Alcohol News

Research Reveals Risk for Alcohol Abuse Among Adolescent Females

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A group of researchers in Sweden examined the social life of 357 girls over four years. The purpose of the study was to determine what sort of factors influence young girls to try alcohol and drugs. After compiling the data, the research indicated that girls who grow up in families with little supervision are much more likely to consume alcohol.

The study is important because experts agree that children who start experimenting with alcohol at a young age are more likely to develop an addiction as they get older. Parents who are unsure how much control they should exert over their teenage daughters may take some cues from the results of this study, and feel more comfortable enforcing slightly more rules and guidelines for supervision.

In order to conduct the study, researchers followed girls from the age of 13 to 17. For the four years during the study they were asked questions about their curfew and the frequency that they consumed alcohol. The outcome of the study showed that no matter how much parental intervention, teenage girls are likely to experiment with alcohol. However, girls whose parents are more strict tended to drink less than girls whose parents are more lax with their rules. Young girls who fell within the category of strict parent had an 84% increase in alcohol abuse. This is in sharp contrast to the girls who fell into the category of less strict parents. This group had a 234% increase in alcohol abuse.

“…girls alienated from same-age peers seek the company of older, more mature youth during a developmental period when alcohol consumption becomes increasingly normative,” explained the authors of the study. This is important because it shows that parents who go too far with being strict with their girls are more likely to push them into experimenting with alcohol and drugs. There does seem to be a fine line of strict and too strict, according to the study. Researchers pointed out that girls in both groups the girls drank alcohol, however it moved to abuse more often in the group whose parents had less control over the girls.

Latest National Survey Shows Youth Alcohol Consumption Down

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Each year the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) releases the results of the latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) in September during National Recovery Month. Among the annual tracking of substance abuse and related behavioral health information, the ongoing survey finds patterns in usage statistics that help give not just a snapshot of consumption, but also help predict trends in drug and alcohol abuse.

The latest survey found some mixed results. Predictably, there was a rise in marijuana usage, given the legalization for adults in several states. However, one positive note was that alcohol consumption among adolescents decreased over the previous year. More specifically, past-month drinking among teens aged 12 t0 17 fell from 17.6 percent in 2002 to 11.5 percent by 2014.

Overall underage drinking is down over the past decade, but there was little change from the previous year when looking at binge drinking and heavy drinking rates. Some believe that the total usage statistics remain generally equal year after year, but the trends in the substances change. While plausible, this doesn’t negate the fact that less young people abusing alcohol equals an improvement in our society.

What Happens When You Stop Drinking for a Month?

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There is a movement that is gaining steam throughout the country, it is called Sober September. The idea is that people give up alcohol for the entire month to give their bodies a chance to recover from the rest of the year of drinking. However, how beneficial is a month of sobriety? Does it only take one month to make up for the other eleven months of damage inflicted to the liver and the brain? The truth is that an alcohol-free month is only temporarily beneficial, as it is not a long enough period of time to allow the body to recuperate from heavy drinking.

“I would look at a month of sobriety as equivalent to an intermittent fast, or juicing, or a cleanse. And we have no real evidence that they are physically beneficial per se. But it’s like rebooting a computer – they make you stop, they make you conscious, they make you mindful, and there’s the opportunity to get into a pattern that’s better for you,” explained Dr. David Katz, the founder of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center.

Katz also wonders why people would feel a need to take a break from alcohol. If someone feels that they are due for a month long break, it is likely because they are consuming too much alcohol in the first place. Researchers have determined that women who drink more than a few glasses of wine a week are in danger of drinking too much. Men who drink more than 21 units of alcohol fall into the same category. Oftentimes binge drinking (drinking several drinks in a short amount of time) is a behavior that occurs without the person realizing that they are participating in this type of dangerous behavior.

While maintaining sobriety for a month will make a person feel better, it will not repair the damage that was created in the liver. In order for liver damage to be addressed, a person needs to stop drinking altogether for a significant amount of time. However, one major benefit of taking a month off of drinking is that it will help break the habit of going out every night and feeling like the only way to have fun is to drink.

Research Finds No Real Cure For Hangovers

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Despite marketing efforts for novel products or supplements, the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology recently determined that the only real cure for a hangover is to drink less, or to not drink at all.

Binge drinking episodes and chronic heavy drinking create many problems for people, and some of the more acute symptoms include the hangover the next morning. A typical hangover includes major headaches, dehydration, aches and pains, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and more.

Researchers conducted surveys on more than 700 Canadian college students. After collecting the data, it became clear that the less a person drank the less likely they would develop a hangover the next day. The information analyzed will help researchers determine exactly why a person experiences a hangover in the first place and what goes on in their body that makes them nauseous, tired, depressed and anxious after they drink. The simple answer seems to be that any ingestion of a toxic substance can produce such symptoms.

“Research has concluded that it’s not simply dehydration – we know the immune system is involved, but before we know what causes it, it’s very unlikely we’ll find an effective cure,” explained Dr. Joris Verster of Utrecht University.

Hangovers are especially common for college students, which is the age range an population that has the highest rates of binge drinking. Hopefully the revelation that there really is no cure for a hangover might deter at least a few people from engaging in such dangerous behavior.

Studies Find Community-Wide Approach Reduces College Drinking

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Heavy alcohol consumption and binge drinking among college students is a major problem in America, including right here in Arizona. Young people fall victim to the pressures of college and their peers, have a desire to fit in and are not under the supervision of adults anymore. This is typically a recipe for disaster, as has been proven time and again in college towns all over the country.

However, ongoing research shows that there are ways to cut down on the behavior, both on campus as well as off campus. Involving the community is a big factor, as showing a common concern for students helps to reduce their frequency and level of intoxication. Multiple studies indicate that having campus officials work in tandem with community leaders and student representatives in a coalition can cut down on the drinking that occurs at parties, restaurants and bars.

Measures taken include the use of under-age people ordering drinks under-cover, resulting in warnings and fines for establishments that serve alcohol to those who aren’t yet 21. Other practices can include more DUI checkpoints and noise ordinance enforcement for parties. Many of these tactics were part of the California Safer University studies that were funded by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

Alcohol Abuse Down Worldwide, but Increased in U.S.

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Worldwide, alcohol abuse has gone down by 7.6%, according to a recent study that looked into world epidemiology. The research was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and showed that despite the good global news, alcohol abuse has actually increased by 5.5% in the United States. This means that current preventative methods are not creating enough of an effect as much as policy makers had hoped.

Of the 76.8 million people around the world who were diagnosed with alcohol use disorders, 5.1 million of those people are from the United States. Researchers criticized the U.S. for not making more efforts to prevent alcohol abuse. In addition to the growing alcohol problem, illicit drug use is also a major problem in this country, and is more of a problem here than the rest of the world.

The report, which was published in The Lancet, included the rates of abuse of other drugs as well, and overall the U.S. isn’t doing very well in the substance abuse category. University of Washington professor and lead study author Theo Vos told CNSNews.com that the reported declines in substance abuse are modest, and that little progress has been made to prevent alcohol and drug abuse in the U.S. and around the world.

Media Influence on Drinking

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A common misconception is that alcohol is healthy for an individual. Several years ago a report was issued stating that a glass of wine daily would fend off heart disease. For years afterwards many people would cite this study as a reason why it was ok to promote drinking. However, since the study was released, researchers have discovered that any health benefits from a glass of wine a day are negligible and there were likely problems with the study in the first place. The danger of publishing information is that is not accurate is that the millions of people that it reaches will subsequently make decisions off of wrong information.

“It is particularly interesting to note that those who believe alcohol to be heart healthy actually drink more alcohol. Whether their belief causes this behavior, or merely justifies it, remains an interesting unknown,” explained Dr. Gregory Marcus, director of clinical research at the University of California, San Francisco.

Marcus and his team conducted a study to determine people’s perceptions on alcohol and any related health benefits. They discovered that 80% of the people who believed that alcohol was healthy for an individual felt this way because of the reports produced by the media on the health benefits of wine. Additionally, the researchers discovered that those that believed that alcohol was healthy had high rates of alcohol abuse. These people consumed 47% more alcohol than people who did not believe that alcohol was healthy for a person.

The correlation between the media and the public’s decisions is interesting, and highlights the major role the media has when it comes to the decision making process. Experts agree that the danger of consuming too much alcohol far outweighs any minor health benefits a glass of wine has for a person. Binge drinking and drunk driving are threats that make alcohol consumption a risky endeavor, especially for those that tend to over drink in the first place.

The End of Drunk Driving?

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New technology, developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), could put an end to drunk driving. The technology is a combination of breathalyzer and touch technology that would prevent the car from being operated by someone who is over the legal limit. Additionally, teenagers who have the system installed in their car would not be able to drive the car at all if they have alcohol in their system. NHTSA showed off their program to members of Congress this week and explained that they would like the system to be installed in cars as a safety option. While the system would not be mandatory, it would be an option for parents and possibly an incentive given by insurance companies.

“There is still a great deal of work to do, but support from Congress and industry has helped us achieve key research and development milestones. DADSS has enormous potential to prevent drunk driving in specific populations such as teen drivers and commercial fleets, and making it an option available to vehicle owners would provide a powerful new tool in the battle against drunk driving deaths,” explained Mark Rosekind, NHTSA Administrator.

The excitement surrounding this program can be explained when people look at drunk driving statistics. According to the FBI, it is believed that there are 300,000 incidents of drunk driving daily in the United States, but only 4,000 arrests are made each day for the offense. The huge difference in these numbers illustrates the need for more safeguards to be in place. It is clear that law enforcement cannot monitor all drivers and will not catch everyone who gets behind the wheel after consuming too much alcohol.

The optional safety measure is especially beneficial for those that have already been convicted of drunk driving. The FBI also reports that around 33% of all drunk driving arrests are with offenders that have already been caught intoxicated and behind the wheel. It would appear that there are some people who need the restrictions of a preventative program, and other people who would like the device for protective measures, especially with teenagers.

Large Number of People Suffer from Alcohol Abuse

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A new study revealed that fourteen percent of Americans currently struggle with an alcohol abuse problem. In addition to those that are currently suffering from an alcohol abuse problem, a total of 30% of Americans have struggled with alcohol abuse at least once in their lifetime. The study was conducted by researchers who wanted to investigate exactly how prevalent alcohol addiction is in American society. While problems like; heroin addiction and prescription pill abuse are well known and discussed at length, alcohol addiction is the quiet killer.

“Most importantly, this study highlighted the urgency of educating the public and policy makers about alcohol use disorder and its treatments, destigmatizing the disorder, and encouraging among those who cannot reduce their alcohol consumption on their own, despite substantial harm to themselves and others, to seek treatment,” explained the authors of the study.

In order to educate more people about the dangers of alcohol abuse and also that more Americans are suffering from an addiction to alcohol than many people thought, the researchers published their study in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. The study came about after medical experts changed the definition of alcohol use disorder, altering the criteria people needed to exhibit in order to be diagnosed with the dangerous addiction. The new definition added more signs of alcohol abuse and clarified that someone has to display at least two of the symptoms listed in the definition. Some of the new criteria included; continuing to drink alcohol despite it harming relationships, school or work performance being negatively affected by alcohol consumption and attempting to quit drinking and being unable to.

Researchers gathered data from 36,000 Americans. Questions were asked about their drinking habits and if their drinking negatively affected any aspects of their life. Researchers also studied those that admitted to having a drinking problem at one point in their life. Interestingly, most of the people that had struggled with alcohol in the past, or were currently struggling with alcohol, had not or were not receiving treatment. There is a general feeling that an alcohol abuse problem can go so long without being detected because the public is not aware of the signs of an alcohol addiction and how common the problem actually is. Researchers hope that the study will help to shed some light on the alcohol problem in the country.

Alcohol Leader in Worldwide Death Count

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The average American drinks 85 bottles of wine a year. While this is not the highest amount of yearly alcohol consumption in the world, Americans rank high on the list. The social acceptance of drinking is likely what has led to this excessive number and it is also what is leading alcohol to be the cause of tens of thousands of deaths around the world. A report released by The Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development also showed that drinking among youth throughout the world has increased and so has the risky behavior associated with underage drinking.

“The cost to society and the economy of excessive alcohol consumption around the world is massive…Alcohol now accounts for a higher proportion of deaths worldwide than HIV, AIDS, violence and tuberculosis combined, ” explained Angel Gurria, the secretary-general of The Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development. Tax payers are also feeling the effects of the increase in alcohol consumption and health complications associated with alcohol abuse. World-wide, tax payers have had to fund legal, health and support for those suffering from alcohol addictions.

In addition to increased social acceptance of drinking, alcohol is also easier to purchase because it is in more locations and in general, alcohol is a cheaper way to celebrate and indulge. While other studies have shown that alcohol advertisements do not necessarily increase the amount of adult alcohol consumption, the study also points out that there are more alcohol advertisements, world-wide, than ever before.

Alcohol addiction is a very real problem in The United States and it is difficult to spot. Because many people drink on a daily or semi-regular basis and do not consider themselves alcoholics, it is much harder to spot alcoholic tendencies in others who may be sliding towards an addiction. One of the biggest problems associated with alcohol is binge drinking. Binge drinking, defined as multiple drinks in a short period of time, is one of the most common ways alcohol is abused. A person who engages in binge-drinking episodes is more likely to develop an alcohol addiction later in life. This is likely due to the fact that alcohol has already successfully been used as a distraction and a way to alleviate stress and anxiety.