A Closer Look at Relationship Between Alcohol and Suicides

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Researchers have turned to a new informational source in the new study that examines the link between alcohol and suicides. Instead of only comparing suicide numbers with relative proximity of alcohol availability, these researchers decided to look at how much alcohol was in the system, if any, of the person who committed suicide. This information could then allow for better local policies regarding the sale of alcohol, and better preventative measures against alcohol-related suicides.

In order to determine how prevalent alcohol was in suicides, and how much alcohol was in the body at the time of suicide, researchers analyzed data gathered by National Violent Death Reporting System. This system collects information regarding violent deaths, and is a sub organization of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For this particular study, information from 14 states was synthesized into a more specific picture of alcohol-related suicides. Researchers were particularly interested in how easy it was to acquire alcohol and how this related to suicides, and what the blood alcohol content was of those who committed suicide after consuming alcohol.

Of the 51,547 suicides examined, they noted that 34% of them had alcohol in their system, and 22% of those people had blood alcohol levels higher than .08%. The researchers also pointed out that areas with a wide variety of alcohol outlets, bars and clubs had more alcohol-related suicides, especially among Native American and Alaskan native men. This was a new discovery, because it unveils two populations that are not usually represented when planning for suicide prevention and alcohol education. But researchers were not surprised by this outcome and explain how this can occur with men in these populations.

“There’s a long history with regard to drinking problems in many sectors of [Native populations], It could be, partly, that the drinking patterns are somewhat different. I think it could also be that, in some cases, there may be a sense of desperation or many challenges. So, suicide may be one of the ways people deal with that,” explained Dr. Norman Giesbrecht, one of the researchers of the study.

This study is unique because it examines more than just the relationship between suicides and alcohol density in cities in towns throughout the United States. It shows that many people who commit suicide are consuming a lot of alcohol beforehand, and this could be a major warning sign to family and friends.

Energy Drinks Contribute to Placebo Effect When Combined with Alcohol

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Alcohol and energy drinks have become a popular combination among drinkers, especially those in college. The common belief is that energy drinks help mask the alcohol, making the drinker feel more alert and not as intoxicated. However, a new study published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, shows that energy drinks actually act as a placebo, causing the person to feel more intoxicated than they really are.

This is an important discovery because it sheds light on what is really happening at bars, parties and clubs all over the world. People are consuming drinks that, psychologically, make them feel more drunk than they really are, and this has an impact on their behavior, decision-making, and psychological state.

The study, which focused 154 young men, relied on questionnaires filled out before, during and after consuming alcohol beverages. The participants were either given a glass that said: Red Bull and vodka, vodka cocktail or fruit juice cocktail. And while the participants thought these were different drinks, the researchers had actually made all the drinks the same. However, the men who thought they were drinking vodka and Red Bull reported feeling more intoxicated, daring and sexually self-confident. This was especially true for those men that had stated that energy drinks make someone more intoxicated.

In the end, the men who consumed the drinks that were labeled with Red Bull and Vodka reported an increased intoxication level of 51% over those that consumed beverages in glasses marked with other ingredients.

“Beliefs that people have about a product can be just as important as the ingredients of the product itself. Regulations and codes of conduct should consider the psychological – and not just physiological – effects of products,” explained the authors of the study.

Cars Not the Only Thing Drunk People Should Not Operate

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For decades, the public has been inundated with public service announcements, lectures, signs and police presence all warning drunk people not to get behind the wheel of a car. And while deaths involving drunk drivers are still one of the highest causes of accidental deaths in the country, there is something else that the public should be warned about. People under the influence of alcohol should also not ride a bike or walk home while under the influence of alcohol either.

This is important, because many people may consider it ok to do these things, as long as they are not driving a car. But, a new study shows that over 30% of pedestrian deaths and 20% of bicyclist deaths are related to alcohol. “Education and enforcement campaigns aimed at reducing impaired driving may give people the erroneous impression that walking or riding a bike is a safe alternative. The public needs to better informed about the dangers of alcohol impairment for anybody on the road,” stated Angela Eichelberger, lead author of the study.

This study was commissioned by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and is aimed at broadening public awareness regarding alcohol. Ensuring that people understand that operating any mode of transportation, including walking, while under the influence is dangerous, and can result in death.

Interestingly, the amount of people who die each year from walking or biking accidents that also involve alcohol does not really fluctuate. This means that health organizations, law agencies and schools need to do a better job informing people about the dangers of mixing alcohol into these situations. It is much more common for someone to be told not to drink and drive than it is for them to be told not to ride a bike and drink, or walk home while drunk. But the same reason why someone should not drink and drive applies to those who bike or walk. Alcohol hinders a person’s ability to make good decisions, it lowers coordination and judgement. These are all necessary when navigating around in a bike or on foot.

Possibly a more effective public service announcement would be to show how important it is to ask for rides from sober people, rather than embark on a trip home under the influence.

Dispelling Myths Surrounding Alcohol Tolerance

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Alcohol tolerance is a phenomenon that is believed to occur in people who consume alcohol so regularly that they no longer feel an effect from the substance. This is usually evidenced in people who can still hold conversations, go to work, perform daily tasks and generally go about their day as if they had no alcohol, when in fact, they have consumed a large quantity. A new study, released by the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, shows that this is true, but they also warn against a commonly held belief regarding alcohol tolerance.

According to new research, long term, heavy drinkers actually perform worse on short-term memory testing, moto speed testing and more complex cognitive processing testing than people who do not drink or who are considered light drinkers.

This means that heavy drinkers are not actually building a tolerance to alcohol that allows them to function normally. According to the study, these drinkers have a longer response time to while undergoing the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST). These are tests that are specially designed to mimic tasks like; driving a car, or remembering directions. So, while heavy drinkers are more adept at fine motor skills while under the influence, they are unable to perform complex tasks as well, if it requires more complex thinking.

This study is part of a larger study dedicated to understanding more about behaviors of people while under the influence of alcohol. The Social Drinking Project seeks to unveil some of the most popular myths involving alcohol and alcohol consumption. “Overall, there is a common belief among heavy drinkers that they can ‘handle their alcohol’ and that many common daily tasks may not be affected by their alcohol use. The take-home message here is that tolerance to alcohol is not equal across all tasks and is not ‘protective’ against accidents or injuries while intoxicated,” reported Dr. Ty Brumback.

Brumback also explained how vital it is to understand the difference between fine motor skills and more complex thinking skills. He illustrated the difference by referring to a person who is a heavy drinker, that has just consumed a few drinks at a restaurant. Because that person is able to stand up, walk normally, get in their car and turn it on without any indication they are drunk, they can oftentimes fool themselves and others into thinking that they are not under the influence. But, as the study shows, driving safely and operating a vehicle are more complex, and alcohol plays a definite role in the failure of these skills.

Veterans’ Suicide Risk Doubles with Drinking, Drug Abuse: Study Finds

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United States veterans living with a substance abuse problem have a higher risk of committing suicide than veterans who don’t have this problem, according to a new study.

Researchers looked at more than four million veterans. They determined that eight percent of men and four percent of women had either drug or alcohol issue. Veterans in this category were twice as likely to take their own lives compared to veterans who didn’t have a substance abuse disorder.

Women Especially at Risk for Suicide

The danger of suicide for female veterans with substance abuse difficulties was even more threatening than it was for males. The women were more than five times more likely to commit suicide than female veterans who didn’t abuse alcohol or drugs.

Kipling Bohnert, the study leader, stated that the study results should serve as helpful information for doctors and health care providers working with patients who have substance abuse disorders. It should make them aware of the risk of suicide and encourage efforts toward prevention.

The suicide rate for US veterans is 20 per day, according to researchers. This is much higher than for the general population. Bonhert commented recently in a university news release that substance use disorders “may be important markers for suicide risk.”

Substance Type Plays a Role in Suicide Risk

The study results revealed that the type of substance used by the veterans had an impact on their risk of suicide. Veterans who abused prescription sedatives, such as tranquilizers, were at the highest level of risk.

Female veterans were at higher risk by abusing opioid pain medications. Male veterans were at higher risk of taking their own lives if they were abusing amphetamines (“uppers”), according to the study results.

The study was published in the online version of the journal Addiction. It draws attention to the need for more suicide prevention efforts directed toward veterans with substance abuse issues. This need is even more urgent for veterans living with mental health concerns such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.

Gun Safety Should be Included in Prevention Efforts

Gun safety needs to be addressed in the efforts to lower suicide rates. Two-thirds of the suicides examined in the study involved use of firearms. Another 25 percent of suicides by veterans with substance abuse issues involved ingesting poisons. Strategies to prevent suicide by taking harmful substances also needs to be addressed.

Benefit of Strict Alcohol Laws

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Alcohol-related car accidents are among the leading cause of death in the United States. According to new research, about half of all fatal car accidents where a child is killed is due, in some part, to alcohol. Despite having some of the toughest alcohol laws in the world, the United States still sees thousands of lives lost to the dangerous combination of alcohol and driving. In an effort to reduce this statistic, some researchers have released a study that shows the possibility of a decrease in these deaths of more strict alcohol laws are enacted.

“To reduce alcohol-related crash deaths among youth, it is important to strengthen policies that focus on adults, not just youth, and that focus on drinking, not just driving,” commented Dr. Tim Naimi, an alcohol epidemiologist at Boston University’s School of Medicine. This means that the most effective policies often have little to do with drink driving or underage drinking. In fact, policies like increasing taxes on alcohol beverages, or reducing the number of stores that can sell alcohol in an area, or limiting the times that alcohol can be sold are among the most effective policies in eliminating drunk driving deaths.

A focus on this approach has gained some media attention as the best way to reduce alcohol-related violence, deaths and misconduct and it appears that many states are coming on board. For instance, the states with the strictest alcohol policies reported a decrease of 9% when it came to youth-related deaths from incidents involving alcohol. And often children who are killed in crashes where alcohol is involved were not driving and were not drinking. The data shows that almost half of the youth killed in these crashes were not driving, and 80% of those victims were passengers in a car being driven by an adult who was under the influence of alcohol.

While these new policies could help with the mortality rate in alcohol-related events, it is important to note that researchers are not advocating lesser laws or punishment for drunk drivers. Broader policies are effective, but in conjunction with strict drink driving policies and laws is where the real results are seen.

Rewards Beneficial in Helping Alcoholics with Co-Occurring Disorders

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Helping someone overcome an addiction to alcohol is difficult and requires a lot of effort on the part of the addict, loved ones and treatment or counseling team. However, helping someone who is addicted to alcohol and also suffering from a mental illness can be even harder.

This smaller portion of the population are often forced to receive treatment for the mental illness and alcoholism separately, which makes it more unlikely that they will actually overcome their addiction. In order to find a better solution to this problem, researchers at Washington State University conducted a study that examined a potentially better form of treatment for those that have been diagnosed with an addiction to alcohol and a mental illness.

This particular experiment centered around small rewards for submitting clean urine tests. Participants that had been identified as alcohol dependent and suffering from a severe mental illness were split into two groups. The first group, of about forty subjects, were given small prizes if they passed a urine analysis test. The other group, made up of the same amount of people, were given rewards whether they passed the test or not. The study lasted about 12 weeks. The researchers found that subjects who had been given rewards for staying clean were more likely to stay clean, even after the 12-week study. Additionally, researchers also noted that drug use and tobacco use were also diminished in the group that received rewards for passing their tests. This was not the intention of the study, but interesting because it appears that the reward system is powerful enough to address more than one addiction at a time.

“Our findings suggest that contingency management is a feasible approach for people with alcohol problems. And it may be particularly effective in those with serious mental illness – such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder – a high-cost and difficult-to-engage population,” explained Michael McDonell, associate professor in WSU’s Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine.

While this particular group is not vast, mental illness paired with an alcohol addiction can be extremely dangerous and costly to the individual, family and society. Developing an effective way to treat these patients is important and may also open doors for more successful treatment modalities for non-mental health patients that suffer from alcoholism.

Study Examines Cause Behind Excessive Drinking Among Couples

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Alcohol consumption and volatile relationships make for a dangerous combination. Domestic violence and extreme arguing are common manifestations of this duo. But, why do some couples get involved in this lifestyle, while other couples do not? This is the question that The National Institutes of Health is looking to answer. And they are willing to spend a lot of money in making sure that they understand the mechanics behind this issue. The organization is paying almost $600,000 to The State University of New York at Buffalo to develop and carry out the study.

And while the question is an interesting one, some people are not sure why it is being investigated so seriously. But, as the grant explains, this is a public health problem, the fallout of which costs the taxpayers a lot of money. “Understanding the relationship-specific motivations for alcohol use, as well as the risk and protective factors associated with relationship drinking processes as they occur in real-time in couples’ natural environments, is crucial to addressing problematic alcohol use in relationships,” explained researchers.

So, while the taxpayers are footing the bill for this expensive study, the amount spent on handling the problems from alcohol-fueled domestic problems is far greater. Taxpayers are charged with funding health services, legal fees and of course the salaries of the officers who have to respond to fights that escalate.

Researchers have been able to pinpoint some of the reasons people consume alcohol in relationships. Women are more likely to drink in order to fulfill their intimacy needs and men are more likely to drink in order to fill their social needs. This may be why some relationship arguments are fueled by alcohol, because both partners have different goals behind their alcohol consumption.

The hope is that by discovering why couples consume alcohol, experts and policy makers can figure out new ways to keep people safe from domestic violence and educate couples who are struggling with these issues before it escalates out of hand.

Should We Stop Advertising Alcohol?

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The tobacco industry was hit hard when it was determined that they could not advertise their products on television or radio. The decision was made after considering overwhelming evidence that tobacco caused different types of cancers, lung diseases and was dangerous to children. However, alcohol companies have been able to continue advertising, despite the clear dangers associated with heavy alcohol use. Some people are looking to put an end to this, especially after a new study was published, focusing on alcohol advertisements.

The study concluded that alcohol advertising should be more regulated, specifically to protect children. The study focused on how often children were exposed to alcohol advertisements. It was discovered that sporting events were responsible for some of the most exposure for children to alcohol ads. This would make sense, events like the Super Bowl are viewed by as many 100 million people, making it an advertiser’s dream. In fact, some of the most iconic Super Bowl commercials have been about alcohol. After all, who can forget the Budweiser Clydesdale horses? But, many of these viewers are children. And if it was deemed unsafe and irresponsible to advertise tobacco products, why is it ok to advertise alcohol to children?

In the past alcohol companies have been tasked with monitoring themselves when it comes to advertisement placement. This means that alcohol companies do not advertise on children’s channels, or in children’s magazines. But this type of self-editing does not seem to be working, according to the study.

“Governments have previously approved self-regulatory measures on alcohol advertising; however, we can no longer say that they might work to protect our young people – they don’t. In a literature review of more than 100 studies, none was identified that supported the effectiveness of industry self-regulation programs,” commented Chris Brooke of the UK Health Forum, where the study took place.

Included in the study is a list of suggested changes made to current advertisement policies that would decrease the amount of exposure children have to alcohol. The most extreme suggestion is that there should be a ban on all alcohol advertising, but the list also includes things like; regulations should be enforced by the government – not the alcohol companied and regulations should be developed outside of the alcohol companies.

A New Year’s Resolution to Stay Away from Alcohol

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The medical community has been plagued with a few studies conducted years ago that stated that alcohol in moderation was good for the heart. Thousands of news outlets, blogs, and magazines reported on these studies and people have been referencing it ever since. And while a headline stating that alcohol is good for you is likely to get more readers, it is not exactly true. While alcohol, especially red wine, has some properties that could be considered healthy for the heart in low doses, these benefits do not even begin to outweigh the negative side effects of even moderate alcohol consumption.

A new study appearing in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that in addition to a myriad of other health complications, alcohol consumption can lead to atrial fibrillation, heart attacks and congestive heart failure. In fact, alcohol use can influence these factors so greatly that even in people who have no other risk factors but alcohol consumption, they are more likely to develop these cardiac problems.

One of the major problems with previous studies was the way the researchers obtained their data.
“The great majority of previous research relied exclusively on self-reports of alcohol abuse. That can be an unreliable measure, especially in those who drink heavily. In our study, alcohol abuse was documented in patients’ medical records,” explained Dr. Gregory Marcus, lead researcher of the study. Focusing more on a clinical diagnosis, rather than what the subject was willing to admit to, has allowed for a more thorough research study.

It is important to note that alcohol does not directly cause heart attacks, atrial fibrillation or congestive heart failure, but it does increase the chances that these problems will occur. According to researchers, alcohol influences the odds of these heart conditions in the same way as diabetes and obesity influences the odds.

Researchers are hopeful that this new study will replace popular opinion that alcohol in moderation is good for you. Now that current research is relying more on medical records, rather than self-reporting, it is likely that more studies will come to the same conclusion – alcohol consumption is not a healthy option when it comes to the heart. Now that we’re in the new year, maybe it’s time for even those who don’t have substance abuse issues to re-examine their drinking habits.