Showing papers in "Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs in 1985"
TL;DR: The psychological and biological characteristics associated with the vulnerability to alcoholism can be accounted for on the basis of deviations in empirically established temperament traits, thereby supporting the viability of a behavior-genetic perspective for elucidating the susceptibility to alcoholism.
Abstract: The psychological and biological characteristics associated with the vulnerability to alcoholism are reviewed. The predisposing features can be accounted for on the basis of deviations in empirically established temperament traits, thereby supporting the viability of a behavior-genetic perspective for elucidating the susceptibility to alcoholism. The temperament perspective also has heuristic value for improving our understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms that link the genetic predisposition to overt behavior. In addition, the temperament approach has ramifications for the prevention and treatment of alcoholism, as well as for clarifying the etiology and classification of certain other psychiatric disorders. The questions of what may be inherited in alcoholism and how this information can be usefully applied to enhance our knowledge of alcoholism etiology, prevention and clinical management are addressed.
260Â citations
TL;DR: It was found that more limited expectancies of alcohol-produced relaxation were associated with abstinence, as well as nonproblematic drinking, and there was a consistent negative linear relationship between alcohol expectancies and measures of treatment success.
Abstract: The relationship of alcohol-related expectancies with the drinking behavior and treatment compliance of alcoholics was examined 1 year posttreatment, along with the utility of reinforcement expectancy as a predictor of alcoholism treatment outcome. Of the original sample of 42 men veteran inpatients from an alcoholism treatment program, 81% were interviewed 1 year after treatment. Prediction variables identified in the multiple-regression analyses accounted for 40-57% of the criterion variance. It was found that more limited expectancies of alcohol-produced relaxation were associated with abstinence, as well as nonproblematic drinking. It was also found that there was a consistent negative linear relationship between alcohol expectancies and measures of treatment success.
208Â citations
TL;DR: The development of a standardized Substance Abuse Attitude Survey (SAAS) is described and has proven useful in developing attitudinal objectives, measuring achievement of these objectives and modifying teaching approaches in both undergraduate and continuing medical education.
Abstract: Although attitudinal objectives in medical education about alcohol and drug misuse are important, adequate instruments for measuring the achievement of such objectives have been lacking. The development of a standardized Substance Abuse Attitude Survey (SAAS) is described. Multiple administrations and factor analyses selected and refined the item pool of the final scale. Five factors were derived from tests completed by 324 noncriterion clinicians: Permissiveness, Treatment Intervention, Nonstereotypes, Treatment Optimism and Nonmoralism. The factor structure was found to be internally consistent over repeated administrations. Validation was obtained by scoring surveys completed by 116 criterion clinicians experienced in treating patients who misuse alcohol and other drugs. The criterion clinicians scored significantly higher than the noncriterion clinicians on the Treatment Intervention and Treatment Optimism factors. The SAAS has been well accepted by medical students and practicing physicians. It has proven useful in developing attitudinal objectives, measuring achievement of these objectives and modifying teaching approaches in both undergraduate and continuing medical education.
183Â citations
TL;DR: There is no evidence that low or very low BALs improve performance on driving-related skills, as has sometimes been suggested.
Abstract: The effect of low blood alcohol levels (BALs) on driving skills performance was examined experimentally Ten moderate drinkers were tested on divided-attention and information processing tasks at BALs of zero, 15, 30, 45 and 60 mg/dl All response measures showed evidence of impairment beginning at 15 mg/dl and increasing impairment with increasing BALs Thus there is no evidence that low or very low BALs improve performance on driving-related skills, as has sometimes been suggested
175Â citations
TL;DR: Alcoholics showed a distinctive response to alcohol cues, characterized by autonomic reactivity and concordance between this reactsivity and self-reported desire for alcohol.
Abstract: Physiological reactivity and self-reported desire to drink in nonproblem drinkers (N = 11 women and 15 men) and hospitalized alcoholics (N = 25 women and 34 men) were examined while subjects held and sniffed their preferred alcoholic beverage. Skin conductance level (SCL) and heart rate during alcohol exposure were significantly higher in the alcoholics than in the non-alcoholics. Self-reported desire to drink and SCL during alcohol exposure were correlated for alcoholics but not for nonalcoholics. Among alcoholics, SCL change was positively correlated with the number of heavy-drinking days in the month preceding admission to treatment. Consistent with conditioning models of relapse, alcoholics showed a distinctive response to alcohol cues, characterized by autonomic reactivity and concordance between this reactivity and self-reported desire for alcohol.
170Â citations
TL;DR: Reliability estimates for the measures of alcohol consumption used in a household survey indicate high levels of reliability and suggest that these consumption measures can be used with considerable confidence.
Abstract: Reliability estimates for the measures of alcohol consumption used in a household survey were examined. Respondents who had not consumed any alcohol within the previous year and those under age 18 were excluded from the survey, yielding a sample of 1395 (48% men). With one survey that involved a 2-week recall period and another that involved a 4-week period, three methods for estimating reliability were employed: alternate forms, test-retest and a combined method. Validity was also examined using a 30-day drinking diary as a criterion. The findings indicate high levels of reliability, averaging .91 for the consumption measures of beer, wine and distilled spirits. Validity estimates were also fairly substantial but not uniformly so across the different beverage types. In general, the results suggest that these consumption measures can be used with considerable confidence.
165Â citations
TL;DR: The high-risk group reported having experienced a more disturbed school career, and were rated by their teachers as having been more impulsive and as having had poorer verbal proficiency, which may be predictive of future alcoholism.
Abstract: From a large consecutive birth cohort in Denmark, 134 sons of alcoholic fathers (high-risk group) and 70 matched controls were selected for a prospective longitudinal study of alcoholism. A premorbid multidisciplinary assessment was conducted at age 19-20. Data were derived from three sources: a social worker interview, a psychopathological interview that also collected information about current drinking pattern, and a questionnaire sent to teachers. The high-risk group reported having experienced a more disturbed school career, and were rated by their teachers as having been more impulsive and as having had poorer verbal proficiency. These factors may be predictive of future alcoholism.
156Â citations
TL;DR: Alcohol consumption, alcohol expectancies and setting appear to have both independent and interacting effects on subjective state, and these effects appear to vary in importance across the types of effects considered and the time since drinking.
Abstract: Contemporary theorists view many alcohol effects as complex functions of a number of interacting variables ranging from pharmacological factors (e.g., limb of the blood alcohol curve), environmental factors (e.g., setting) and dispositional factors (e.g., individually held expectations concerning the effects of alcohol). To examine this general model, the joint effects on subjective state of beverage (alcohol vs placebo), of setting (alone vs group) and of individual differences in alcohol expectancies were examined in a sample of 98 men social drinkers. Assessment of subjective state included measures of both mood and perceived physical sensations. The results demonstrated the complex determinants of subjective effects of alcohol and illustrated the difficulty of making strong generalizations concerning the subjective effects of alcohol. Alcohol consumption, alcohol expectancies and setting appear to have both independent and interacting effects on subjective state. These effects appear to vary in importance across the types of effects considered and the time since drinking.
154Â citations
TL;DR: From the existing information on pharmacokinetics of alcohol and the characteristics and variability of blood and breath alcohol versus time curves, the following conclusions can be reached.
Abstract: Key aspects of the pharmacokinetics of alcohol are highly relevant to highway safety. Of particular pertinence are the partition of alcohol between various body tissues and fluids and the resulting alcohol concentration ratios for blood: breath and other body fluids, as well as the irregularity and short-term fluctuations of the blood and breath alcohol curves. Most alcohol pharmacokinetics parameters are subject to wide intersubject variability, as exemplified by peak blood alcohol concentrations reached on ingestion of identical weight-adjusted doses, time to peak after end of drinking and the rate of alcohol elimination from the blood. This great biological intersubject variability, when combined with sex-, age- and time-related differences, makes the blood alcohol information in widely distributed alcohol consumption nomograms and tables based on mean data inappropriate as a guide for the drinking behavior of individuals. Although there is good statistical correlation between the alcohol concentration of different body tissues and fluids in the fully postabsorptive state, wide individual variations from the population mean alcohol partition values exist. It is often impossible to determine whether the postabsorptive state has been reached at any given time. Those factors make it impossible or infeasible to convert the alcohol concentration of breath or urine to the simultaneous blood alcohol concentration with forensically acceptable certainty, especially under per se or absolute alcohol concentration laws. Inclusion of breath alcohol concentrations in drinking-driving statutes, as definitions or per se offense elements, makes unnecessary the conversion of breath alcohol analysis results into equivalent blood alcohol concentrations. Urine alcohol concentrations are inadequately correlated with blood alcohol concentrations or with driver impairment, and analysis of bladder urine is, therefore, inappropriate in traffic law enforcement. Significantly large sex-related differences in pharmacokinetic parameters have been demonstrated (e.g., in peak blood alcohol concentrations for weight-adjusted doses). The effects of age and time of day have been less extensively studies and are less clear. Breath and blood alcohol time curves are subject to short-term fluctuations from the trend line and other irregularities, and often do not follow the typical Widmark pattern. From the existing information on pharmacokinetics of alcohol and the characteristics and variability of blood and breath alcohol versus time curves, the following conclusions can be reached.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
145Â citations
TL;DR: Cognitive factors underlying the maintenance of abstinence overwhelmingly involved negative associations to the notion of drinking.
Abstract: Interviews were conducted with 29 alcoholics who claimed a "spontaneous" remission from alcoholism to elucidate the cognitive processes associated with the initiation and maintenance of absolute or relative abstinence. Factors associated with the initiation of abstinence included hitting a personal bottom, alcohol-induced physical problems, allergy or physical aversion, change in lifestyle and spiritual-mystical experiences. With respect to the maintenance of abstinence, the majority periodically resorted to willpower, some claimed the disappearance of craving and others were protected by their physical aversion to alcohol. Cognitive factors underlying the maintenance of abstinence overwhelmingly involved negative associations to the notion of drinking. The implications of these findings for psychotherapy are discussed.
144Â citations
TL;DR: Findings on aggressive behavior confirm previous findings from research on criminal violence.
Abstract: Research on the relationship between alcohol use and aggressive behavior has typically focused on arrested felons and has contained minimal data on alcohol use, the symptoms of alcoholism and potential explanatory variables. The present study examined this relationship in a community-based population of blue-collar workers (N = 484 men). Current alcohol consumption was not related to either the number of fights that subjects were involved in since age 18 or physical marital conflict. However, a pathological pattern of consumption and a recent diagnosis (within the previous 3 yr) of alcohol misuse or alcohol dependence were related to physical marital conflict. Furthermore, these relationships remained significant after sociodemographic factors, and hostility and marital satisfaction were controlled for. Thus, these results on aggressive behavior confirm previous findings from research on criminal violence.
TL;DR: The results suggest that FH+ subjects did not base their evaluations of the effects of alcohol as closely on the internal and external consequences of intoxication, which is discussed as being one component of their heightened risk for developing alcoholism.
Abstract: The effects of family drinking history and expectancies on responses to alcohol were studied in men nonproblem drinkers aged 19-30. A total of 24 subjects who reported a history of parental alcoholism (FH+) were compared with matched controls who did not have such a family history (FH-) on their responses to drinking either a placebo beverage, a low dose of alcohol or a high dose of alcohol. Despite comparable levels of tolerance and blood alcohol levels (BALs), FH- subjects reported higher levels of intoxication, behavioral impairment, anesthesia and central stimulation than FH+ subjects, regardless of the dose consumed. In contrast, FH+ subjects did more poorly on a timed motor task. There were no significant differences between the two groups on their self-reported beliefs about the effects of alcohol. However, multiple-regression analyses showed that BAL accounted for a greater percentage of the variance in the self-report data of FH- subjects, whereas expectancies were more predictive for the FH+ sub...
TL;DR: Findings are more consistent with a threshold effect for impairment than for impairment at all levels of BAL, and for most behavioral skills, the decrement in performance after alcohol is slight, rarely exceeding 35-50% of the control period.
Abstract: Several points emerge from the large body of data on the effects of alcohol on CNS function. First, the degree of impairment is dose related, but not identical or strictly linear for all behaviors. Alcohol-related impairment of behavioral skills involved in driving is greatest for those tasks that require cognitive functioning; simple perception alone is least affected. Impairment of cognitive functioning, which includes information processing and decision making under conditions of divided attention, is evident at BALs above 50 mg/dl and is markedly affected above 100 mg/dl. Above a BAL of 100 mg/dl, almost all behavioral skills are impaired by alcohol. Most studies have employed only one or at most two doses of alcohol in testing for impairment. The limited range of BALs studied makes determination of the overall shape of the dose-response curve difficult. Second, alcohol-related impairment of CNS functions cannot be demonstrated at low BALs. There is no consistent evidence that BALs below 50 mg/dl impair any behavior in most individuals. Youth and the elderly, groups not typically studied in the laboratory, may represent exceptions to this general observation. Nonetheless, these findings are more consistent with a threshold effect for impairment than for impairment at all levels of BAL. Third, for most behavioral skills, the decrement in performance after alcohol is slight, rarely exceeding 35-50% of the control period. In many studies, changes of only 8-10% are reported to be statistically significant. Whether these small statistically significant decrements in performance are an explanation for increased crash risk remains uncertain.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
TL;DR: Boys' intentions to drink in the future were related to consistency and impression-management variables (controlling for current drinking), and girls' intentions were not related to any of these self-image and social-image factors.
Abstract: To investigate the social image of adolescent drinking, high-school students were asked to rate slides of drinking and nondrinking peer models. The image was ambivalent, with both social liabilities and possible social benefits (including toughness and precocity). This image was then related to adolescent drinking behavior. It was hypothesized that adolescents might be more likely to drink if their self-concepts were consistent with a drinking image (consistency theory), if their ideal self-concepts were consistent with a drinking image (self-enhancement) or if their friends admired a drinking image (impression management). Analyses of subjects' current drinking behavior supported both the consistency and self-enhancement hypotheses. Moreover, boys' intentions to drink in the future were related to consistency and impression-management variables (controlling for current drinking). Girls' intentions were not related to any of these self-image and social-image factors. Implications for adolescent alcohol use and misuse are discussed.
TL;DR: It is concluded that SEU should be considered when attempts are made to explain adolescent drinking behavior.
Abstract: The relationship between subjective expected utility (SEU) and the use of beer and distilled spirits by adolescents is examined. A panel design with 1339 subjects who began the study as seventh graders indicated that there were reciprocal relationships between SEU and behavior. It is concluded that SEU should be considered when attempts are made to explain adolescent drinking behavior.
TL;DR: The noted similarities between the DWI and HRD groups are consistent with the contention that these two groups may represent subtypes within a larger population of high-risk drivers.
Abstract: Three groups of men drivers in the state of Washington were compared: those who had been arrested for driving while intoxicated (DWI group, N = 172), those who had received multiple nonalcohol-related violations or who had been involved in traffic accidents (high-risk drivers, or HRD group, N = 193) and a representative random sample of the general driving population of men in the state (GDP group, N = 154). Subjects completed a questionnaire assessing demographic, drinking, driving attitude, personality and hostility measures. The HRD and DWI groups were generally more deviant than the GDP subjects. The latter individuals were demographically more stable, had lower levels of drinking behavior and were more emotionally stable, with lower levels of depression, sensation seeking, external perception of control, and both overt and covert hostility. The GDP group also had lower levels of driving-related hostility. The HRD and DWI groups did not suffer significantly from each other on any of the measures of personality function or hostility. These two groups did differ on aspects of drinking behavior, driving-related attitudes and demographic characteristics. The noted similarities between the DWI and HRD groups are consistent with the contention that these two groups may represent subtypes within a larger population of high-risk drivers.
TL;DR: Having a pedigree positive for alcoholism was more important in explaining the consequences of alcohol misuse than antisocial personality, a variable that may underlie and contribute to a positive family history of alcoholism.
Abstract: Alcoholism is known to be a familial disorder and the presence of a family history of alcoholism is recognized as an important variable in alcoholism research. The course and consequences of alcoholism in a group of men alcoholics are examined in relation to family pedigree for alcoholism. Consideration was also given to antisocial personality, a variable that may underlie and contribute to a positive family history of alcoholism. The presence of antisocial personality affected the course of alcoholism to a greater extent than having a positive pedigree for alcoholism. On the other hand, having a pedigree positive for alcoholism was more important in explaining the consequences of alcohol misuse than antisocial personality. The theoretical and methodological implications of these findings for future research are discussed.
TL;DR: It is concluded that the hypothesis that stressful life events cause excessive drinking remains to be empirically demonstrated.
Abstract: The literature on stressful life events and alcohol misuse in women is critically reviewed. Many researchers have suggested that women begin to misuse alcohol in response to stress linked to precipitating circumstances or life events. Middle-aged women are felt to be especially at risk because of the nature of the events that they are likely to experience, e.g., divorce, bereavement and departure of children from the home. Evidence for these views has been collected by asking patients to recall particular events in their past that they considered may have caused their heavy drinking. This approach has several methodological problems, most notably the failure to deal with the possibility that heavy drinking produced an increased frequency of stressful life events rather than vice versa. It has been speculated that women are more likely to attribute their heavy drinking to causes that are more likely to elicit sympathy than condemnation. None of the studies discussed has considered the possibility that the link between life events and heavy drinking reflects the activities of a sizable subgroup of women described as "sociopathic" alcoholics, the disturbance producing an excess of both events and excessive alcohol consumption. Considerable criticism has been leveled at the use of poorly validated concepts such as "mid-life crisis" and the tendency to use terms such as "menopausal syndrome" as an explanation for almost any difficulty experienced by women in middle age. It is concluded that the hypothesis that stressful life events cause excessive drinking remains to be empirically demonstrated.
TL;DR: The presence of secondary alcoholism in depressed probands did not convey additional increase in risk of either major depression or anxiety disorders to offspring beyond that observed among offspring of probands with depression, suggesting that depression and alcoholism are not alternate forms of expression of the same underlying illness.
Abstract: The risk of psychiatric illness among the offspring of probands with major depression and secondary alcoholism was examined. The offspring aged 6-17 (N = 107) and 18 + (N = 171) of probands with major depression (114 with depression only and 19 with secondary alcoholism) were compared with the offspring aged 6-17 (N = 87) and 18 + (N = 103) of controls (N = 82). Offspring of probands with secondary alcoholism had a threefold greater risk of alcoholism and a fivefold greater risk of antisocial personality-conduct disorder compared with offspring of probands with depression only, and a threefold greater risk of alcoholism and a 20-fold greater risk of antisocial personality-conduct disorder compared with offspring of controls. Familial aggregation of alcoholism was observed only among probands with secondary alcoholism. The presence of secondary alcoholism in depressed probands did not convey additional increase in risk of either major depression or anxiety disorders to offspring beyond that observed among ...
Journal Article•
TL;DR: Those who preferred beer typically drank to higher levels of intoxication, were more likely to drive after drinking and tended to consider driving while intoxicated to be less serious, which contradict the popular perception of beer as a relatively harmless drink of moderation.
Abstract: Relationships between the preferred type of alcoholic beverage and various drinking-driving behaviors and attitudes were examined in a representative sample of 1000 licensed U.S. drivers interviewed in a national telephone survey. Substantial differences were found between subjects who preferred beer and those who preferred wine or distilled spirits. Those who preferred beer typically drank to higher levels of intoxication, were more likely to drive after drinking and tended to consider driving while intoxicated to be less serious. With few exceptions, these findings were true regardless of sex, age, education, income and marital status. These data contradict the popular perception of beer as a relatively harmless drink of moderation, and challenge policies of special concessions for the legal purchasing age and advertising of beer.
TL;DR: It is suggested that responses to aggression-provoking situations can be altered by the consumption of the equivalent of one or two alcoholic drinks.
Abstract: Eleven men were administered placebo and three doses (0.12, 0.23 and 0.46 g of absolute alcohol per kg of body weight) of 50% alcohol (vodka) in a laboratory situation that provided both aggressive and nonaggressive response options. Two aggressive responses were available to subjects: the ostensible subtraction of money from a fictitious other person and the ostensible presentation of a loud noise to a fictitious other person. A nonaggressive monetary reinforced response was also available. Aggressive responding was elicited by the subtraction of money from the subjects which was attributed to the fictitious other person. Relatively low doses of alcohol (0.23 and 0.46 g/kg) increased aggressive monetary subtraction responses, but had no effect on decreased nonaggressive monetary reinforced responses. Thus, the observed increase in aggressive responding cannot be attributed to a generalized stimulant action of low alcohol doses. The increased aggressive responding was observed at blood alcohol levels well below those usually defined as intoxicating. It is suggested that responses to aggression-provoking situations can be altered by the consumption of the equivalent of one or two alcoholic drinks.
TL;DR: Bales's theory that sociostructural factors that produce stress for members of a society increase the rate of alcoholism is examined to explain variations in the levels of alcoholism in the 50 states.
Abstract: Bales's theory that sociostructural factors that produce stress for members of a society increase the rate of alcoholism is examined to explain variations in the levels of alcoholism in the 50 states. Two types of social stress are conceptualized and measured at the state level: The first, the "life events" model, is based on life changes that require adaptation. An index is described in which (negative) personal life events in 15 categories (e.g., divorce and plant closings) are aggregated for each state using macro measures. The second model is based on the idea of chronic stressful conditions, and is measured through the Measure of Status Integration and the Index of Relative Opportunities. Alcohol-related problems are measured by death rates for cirrhosis, alcoholism and alcoholic psychosis, and by per capita alcohol consumption. Both stressful events and stressful conditions are correlated with all indicators of alcoholism at the state level, 19 of 20 correlations being in the theoretically expected direction. Correlations are enhanced when age, urbanicity, the percentage of Blacks, low income and education are controlled for. The three macro measures of stress taken together explain 27% of the variation in cirrhosis death rates, 14% of the variation in alcoholism and alcoholic psychosis death rates and 47% of the variation in alcohol consumption rates.
TL;DR: Modification of Jessor's problem behavior theory is proposed to generate psychosocial explanation for the differential vulnerability to alcohol-related problems.
Abstract: Self-report measures of heavy consumption and adverse consequences of alcohol use have been used as interchangeable or equivalent indicators of problem drinking although the literature shows them to be relatively independent, with generally about 15% variance in common. The purposes of the present study are to provide further evidence of the independence of self-reported consumption and problems, and to explore nonalcohol-related correlates. Data from 370 employed adults showed modest intercorrelations and a factor structure representing alcohol consumption levels (quantity-frequency, frequency of intoxication) and alcohol-related problems (self-other definition as a problem drinker, adverse consequences). Partial correlational analyses showed that, when controlling for the effects of consumption, alcohol-related problems were related to the use of other psychoactive drugs and to a set of attributes of the person and the social environment as distinct dimensions. Modification of Jessor's problem behavior ...
TL;DR: In multivariate analyses, only the last two variables showed promising predictive ability, whereas the variables of days sober, age and married contributed only slightly to the prediction of treatment outcome.
Abstract: Interactions of 18 demographic factors with alcoholism treatment outcome and with aftercare participation were studied. For 2 years subsequent to discharge from a 30-day inpatient program, 1210 alcoholic men veterans were followed up and grouped with regard to (1) posttreatment status (abstainers, improved, unimproved, unclassified, deceased) and (2) in terms of responders (abstainers and improved) and nonresponders (unimproved). Classifications were based on comparing each subject's 2-year posthospital drinking status with his 2-year prehospital drinking pattern. Seven variables were found to discriminate between the groups in both analyses. Those responding to treatment tended to be older, married and employed at admission, had more days of prehospital abstinence, were less likely to have had prior hospitalizations, and were more likely to participate in aftercare and to visit more frequently. In multivariate analyses, however, only the last two variables showed promising predictive ability, whereas the variables of days sober, age and married contributed only slightly to the prediction of treatment outcome. An effort to find variables that might predict aftercare participation was unsuccessful; the combined contribution of four factors amounted to only 5% of the total variance.
TL;DR: Drinking at work was not significantly or independently associated with job accidents but an average daily intake of 5+ drinks elevated the relative risk, compared with abstainers, as follows.
Abstract: The relationship between alcohol use and accidental injury was examined in an anonymous telephone survey of 1740 randomly sampled employed adults (49% men) residing in four New England states in 1982 and 1983. Respondents reported 383 accidents requiring medical attention during the year prior to the interview, 34 involving hospitalization. Of the accidents, 41% occurred at work, 32% during recreational and other activities, 19% at home and 8% in traffic incidents. Respondents were stratified by self-reported levels of alcohol consumption and were compared on accident rates. Drinking at work was also examined for an association with accident involvement. Logistic regression analyses controlled for variability associated with age, sex, marital status, occupation and drug use. Drinking at work was not significantly or independently associated with job accidents but an average daily intake of 5+ drinks elevated the relative risk, compared with abstainers, as follows: 1.7 for any accidental injury, 3.8 for in...
TL;DR: The subdivision of alcoholism into type I and type II, as suggested by Cloninger et al., was applied to two groups of men alcoholics, and the results seem to indicate a better prognosis in type II alcoholism.
Abstract: The subdivision of alcoholism into type I and type II, as suggested by Cloninger et al., was applied to two groups of men alcoholics: 30 in treatment for alcoholism ("active" alcoholics) and 39 ex-alcoholics. Despite the fact that the duration of alcohol misuse did not differ between the groups, there were significantly more type II alcoholics among the ex-alcoholics and more type I alcoholics among the active alcoholics. The results seem to indicate a better prognosis in type II alcoholism. The type I and type II alcoholics differed also, as in previous studies, in their frequencies of drug misuse and criminality.
TL;DR: Alcoholics were significantly more negative and less positive in nonverbal behaviors than were their spouses, but neither self-report of marital satisfaction nor observations of verbal behavior reflected this.
Abstract: The effects of intoxication on the marital interactions of treatment-motivated alcoholics and their nonalcoholic spouses were studied in eight couples (two of which had an alcoholic wife). In half of the sessions, the alcoholics were given enough alcohol to reach a blood level of 10 mg/dl. Couples engaged in three 10-min conflict-resolution discussions of varying intensity counterbalanced for alcohol and no-alcohol sessions. Couples expressed significantly more positive verbalizations in the alcohol sessions than in the no-alcohol sessions. This was true especially for the nonalcoholic spouses, who doubled their rate of positive verbal behavior when interacting with an intoxicated partner. Alcoholics spoke more and tended to make more problem-describing statements while intoxicated than while sober. The alcoholics made a greater number of problem-solving statements than did their spouses. Alcoholics were significantly more negative and less positive in nonverbal behaviors than were their spouses, but neit...
TL;DR: The data indicate that alcohol is involved to a considerable extent in all major categories of violent death for all age cohorts, especially for traffic accident victims aged 35 and under.
Abstract: A detailed examination of the files of the medical examiner's office of Erie County, New York, for 1973-1983 inclusive was conducted with respect to cause of death, age of victim and presence of alcohol in the blood at time of death. In 48.6% of the traffic accidents the victim had been drinking compared with 38.9% miscellaneous accidents (e.g., drowning, falling), 45.2% homicides and 35.4% suicides. Among those aged 15-19, 42.7% of these violent deaths were alcohol related compared with 51.1% of those aged 20-24, 48.6% of those 25-34, 49.1% of those 35-44 and 47.2% of those 45-54. The data indicate that alcohol is involved to a considerable extent in all major categories of violent death for all age cohorts, especially for traffic accident victims aged 35 and under.
TL;DR: Impaired drivers differed from moderate-drinking drivers on a number of measures and were characterized by more irresponsible attitudes and higher risk behavior, consistent with findings of other impaired-driver subgroups.
Abstract: The primary purpose of this study was to identify predictors of impaired driving among a random sample of Canadian drivers who consume beverage alcohol. A second purpose was to determine if impaired drivers in the general population have characteristics similar to those reported among convicted and accident-involved impaired drivers. Amount of alcohol consumed over the past seven days was found to be the single most powerful predictor of both frequency of drinking-driving and of impaired driving. Impaired drivers differed from moderate-drinking drivers on a number of measures and were characterized by more irresponsible attitudes and higher risk behavior, consistent with findings of other impaired-driver subgroups. It is concluded that impaired driving may be just one behavior which is part of a deviant behavioral syndrome typified by high-risk behaviors.