Descriptions and some full text versions of NIAAA publications
such as Alcohol Alerts bulletin, The Ninth Special Report to Congress
on Alcohol and Health, National Plan for Alcohol Health Services
Research, Economic Costs of Alcohol and Drug Abuse in the U. S., the
quarterly scientific journal Alcohol Health & Research World,
Surveillance Reports, Research Monographs, Alcohol Treatment
Assessment Instruments, Project MATCH manuals, Pamphlets/Brochures,
and many Other Publications.
Alcohol Alert address: http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/Publications/
"Alcohol and transportation safety," ALCOHOL ALERT (April, 2001),
52. ("(112 studies) Research has shown that even low blood alcohol
concentration (BAC) impairs driving skills and increases crash risk.
New information about BAC and impairment has led to policy changes,
which have contributed to declines in alcohol-related crashes and
fatalities. This Alcohol Alert examines some aspects of
alcohol-induced impairment and reviews selected strategies designed
to reduce alcohol-related crashes and repeat drinking-and-driving
offenses. In the United States, the BAC limit for driving a car in
many states is .010 percent. The United States, in fact, is the only
industrialized nation to have a BAC limit this high. A large body of
creditable research over many years has clearly shown that impairment
of tasks necessary for safe driving begins at levels as low as 0.05
percent. At the 0.08 percent BAC level, currently under consideration
in many States, individuals are significantly impaired and at risk
for causing harm to themselves and others. To date, 27 States have
lowered the legal BAC limit of 0.08 percent. In many of the States
that sill maintain the higher 0.10 percent BAC, debates about
lowering it often have had little to do with scientific
soundness--focusing, instead, on arguments that lower BAC limits
infringe on the public's right to drink socially. This argument has
no merit; a 160-pound man generally will have reached only a BAC of
approximately 0.04 percent 1 hour after consuming two 12-ounce beers
or two other drinks on an empty stomach. Until these debates consider
the actual, rather than the perceived, results of lowered BACs, we
all run the risk of being injured or killed in automobile crashes due
to drivers who are significantly--but not legally--impaired.
Address: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa52.htm
"Alcohol metabolism, " ALCOHOL ALERT (1997), 35 PH 371. (Explains how alcohol is metabolized by the body and factors affecting this metabolism such as food, gender, medications, body weight, and so on.) Address: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa35.htm
"Alcohol metabolism: an update", ALCOHOL ALERT (July, 2007),
72.
"Research shows that alcohol use and alcohol-related problems are
influenced by individual variations in alcohol metabolism, or the way
in which alcohol is broken down and eliminated by the body. Alcohol
metabolism is controlled by genetic factors, such as variations in
the enzymes that break down alcohol; and environmental factors, such
as the amount of alcohol an individual consumes and his or her
overall nutrition. Differences in alcohol metabolism may put some
people at greater risk for alcohol problems, whereas others may be at
least somewhat protected from alcohol's harmful effects.
"This Alcohol Alert describes the basic process involved in the breakdown of alcohol, including how toxic byproducts of alcohol metabolism may lead to problems such as alcoholic liver disease, cancer, and pancreatitis. This Alert also describes populations who may be at particular risk for problems resulting from alcohol metabolism as well as people who may be genetically "protected" from these adverse effects"
"Alcohol-related impairment," ALCOHOL ALERT (1994), 25 PH 351.
(Alcohol consumption is associated with a wide range of accidens and
injuries resulting for the impaired performance of complex mental and
motor functions. The relationship between alcohol and motor vehicle
crashes is well known; alcohol also has been implicated in many
railroad, boating and aircraft accidents. The subtlety and complexity
of the skills required to operate these vehicles make them
susceptible to impairment by low does of alcohol. The Alcohol Alert
examines the ways in which alcohol impairs complex mental and motor
functions and discusses approaches to impairment testing. The
discussion in limited to acute impairment that results from an
episode of intoxication, rather than the chronic impairment that may
develop after years of heavy drinking.")
Address: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa25.htm
"Alcohol's damaging effects on the brain," ALCOHOL ALERT (2004) ,
63. This Alcohol Alert reviews some common disorders associated with
alcohol-related brain damage and the people at greatest risk for
impairment. It looks at traditional as well as emerging therapies for
the treatment and prevention of alcohol-related disorders and
includes a briefly at the high-tech tools that are helping scientists
to better understand the effects of alcohol on the brain.
Address: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa63/aa63.htm
"Alcohol, violence, and aggression," ALCOHOL ALERT. 38, (October,
1997). Scientists and nonscientists alike have long recognized a
two-way association between alcohol consumption and violent or
aggressive behavior(1). Not only may alcohol consumption promote
aggressiveness, but victimization may lead to excessive alcohol
consumption. Violence may be defined as behavior that intentionally
inflicts, or attempts to inflict physical harm. Violence falls within
the broader category of aggression, which also includes behaviors
that re threatening, hostile, or damaging in a nonphysical way (2).
This ALCOHOL ALERT explores the association between alcohol
consumption, violence, and aggression and the role of the brain in
regulating behaviors. Understanding the nature of these associations
is essential to breaking the cycle of alcohol misuse and
violence.
Address: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa38.htm
Alcoholic liver disease, ALCOHOL ALERT (January, 2005), 64 This issue of Alcohol Alert examines the diagnosis and treatment of alcoholic liver disease (ALD), a serious and potentially fatal consequence of drinking alcohol. Another disorder, hepatitis C, also featured here, often is found in patients with ALD. Address: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa64/aa64.htm
"Cognitive impairment and recovery from alcoholism," ALCOHOL ALERT
(July 2001), 53. ) "Alcohol use over a period of time, even at low
levels of drinking, can produce varying degrees of cognitive damage,
a problem that is of particular concern because alcohol is so
widespread. Thus, the brain's self-repairing ability may help defer
or reduce alcohol-induced cognitive problems among a large portion of
the population. Second, the brain's ability to rewire itself may have
implications in terms of adolescent drinking. Recent evidence
suggests that the adolescent brain, which is still forming important
cellular connections, is more vulnerable than the adult brain to
alcohol-induced damage. The brain's ability to rewire important
neurological systems might help mitigate a lifetime of cognitive
difficulties resulting from chronic drinking during adolescence, but
we do no yet know if this is true.")
Address: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa53.htm
"Economic perspectives in alcoholism research," ALCOHOL ALERT
(January, 2001), 51. (Economic analysis is used to estimate the costs
of alcohol abuse and alcoholism. More than 70% of the estimated costs
of alcohol abuse for 1998 were attributed to lost productivity
($134.2 billion), including losses from alcohol-related illness
(($87.6 billion), premature death ($36.5 billion), and crime ($10.1
billion). The remaining estimated costs included health care
expenditures ($26.3 billion, or 14.3 percent of the total), such as
the costs of treating alcohol abuse and dependence ($7.5 billion); as
well as property and administrative cots of alcohol-related motor
vehicle crashes ($15.3 billion, or 8.5 percent); and criminal justice
system costs of alcohol-related problems. Based on 1992 data,
researchers estimate 45 % of costs was borne by alcohol abusers and
their families, 20% by the Federal Government, 18% by State and local
government, 10 % by private insurance companies, and 6% by the
victims of alcohol-related crashes. Higher taxes on alcoholic
beverages have been linked to lower traffic fatality rates.)
Address: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa51.htm
"Moderate drinking" ALCOHOL ALERT,
NIAAA, 16, April, 1992. "Moderate drinking is difficult to define
because it means different things to different people. The term is
often confused with "social drinking," which refers to drinking
patterns that are accepted by the society in which they occur.
However,social drinking is not necessarily free of problems. Moderate
drinking may be defined as drinking that does not generally cause
problems, either for the drinker or for society. Since there are
clearly both benefits and risks associated with lower levels of
drinking, this Alcohol Alert will explore potentially positive and
adverse effects of "moderate" drinking."
Address: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa16.htm
Neuroscience Research and Therapeutic Targets, Alcohol Alerts 61,
April, 2004. "This Alcohol Alert provides a brief overview of what
research is revealing about how alcohol affects the brain and how the
resulting changes contribute to alcohol dependence. Also addressed is
what research is showing about the effect of stressful life
experiences on the brain and how they may contribute to risk of
alcohol dependence and relapse to drinking. Beyond understanding how
alcohol affects the brain, the hoped&endash;for outcome of this work
is the identification of neurologic targets for potential
medications. Some of the medications in clinical use or testing that
have come out of this work are reviewed below."
Address: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa61.htm
Underage Drinking: A Major Public Health Challenge, Alcohol Alert
59 April, 2003.
"The immediate and long-term risks associated with adolescent alcohol
use underscore the need for effective prevention and treatment
programs. Studies have revealed genetic, biologic, developmental, and
environmental influences on underage drinking.
Scientists have found that variability is a crucial aspect of alcohol problems across all age groups and this is a key consideration in alcohol research. There is a three&endash; to fourfold between&endash;individual variation in the rate of absorption, distribution, and elimination of alcohol (pharmacokinetics) and a two&endash; to threefold between&endash;individual variation in the sensitivity of the brain to the effects of a given concentration of alcohol (pharmacodynamics). Understanding the underlying causes of this variability, both genetic and non genetic, should provide insights into underage drinking and binge&endash;drinking patterns.
Through prevention and intervention strategies directed at the individual, family, school, and community, we aim to provide knowledge and change belief systems and social norms to reinforce the message that underage alcohol use is unacceptable. We also aim to enhance young peoples' self-esteem, self&endash;motivation, and identity formation to enable them to take responsibility for their own health by making informed, deliberate, and healthy choices regarding alcohol use.
Various intervention tools have brought about positive behavioral
change with regard to underage drinking. Further studies will follow
cohorts of young people from childhood through the college years, at
different locations and in different settings, to determine whether
these interventions are enduring and broadly applicable. Finding
lasting solutions to such an entrenched problem will not be easy, but
we are confident that diligent research efforts will meet this urgent
challenge."
Address: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa59.htm
"Underage drinking why do adolescents drink, what are the risks,
and how can underage drinking be prevented?," ALCOHOL ALERT , 67,
January 2006. Alcohol is the drug of choice among youth. Many young
people are experiencing the consequences of drinking too much, at too
early an age. As a result, underage drinking is a leading public
health problem in this country.
Address: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA67/AA67.htm
"Young adult drinking", ALCOHOL ALERT, 68, April, 2006.
Some of the most important new data to emerge on young adult drinking
were collected through a recent nationwide survey, the National
Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC).
According to these data, in 2001&endash;2002 about 70 percent of
young adults in the United States, or about 19 million people,
consumed alcohol in the year preceding the survey. Address: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa68/aa68.htm
updated 07/19/10