Experts throughout the world are urging doctors to lead the war against the abuse of alcohol, according to a recent article in US News. A recent statement from the United Nations Summit in NYC says there is an obvious lack of international action to try to correct the seriousness of the problem we are all facing globally.

Excessive alcohol abuse has become the third leading cause of diseases that are premature and preventable. The problem is globally affecting more than 70 million people. There is a vital need to pressure governments to recognize the problem and then adopt and put into place the necessary health policies. However, the conflict from government drives policies whereas commercial and/or social government powers slow up the progress of national and international policy making.

There are interventions that have been cost-effective and proven to work but support for these types of policies is not politically attractive to most. The study pointed out that doctors are in the unique position to talk about this problem in their daily practices. Doctors’ voices are a valued and trusted resource within our communities and societies. Sir Ian Gilmore, at the Royal College of Physicians in London, England points out that we call on our doctors for valuable leadership by holding health experts accountable for their lack of effort in tackling this problem with all the evidence we have.

The conclusion from the study was that we could combat the abuse of alcohol if we implement effective policies to help improve the health of our worldwide populations.

Two college professors have teamed up to study the impact of community demographics and local liquor establishments on violence in the community. Professor William Alex Pridemore at Indiana University Bloomington and his co-author Tony Grubesic, Associate Professor at Drexel University, have come to the conclusion that communities with more socially disorganized layouts combined with higher poverty and single mom households were hit hardest.

The study found that these types of communities had the most violence due to the amount of liquor establishments in a small area. According to an article in Medical News Today, Pridemore found that the social cohesion in organized communities having common values resulted in a better ability to regulate behaviors of local retailers and those who frequented liquor outlets.

Pridemore added that stronger communities more often have bigger social capital, effective informal surveillance and friends working at City Hall. Combining these three factors gets the attention of police and authorities who establish liquor licensing. Trying to change local and state alcohol policies can be overwhelming due to the complex commercial and political context. However, it might be easier to accomplish changes in policy than it is to change things like poverty and social disarray.

The professors’ latest findings showed that the correlation between alcohol and assaults in such disorganized communities weakened their social organization. As assaults increased so did the level of disorganization. Communities that have neighborhood watches and associations lessen this problem because residents demand business owners be more responsible. These residents will call on their social connections with police and local authorities when they see problems begin.

The researchers compiled their information using geocoded data from local police and geocoded data from alcohol outlets and their locations in the Cincinnati, Ohio area in a 298 block area.

A new law went into effect in July 2011 in the state of Washington making it mandatory for a vehicle driven by a person arrested for DUI (driving under the influence) to be towed and remain impounded for a 12-hour period.

Origins of Hailey’s Law

The new law, Senate Bill 5000, is also called "Hailey’s Law" in honor of Hailey Huntley. Hailey’s tragedy occurred in 2007 when a drunk driver was arrested for DUI. After processing the driver, and since there was no room for her in the jail, a state trooper drove her home. From home, the driver called a taxi in order to retrieve her vehicle.

Still impaired, the driver got behind the wheel and ended up in a head-on collision with Hailey Huntley. Huntley sued the County and State Patrol for damages and was awarded over $5 million. Huntley has undergone more than 16 surgeries related to injuries sustained in the accident.

In the past, police were often faced with a quandary: a lack of jail space for arrested drivers but no mandate to impound a DUI-involved car. The 2011 Legislature passed Hailey’s Law to protect others on the road, as well as the driver. The law’s primary intent is to keep impaired drivers from getting back behind the wheel before they have had enough time to sober up.

How the Law Works

The car must remain at the towing company for 12 hours (with three exceptions). This means that a sober friend in the car may not drive it home from the arrest scene and neither may a family member come and retrieve it from the roadside where the arrest occurred.

Though, to some, it may appear punitive, the law’s supporters are quick to point out that punishment is determined and meted out by the court at a later date.

There are three exceptions to the mandatory 12-hour impound provision in the new law:

1. If the vehicle is owned by a person other than the person who was arrested, and the owner was not in the car at the time of the arrest, the owner may reclaim the car at the towing company lot.
2. If the car is registered to a co-owner, that person may reclaim the car at the towing company before 12 hours have elapsed.
3. Commercial or farm transport vehicles whose owner is not the arrested party may retrieve the vehicle from the site of the arrest. This is the only case in which the vehicle is not required to be towed.

DUI Statistics

A few statistics help put the law into perspective. Washington state police arrest roughly 40,000 impaired drivers annually. While Washington’s highway fatality rate has been declining, the number of people killed by impaired drivers in the state is not keeping pace.

For those who wonder if it is unfair to impound the car of a person not yet convicted of drunk driving, consider that in 2008 police made 40,205 DUI arrests. According to the Transportation Department of Washington State, a scant 185 of those cases resulted in acquittals.

“Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.” – Christopher Reeve, American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter and author, best known for his screen role as Superman, paralyzed from a fall in a horse riding accident (1952-2004)

If ever there was an example of life seeming to be too much, too difficult, too hard to manage, it was definitely the case with the actor Christopher Reeve. The Superman actor certainly seemed to have it all: handsome good looks, impressive physique, and strength, generosity of character, a loving wife, success and fame. But a horse riding accident left him paralyzed, thus curtailing his acting career and necessitating years of physical therapy and rehabilitation. Despite herculean odds, however, Reeve managed to make consistent progress. Through all his struggles, he maintained an optimistic outlook on life. He was, in short, an inspiration to millions – not just others in a similar situation, but anyone struggling against odds that seem completely hopeless. In other words, those of us in recovery can certainly relate to how that must have felt, since we’ve pretty much all been there.

Where do we find the courage and strength to persevere in the face of such adversity? Is there some secret wellspring that we can tap into? Is it something that we can learn to do, despite not having much success with this in the past? Sure, we hear the recommendations to take it one day at a time. That works, up to a point. But there still are days when we just don’t think we have it in us to get out of bed, much less undertake what we know we need to do for ourselves in recovery. What then?

For some, prayer helps. For others, being in the company of our 12-step group members and our loved ones helps. Still others find peace and a new resolve by talking things over with a counselor or therapist. Certainly there were times when Christopher Reeve felt down and discouraged. He had his loving wife, therapists and whomever to help him deal with letdowns and sadness, discouragement and dashed hopes. We can definitely do the same. In fact, reaching out and asking for help and companionship when we need it most is the best thing we can do to find our way out of the depths of such anguish.

Sometimes we just need a little break. This does not mean that we abandon our recovery efforts, just that we lighten up the pace at which we’ve been going. We may very well need to take a brief rest, some time off work, to take a vacation or a week-end away with the family. Maybe we need to sit down and revise our list of recovery goals. Perhaps we’re pushing ourselves too hard and not giving ourselves credit for what we’ve already achieved. A little reflection may be in order, along with some play time. Make sure that we schedule some down-time in our daily schedule so that we have time to daydream, to play, to relax. Yes, we may very well need to pencil such time in, since we’re likely so accustomed to filling up our days that there’s literally no time left for such activities. They are just as important to our recovery as our other recovery efforts. Make no mistake about that.

There is a medication available for treatment of alcoholism and studies show that it works with those people who have alcoholism in their family and have cravings for alcohol. There are limited medication treatments available for those with a dependence on alcohol and the drug Naltrexone is very effective however it does not work for everyone. Marco Leyton, with McGill University, says this is one of the "few medications approved for treating alcoholism". The results of the study were published in a Science Daily report and show that a large percentage of those battling alcoholism who received stimulation from the drug while drinking alcohol experience "good feelings" such as elation.

Naltrexone works on opioid receptors and because it is specific to those receptors it produces feelings such as exhilaration. Although this certainly isn’t a cure for the disease, the drug may make the person more receptive to treatment and more likely to drink smaller amounts, says Charles P. O’Brien, with the Dept. of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. The medications’ effectiveness may depend on several factors including genetics and gender because of the gene related to the body’s biological "endorphin" system. Leyton and colleagues tested 40 social drinkers, 20 women and 20 men ranging in age from 18 to 50 years old for a period of six days.

Both O’Brien and Leyton agreed that the findings of the study should be used to tailor options for treatment of those individuals dependent on alcohol and Leyton believes if clinicians and researchers collaborate, they can make it easy to predict those who will benefit most from one treatment compared to another in advance. Leyton hopes to identify the "biomarkers" for a more personal approach to specifying medicinal needs of those with alcohol dependence.

Alcohol consumption and cannabis use are often seen by many people as harmless social activities or ways to relieve everyday stress. However, alcohol use is associated with not only injury and increased risk of certain cancers and liver disease, but it is also connected with secondary risks such as dangerous sexual behaviors. Cannabis use has been associated with psychotic episodes.

The Centre for Addiction and Health in Ontario recently released their report, detailing information gathered in a survey of local adults. The survey asked about daily drinking and cannabis use, as well as psychological distress. The report showed that there are increasing rates of daily drinking and cannabis use and high levels of psychological distress among Ontario residents.

The CAMH Monitor survey is the longest running survey that tracks mental health and addiction. In its latest report, the survey showed that the number of adults that drink daily increased from 5.3 percent in 2002 to more than 9 percent in 2009. In addition, the average number of drinks per day has increased, from 3 drinks per day to 4.6. The proportion of adults that exceed low-risk drinking guidelines remains high at 22 percent.

The report, however, also published some findings that provide encouragement. There was a significant decline noted in binge drinking, with the rate in 2006 at 12.6 percent decreasing to 7.1 percent in 2009. A major decline was noted especially among young adults, with the number dropping from 24 percent to 11.5 percent.

Driving within an hour of consuming two or more drinks was a measure that showed a decline, from 13.1 percent in 1996 to 6.9 percent in 2009, the report indicates that there might be a reversal of the trend among young adults, with 18 to 29 year olds increasing on this measure from 7.7 percent in 2005 to 12.8 percent in 2009.

Cannabis use has shown a steady increase, from 8.7 percent in 1996 to 13.3 percent in 2009, taking into account both genders and all age groups. Among younger adults aged 18 to 29, there was a significant increase, from 18.3 percent to 35.8 percent.

The researchers at CAMH explain that increasing cannabis use is of particular concern because it has been linked closely with psychosis, especially for people who are predisposed to developing schizophrenia. The use of cannabis may worsen the symptoms of a number of mental illnesses.

The researchers report that there is also a significant increase in cannabis users among older adults, with those over the age of 50 showing an increase from 1.4 percent to 4.7 percent from 1996 to 2009, and among past-year cannabis users, the percentage of those aged 50 and over increased from 1.9 percent to 13.9 percent.

A new study looks at the extent to which motivation and resisting temptation change during alcohol addiction treatment, and the degree to which these variables affected drinking behaviors.The researchers found that differences in motivation seem to make a significant difference in seeking, complying with, and completing alcohol addiction treatment. This suggests that treatments tailored to specific subgroups may be more effective.

J. Kim Penberthy, corresponding author of the study and associate professor of psychiatry and neurobehavioral sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, said that the researchers decided to focus on motivation in the form of stages of change and self-efficacy, such as resisting temptation and abstaining from alcohol.

For example, people who are preparing to enter treatment have completed early tasks such as overcoming ambivalence, decision making, and committing to a plan, and are therefore more motivated to change their behavior by reducing their drinking before starting treatment.

People who have a strong belief in their ability to resist temptation to drinking are more confident and think about tempting situations differently, which increases their motivation to complete treatment and prevent relapse.

Penberthy added that patient motivation and self-efficacy are important in terms of which patients respond to treatment and when. For the study, the researchers looked at changes in motivation, temptation to drink, confidence to abstain, and drinking behaviors during the treatment phase of a study of 321 alcohol-dependent individuals.

Participants were given cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and either the anti-craving medication ondansetron or a placebo. The researchers also looked at the ways in which individual variables such as drinking severity, age of onset of alcohol dependence, and medication status influenced changes in motivation, drinking behaviors, and self-efficacy.

Penberthy said that increased motivation to change, reduced temptation to drink, and increased confidence to abstain predicted reductions in drinking regardless of the treatment provided, which indicates that tailoring treatment plans to target certain subgroups may be most effective.

The study found that ondansetron was more effective in early-onset drinkers in reducing drinking behaviors, compared to late-onset drinkers. It also helped increase the percentage of days abstinent and decreased the temptation to drink in early-onset drinkers. The drug did not have a different impact on early-onset versus late-onset drinkers in terms of increased motivation or confidence to abstain.

Reductions in drinking behavior in early-onset drinkers may be helped along by a reduced temptation to drink, Penberthy said. This supports the idea that early-onset alcohol dependence is a biologically based disease and is more responsive to selective serotonergic agents to reduce the temptation to drink, which leads to decreased drinking behavior.

The authors added that they need to focus their research and clinical work on tailoring treatment methods based on the stage of the disease, as well as the patient’s level of motivation, self-efficacy, and biological response to medications.

Penberthy added that this current study is the first step in understanding more about which patients respond to treatment and the mechanisms that may be involved in the changes in drinking behavior, and that this knowledge is necessary to tailor treatments to alcohol-dependent individuals.

Source: Science Daily, Motivation to Change, Confidence to Resist Temptation, Should Tailor Alcohol-Dependence Treatment, June 15, 2011

Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause severe difficulties for the developing baby. Multiple motor, behavioral and cognitive problems can surface during the child’s early years that continue into adulthood.Because of these risks, pregnant women have been urged to avoid even minimal alcohol consumption at all stages of pregnancy.

A recent study analyzed the differences in the deep gray matter volumes in the brains of children and adolescents diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) compared to children without FASD. The deep gray matter contains the brain’s "relay" stations that send and receive information between different areas of the brain.

The study, which will be published in the August 2011 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, looked at the major structures of the brain, including the basal ganglia, hippocampus, thalamus and amygdala, which are involved in processing memory, cognition, motor function and emotions.

Corresponding author Christian Beaulieu, professor in biomedical engineering at the University of Alberta, explains that the communication that happens between areas of the brain contained in the deep gray matter are important for cognitive function. Beaulieu and colleagues conducted the first study to look at all six deep gray matter structures, comparing volume with the same brain regions in subjects in the same age range without FASD.

The research team compared two groups matched well in age, from 6 to 17 years, and gender, using high resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging to compare the deep gray matter volume in the hippocampus, amygdale, thalamus, caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus. Any changes with age were tracked.

The researchers found that in all six structures, the deep gray matter volume was reduced in the children and adolescents with FASD. The volume reductions were noted over a wide age range. Beaulieu compares reduced gray matter volume to having less horsepower under the hood. Smaller structures in the deep gray matter have less capacity to send and receive messages with different areas of the brain.

The children with FASD showed a significantly lower volume in deep gray matter, from seven to 18 percent when compared to the control group. This indicates that the structures are severely affected by alcohol consumption by the mother during fetal development. The results also showed that some of the differences were consistent with age, while others changed with age.

The findings of the study show the severity of the injury caused to the brain by the mother’s consumption of alcohol during pregnancy. While it was clear that cognitive problems stemmed from FASD, this research is helpful in understanding the specific ways that the brain is affected by FASD.

There is a trend emerging among young drinkers in which energy drinks and alcohol are combined to produce a cocktail that pairs the effects of alcohol with those of caffeine. It is especially popular on college campuses, where students combat the effects of long hours of studying with drinks charged with caffeine.

The drinks may be very dangerous. Some research studies have shown that when alcohol and energy drinks are combined, the consumer of the drink experiences an inhibited understanding of the effects the alcohol is having on their bodies. The effects of the energy drink mask the amount of alcohol consumed, but without reducing the effects of the alcohol.

There are now appearing in the market pre-mixed alcoholic energy drinks, and new research from Australia is causing medical experts there to recommend the banning of such cocktails from store shelves. The Australian Medical Association says that research from the University of Wollongong Centre for Health Initiatives shows that the drinks are a major problem.

The study conducted showed that 12- to 17-year-olds were more likely to drink alcoholic drinks if they contained caffeine or guarana, according to AMA Vice President Dr. Steve Hambleton. Young drinkers are attracted to the drinks because they allow for longer drinking periods.

Dr. Hambleton says that the AMA is especially disturbed by the products’ popularity among under-age drinkers, some even as young as 12 years old. The kids easily make the jump from energy drinks to alcoholic energy drinks.

The AMA states that it is an irresponsible and dangerous move for the alcohol industry to market products that are proven to be especially attractive to young people, especially those in their teen years. The products put young Australians at risk for developing an early addiction to alcohol, produced when alcoholic energy drinks allow for longer drinking periods.

The consumption of alcohol with a stimulant reduces the perception of drunkenness, but the physical and mental impairments do not change with the addition of energy drink to alcohol, but remain the same. In teenagers, this effect may lead to increased levels of risk-taking behaviors, making injury and bad choices more likely.

Heavy episodic drinking is associated with a higher risk of injury and risky sexual behavior. In addition, when individuals are introduced to alcohol at a young age, they are more likely to exhibit problematic alcoholic behavior patterns later in adulthood. In addition, earlier initiation of alcohol consumption gives the body a longer exposure to toxins in alcohol that heighten the risk of liver disorders and multiple types of cancer.

Youngsters who binge drink are risking their mental health later in life says a new study conducted by researchers at the Loyola University Health System. Past studies have shown that excessive drinking can cause cognitive impairment in adolescents because the brains of young adults are still developing. Lead researcher, Toni Pak, PhD, states that teens that binge on alcohol could upset connections in the brain that are necessary for the brain to function normally.

The study tested the long-term effect that large amounts of alcohol had on stress hormones in young rats. The rats were exposed to an eight day binge cycle. The first three days consisted of heavy alcohol injections (saline injections for the test group), followed by two days rest, then three more days of heavy alcohol exposure. The rats were examined again one month later once they were adults. They were divided into three groups – they were either given a small amount of alcohol, injected with a saline solution, or subjected to another binge cycle.

Similar to humans, rats produce a stress hormone in response to physical and mental anxiety. The hormone in rats is known as corticosterone. It reacts like the human equivalent cortisol, in that it helps to release blood sugar to restore balance in the body when exposed to stress. While tests done on animals are not always indicative of what will happen in humans, the study does have implications for the method by which teen drinking can lead to adult mood disorders.

Researchers found that corticosterone levels were elevated for the groups that received the one-time injection and for those that were subjected to the binge cycle. Also, the rats that had received alcohol in their adolescence showed marked increases in the stress hormone when exposed to alcohol later as adults. While temporary increases in cortisol may prove beneficial, long-term exposure has been linked to depression and heart problems.

Additionally, rats that received alcohol had lower base levels of corticosterone than those rats who abstained. The results of the study suggest that heavy alcohol exposure in one’s youth can have lasting changes on the release of stress hormones in the body.

Data from the British Medical Association shows that youngsters are drinking more at younger ages. And, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports that more than a third of adolescents aged 18 to 20 admitted to binging on alcohol at least once in the past month. Excessive alcohol consumption at these young ages can produce numerous negative side effects aside from depression. Since studies show that binge drinking begins at age 13 on average, educational efforts need to be geared toward those in middle school in order to make an impact.