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Background: Social support has been linked to many therapeutic benefits (e.g., treatment retention, reduced posttreatment relapse) for individuals with alcohol use disorder. However, the positive impacts of social support have not been well understood in the context of alcohol‐impaired driving. This article examines the role of social support in motivating those with histories of driving while intoxicated (DWI) arrest to reduce alcohol use by testing 3 major models of social support: the Main‐Effects model, the Buffering model, and the Optimal Matching model. Methods: One hundred and nineteen participants with histories of DWI arrest were recruited from a correctional treatment facility (n = 59) and the local community (n = 60). Participants completed interviews to assess alcohol consumption, psychiatric/physical conditions, and psychosocial factors associated with drinking behavior (e.g., social support, alcohol‐related problems, and motivation to change). Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to test the 3 models. Additionally, the relative magnitude of the effects of general and recovery‐specific social support was compared based on the approach of statistical inference of confidence intervals. Results: Overall social support was positively associated with some motivation to change (i.e., importance of change, confidence in change) among alcohol‐impaired drivers, supporting the Main‐Effects model. However, the impact of overall social support on motivation to change was not moderated by alcohol‐related problems of individuals arrested for DWI, which did not confirm the Buffering model. Last, recovery‐specific social support, rather than general social support, contributed to increasing motivation to reduce alcohol use, which supported the Optimal Matching model. Conclusions: These findings highlight the benefits of social support (i.e., increased motivation to change alcohol use) for alcohol‐impaired drivers. Regardless of the severity of alcohol‐related problems of alcohol‐impaired drivers, social support had direct positive impacts on motivation to change. In particular, the results underscore that social support can be more effective when it is matched to the recovery effort of individuals, which is consistent with the Optimal Matching model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this study was to characterize the pharmacokinetics of the phosphatidylethanol (PEth) 16:0/20:4 homolog in uncoagulated human blood samples taken from 18 participants in a clinical laboratory setting after consumption of 2 standard doses of ethanol (EtOH). Methods: Male and female participants received either 0.4 or 0.8 g/kg oral doses of EtOH during a 15‐minute period. Blood samples were collected before and throughout 6 hours immediately after alcohol administration and then again at days 2, 4, 7, 11, and 14 of the follow‐up period. PEth 16:0/20:4 levels were quantified by high‐performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry detection. Results: (i) The increase in PEth 16:0/20:4 from baseline to maximum concentration was less than that of PEth 16:0/18:1 or PEth 16:0/18:2 homologs during the 6‐hour period after EtOH administration; (ii) the mean half‐life of PEth 16:0/20:4 was 2.1 ± 3 (SD) days, which was shorter than the mean half‐life of either PEth 16:0/18:1 or PEth 16:0/18:2, 7.6 ± 3 (SD) or 6.8 ± 4 (SD) days, respectively. Conclusions: The pharmacokinetics of PEth 16:0/20:4 in whole blood samples is detectable after alcohol consumption and differs in amount synthesized and rate of elimination versus PEth 16:0/18:1 and 16:0/18:2. Measuring the concentrations of these 3 homologs has the potential to provide more information about the amount and time frame of alcohol consumption than any one alone. Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) is a metabolite of alcohol used as a direct biomarker for alcohol consumption. We present for the first time the pharmacokinetics of the third most abundant PEth homolog, PEth 16:0/20:4, in whole human blood. Its rate of formation and half‐life of elimination, 2.1 days, differ from those of the more abundant PEth 16:0/18:1 and 16:0/18:2 homologs. The addition of this homolog will enhance the estimation of the amount, pattern, and time frame of recent alcohol consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the synthesis and elimination of phosphatidylethanol (PEth) 16:0/18:1 and 16:0/18:2 following the consumption of alcohol among 56 light and heavy drinkers. Methods: A transdermal alcohol monitor was used to promote alcohol absence 7 days prior, and 14 days after, alcohol consumption in the laboratory. Participants consumed a 0.4 or 0.8 g/kg dose of alcohol in 15 minutes. Blood and breath samples were collected before, at various times up to 360 minutes postconsumption, and 2, 4, 7, 11, and 14 days after alcohol consumption. Initial rates of PEth synthesis, 360 minutes area under the PEth pharmacokinetic curves (AUCs), and elimination half‐lives were determined. Results: (i) Nonzero PEth levels were observed before alcohol dosing for most participants, despite 7 days of alcohol use monitoring; (ii) 0.4 and 0.8 g/kg doses of alcohol produced proportional increases in PEth levels in all but 1 participant; (iii) the initial rate of synthesis of both PEth homologues did not differ between the 2 doses, but was greater for PEth 16:0/18:2 than PEth 16:0/18:1 at both doses; (iv) the mean AUC of both PEth homologues was higher at 0.8 g/kg than at 0.4 g/kg; (v) the mean AUC of 16:0/18:2 was greater than that of PEth 16:0/18:1 at both alcohol doses; (vi) the mean half‐life of PEth 16:0/18:1 was longer than that of PEth 16:0/18:2 (7.8 ± 3.3 [SD] days and 6.4 ± 5.0 [SD] days, respectively); and (vii) there were no sex differences in PEth 16:0/18:1 or 16:0/18:2 pharmacokinetics. Conclusions: The results of this study support the use of PEth 16:0/18:1 and 16:0/18:2 as biomarkers for alcohol consumption. Because of consistent pharmacokinetic differences, the levels of these 2 PEth homologues may provide more information regarding the quantity and recentness of alcohol consumption than either alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]