nearly one-third of the students were classified as binge drinkers, significantly more male university students. Tobacco or illicit drug use resulted in higher odds of being a binge drinker in both subgroups. Poor school performance and binge drinking were significantly correlated especially among secondary school students. Conclusions Targeting alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use together, including education, parent interventions, and public health policies, are crucial in the prevention of possible serious consequences.

Role of Impulsivity, Aggression in Alcohol Dependence – A Cross Sectional Study from Vellore, India

BACKGROUND Alcohol use disorder is one of the dangerous public health burden. The construct of impulsivity and its various dimensions in relation with aggression are relevant for understanding alcohol dependence and relapse. The goal of the study is to describe the role of impulsivity and aggression in the context of alcohol dependence. The purpose and implications of this study was to understand the human factors contributing to aggression and impulsivity and in providing advanced treatment programs. METHODS This cross-sectional study was discussed in detail and approved by the ethical committee of the Madras Medical College. The cases were selected consecutively from all the patients attending the outpatients as well as inpatient for the same after fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria, within seven days of last intake of alcohol. The diagnosis was made according to International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) criteria after ruling out psychotic disorder and other comorbid medical illnesses. Informed consent was obtained from all the patients and caregivers. Descriptive statistics used meticulously to measure the magnitude. RESULTS This study found significant positive correlation (P < 0.001) between impulsivity, aggression subtypes with alcohol dependence. Various subsets in Barrett impulsivity scale (BIS) and subsets of Buss Perry aggression scales (BPAS) had positive correlations. We found that as severity of dependence increases, impulsivity and aggression scores increases and vice versa. The comparison of means of illness variables within groups showed that there was no significant difference between groups in terms of age of onset of illness, last alcohol intake, number of hospital admissions, duration of abstinence and frequency of relapse. CONCLUSIONS This study describes the important role of behavioural model and disease model of alcoholism, 1,2 greatly stresses the inability to control the quantity and frequency of the drinking behaviour. There is higher level of connectivity between alcohol dependence with biological and behavioural indicators of impulsivity and aggression. 3 It supports that relapse is an acquired behaviour in which the individual is able to control his substance taking pattern through adequate cognitive behavioural techniques in addition to pharmacological treatment and also suggest more research needed in future to focus on causality and intervention. KEY WORDS Impulsivity, Aggression, Alcohol dependence, Relapse

Behavioural Response and Weight of Broiler Chickens Reared Under Different Artificial Light Sources

This study evaluated the behavioural response and weight of broiler birds at the 4th and 6th week of age when raised under incandescent (ICD) and compact fluorescent light (CFL). At 2 weeks of age, a total of 216 Arbor Acres birds were randomly allotted into 3 treatments: Control (no artificial light), ICD (60 watts, 800 lm) and CFL (40 watts, 2000 lm). Artificial lighting was provided from 8 p. m. to 4 a. m. daily. Data collected were subjected to One-way ANOVA using Minitab 17 through a general linear model (GLM) procedure and means were separated using Tukey’s test software. At 4 weeks of age, the presence of light significantly increased (P < 0.05) the weight, as well as the occurrence of feeding, drinking, sitting, standing, walking, running and jumping behaviour. ICD and CFL had similar effects on feeding and jumping behaviour. At 6 weeks of age, the presence of light had no significant effect (P > 0.05) on the frequency of drinking and jumping behaviour. However, the weight, the frequency of feeding, standing, walking and running behaviour increased (P < 0.05) under the two light sources compared to the control. Also, birds raised under CFL displayed a higher frequency (P < 0.05) of inactive/resting and locomotor behaviour compared to birds reared under ICD which had a higher frequency of drinking behaviour. From this study, the use of CFL throughout the production stages is encouraged in poultry facilities due to the resultant increase in the activity levels of broilers and the reduced energy cost.