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UrduNegative emotions may help explain the link between insomnia and dangerous drinking, according to a small study involving veterans with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). The findings provide new insight into why insomnia might be linked AUD. Insomnia symptoms are highly prevalent in people with substance use disorders (SUDs). Among veterans with AUD, for example, almost 2 in 3 experience insomnia.
Tag: heavy drinking
Mobile-Based Tool to Address Heavy Drinking in Young Adults Passes Pilot Phase
Young adults who drink heavily reported that a specific intervention that provides personalized feedback on daily drinking would be beneficial for people who want to reduce their drinking and would encourage self-reflection among those who are not yet ready to change their drinking habits. The young adults were participants in a pilot study of a first-of-its-kind technology aimed at reducing heavy drinking in young adults through self-selected goal setting and daily personalized feedback based on self-reported behaviors related to drinking. The study is described in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research.
Digital Tools Effective for Reducing Drinking In People with Excessive Alcohol Use Who May Not Seek Formal Treatment, Study Suggests
In a large group of frequent drinkers who used a digital application offering tailored text-based support for reducing their alcohol intake, weekly drink amounts fell by 1/3 over 12 weeks. The study of real-world users shows promise for people who are uncomfortable with their drinking habits but may not meet the criteria for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Although they may be unlikely to aim for abstinence or to seek formal treatment, many are open to moderating their drinking. Digital interventions, such as self-guided online programs and smartphone apps, are easily accessible and engaging. Studies have shown that text-based messaging interventions can result in short- and medium-term reductions in alcohol use. Digital programs that tailor content according to users’ evolving outcomes, similar to clinical care, may be particularly effective. Outcomes data are limited, however. For the study in Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research, researchers evaluated an adaptive, tailored digital
Gut Microbiome Linked to Brain Structure and Symptom Severity in People Who Drink Heavily
Gut bacteria may be associated with differences in brain structure and clinical symptom severity in people with alcohol use disorder.
Low Levels of Alcohol May Not Be Good for Us After All, According to New Analytical Approaches
Low-to-moderate drinking may not be protective against certain health conditions, and “safe” alcohol use guidelines may be substantially off base. These are among the implications of a review of studies that use a novel research method.
Heavy Alcohol Use May Increase Type 2 Diabetes Risk in Middle-aged Adults
Heavy alcohol use may increase middle-aged adults’ risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, according to research to be presented this week at the American Physiology Summit in Long Beach, California. The Summit is the flagship annual meeting of the American Physiological Society (APS).
Greater Enjoyment, Not Greater Tolerance, May Motivate Heavy Drinking among High-Risk Drinkers
People who drink heavily experience heightened pleasurable effects throughout a drinking episode, which may be what motivates them to continue drinking, and not, as is commonly believed, that they require more alcohol in order to experience these effects. So suggests a first-of-its-kind study of real-world, real-time drinking experiences and motivations of different types of drinkers just published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research.
Intoxicated Teenage Rats Wearing “Fitbits” Experience Sleep Disturbance Long After Withdrawing from Alcohol, Underlining Ongoing Struggles for Humans who Drink Heavily in Adolescence
Adolescent rats exposed to alcohol vapor experience persistent sleep disruption after withdrawal, as measured by Fitbit-like tracking devices, a new study has shown. The findings, published in Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research, provide insight into the relationship between sleep disturbance and heavy drinking in humans. Although adolescents and young adults may be particularly affected by sleep disturbances associated with drinking, little is known about that connection or its mechanisms. Plausibly, the link between disrupted circadian rhythm and substance use may operate in both directions; for example, irregular sleep cycles, including daytime sleepiness, have been implicated in teen substance use. Daytime sleepiness and disrupted activity in humans can be measured using wearable tracking devices, complementing EEG metrics taken at night. Nevertheless, genetic and lifestyle factors make the relationship between alcohol and sleep problems challenging to study in humans, and ro
Do People Who Drink Heavily Have a Higher Tolerance for Alcohol? It Depends, Study Finds
People who have a pattern of heavy drinking showed less impairment than light drinkers after drinking similar amounts of alcohol — yet this difference depends largely on how much time has elapsed after drinking and may only be evident at moderate intoxication. A study published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research found that people who exceed drinking an amount of alcohol that is typical for them showed substantial impairment. And, when heavy drinkers and lighter drinkers were similarly impaired, the heavy drinkers perceived themselves to be less impaired, which may lead to risky decisions.
Neighborhood Access to Alcohol Might be Linked to A Raised Risk of Suicide Attempts
Living in a neighborhood with bars or government-run alcohol outlets may increase suicidal behavior among young adults, especially men and those with elevated genetic liability for attempting suicide, a new study suggests. The paper, in Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research, is the latest attempt to clarify the link between alcohol accessibility and suicidal behavior. This complex relationship is proving difficult to unravel. Both acute drinking and alcohol use disorder are associated with increased suicide risk, potentially because of behavioral inhibition, depressed mood, or aggression. The link between heavy drinking and suicidal behavior likely reflects, in part, genetic and environmental influences, including the proximity of alcohol outlets. Research has been inconclusive, however. For the new study, drawing on the experiences of hundreds of thousands of individuals in Sweden, investigators explored the association between neighborhood alcohol outlets and suicide attempts and
Harmful Effects of Long-Term Alcohol Use Documented in Blood Protein Snapshot
A detailed snapshot of proteins by PNNL scientists marks a big step toward a diagnostic blood test for a deadly form of liver disease – alcohol-associated hepatitis.
Drinking to Manage Physical Pain Results in Perceived Relief, Increasing Vulnerability to Dangerous Alcohol Use
People who self-medicate pain with alcohol may be vulnerable to hazardous drinking, with their experience of pain relief a potentially powerful driver of alcohol consumption, a new study suggests. Both pain and dangerous alcohol use are major public health issues. Each affects millions of US adults and costs hundreds of billions of dollars annually in health care and lost productivity. Recent studies have demonstrated a strong correlation between pain and alcohol use; people with chronic pain are more likely than others to report heavy drinking, and those with alcohol use disorder (AUD) are more likely to report chronic pain. Alcohol has known analgesic effects. Evidence of shared neural mechanisms underlying chronic pain and substance misuse suggest alcohol’s pain-relieving capacity might be influenced by individuals’ experience of chronic pain. Better understanding the relationship between chronic pain and alcohol use could inform improved prevention and treatment approaches. For the
Light Versus Heavy Drinking Adults: Study Reveals Differences in Sleep and Circadian Timing That May Inform Alcohol Treatment Strategies
Heavy and light drinkers show differences in biological markers of the internal processes that regulate the 24-hour sleep/wake cycle. The study findings, reported in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, may have implications for the clinical management of patients seeking treatment for heavy drinking. Previous studies have shown that later circadian timing, manifesting as a preference for evening (‘night owl’) rather than morning (‘lark’) activity, is associated with increased alcohol consumption. However, research into the association between alcohol use and biological markers of circadian timing was lacking. Two such markers are DLMO (dim light melatonin onset – considered the gold standard circadian phase marker) and PIPR (the post-illumination pupil response – a measure of activity of photoreceptors in the eye that are a key influence on circadian timing). In the latest study, researchers compared sleep, DLMO-related measures, and photoreceptor responsivity in heavy and
Role Transitions in Young Adults: Link to Drinking, Stress, and Alcohol Consequences
Young adulthood is a period of multiple transitions, with individuals navigating changes in education and employment status, living situation, and relationships. Such role transitions are often positive for the individual. However, a study has shown that when young adults perceive transitions to have a negative impact on their lives, they experience more stress and are at increased risk for alcohol-related consequences. The research, published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, is based on data from 767 young adult drinkers, aged 18-23 years at time of recruitment, in the Pacific Northwest region.
Likelihood of Heavy Drinking Changes with the Context of the Drinking Occasion, Reveals Study
The amount of alcohol consumed during a given drinking occasion is strongly associated with the duration of the occasion combined with the beverage type and serving size, according to a study reported in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. Although previous research had indicated that alcohol consumption is influenced by the drinking context — for example, by the location, timing, or who was in the drinking group — it was not clear which characteristics are most strongly associated with alcohol consumption and how different factors combine to affect it. The new study aimed to identify which features, and combinations of features, are most predictive of the units of alcohol consumed during drinking occasions in Great Britain.
Huge Study Links Risky Drinking with Low Social Support and Area of Residence
People who report having low social support are substantially more likely to experience heavy drinking and binge drinking than those who feel more supported, a large European study suggests. The researchers also found strong evidence that risky drinking is associated with areas of residence. Although alcohol use is known to be linked to social, economic, and demographic factors, the research is incomplete; it is not clear to what extent some of these factors, especially environmental conditions, predict dangerous drinking. Investigators in Spain designed a study that was unusual in exploring both heavy drinking and binge drinking and both individual and contextual (environmental) factors. The study, in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, confirmed individual risk factors and highlighted certain environmental conditions that may help target interventions for those at risk.
Which Comes First: The Heavy Drinking Young Adult or the Alcohol-Saturated Social Culture?
Heavy-drinking peer groups increase young adults’ desire to drink, according to a study in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. Investigators used behavioral economic theory — the science of how people make choices — to assess motivations for consuming alcohol among a diverse sample of young adult drinkers. Young adults’ motivation to drink alcohol, as well as their likelihood of misusing it, is associated with how it is consumed within their social networks. But it is not well understood how these factors influence each other, and how those effects may vary depending on sex, race, and education level. For example, does the culture of heavy drinking in US colleges drive the high demand for alcohol there, or is alcohol demand high among young adults generally?
Combining Multiple Measures of Alcohol Use Helps Clarify Risky Drinking in People with HIV
Researchers and clinicians can better understand the health risks facing people with HIV through comprehensive measures of alcohol use, including objective biomarkers, according to a new study in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. Frequent or heavy alcohol use in people with HIV can affect HIV disease progression and comorbidities. Alcohol use disorder is a barrier to effectively managing HIV and contributes in multiple ways to poor health outcomes. These effects are not well understood, however, owing in part to the limitations of self-report tools (questionnaires) for measuring alcohol use. Researchers at Louisiana State University and Tulane University correlated self-reported alcohol use, measured by multiple questionnaires, with a biomarker of alcohol consumption in people with HIV. This study explores the implications of this multi-faceted approach for understanding the alcohol use of people with HIV and the related risk factors.
Starting drinking young predicts hospital admission for acute intoxication
In studies, younger age at first alcohol use has been associated with later alcohol problems in adult life, including heavy drinking and alcohol use disorder. That is the reason why around the world, as in the Netherlands, a key aim of alcohol policy is to postpone the age at first alcohol use. In a report published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, researchers from the Netherlands have investigated whether age of drinking onset is a risk factor for alcohol intoxication among adolescents aged under 18 years.
Moderate to Heavy Drinking During Pregnancy Alters Genes in Newborns, Mothers
Mothers who drink moderate to high levels of alcohol during pregnancy may be changing their babies’ DNA, according to a Rutgers-led study.