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A meaning-based, reader-response model of advertising is applied to a study of college students exposed to alcohol advertisements to describe (1) how life experiences influence consumers' experiences of advertisements and (2) how the powerful alcohol-related 'myths' identified in previous content analyses are also identified by the targets of the ads. Interpretive analysis of in-depth interviews reveals that informants' life themes are evident in their experiences of alcohol advertisements, suggesting that ad interpretations are a function of highly individual cognitions developed by young people about themselves, alcohol, and advertising during their lives. The findings support the notion that advertising should be analyzed holistically and in context to understand the powerful meanings consumers experience in advertising messages in general and in alcohol advertising in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims This is the first study to examine the effect of alcohol marketing exposure on adolescents' drinking in a cross-national context. The aim was to examine reciprocal processes between exposure to a wide range of alcohol marketing types and adolescent drinking, controlled for non-alcohol branded media exposure. Design Prospective observational study (11-12- and 14-17-month intervals), using a three-wave autoregressive cross-lagged model. Setting School-based sample in 181 state-funded schools in Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland. Participants A total of 9075 eligible respondents participated in the survey (mean age 14 years, 49.5% male. Measurements Adolescents reported their frequency of past-month drinking and binge drinking. Alcohol marketing exposure was measured by a latent variable with 13 items measuring exposure to online alcohol marketing, televised alcohol advertising, alcohol sport sponsorship, music event/festival sponsorship, ownership alcohol-branded promotional items, reception of free samples and exposure to price offers. Confounders were age, gender, education, country, internet use, exposure to non-alcohol sponsored football championships and television programmes without alcohol commercials. Findings The analyses showed one-directional long-term effects of alcohol marketing exposure on drinking (exposure T1 on drinking T2: β = 0.420 (0.058), P < 0.001, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.324-0.515; exposure T2 on drinking T3: β = 0.200 (0.044), P < 0.001, 95% CI = 0.127-0.272; drinking T1 and drinking T2 on exposure: P > 0.05). Similar results were found in the binge drinking model (exposure T1 on binge T2: β = 0.409 (0.054), P < 0.001, 95% CI = 0.320-0.499; exposure T2 on binge T3: β = 0.168 (0.050), P = 0.001, 95% CI = 0.086-0.250; binge T1 and binge T2 on exposure: P > 0.05). Conclusions There appears to be a one-way effect of alcohol marketing exposure on adolescents' alcohol use over time, which cannot be explained by either previous drinking or exposure to non-alcohol-branded marketing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A geographical indication (GI) is also a tool to protect traditional knowledge (TK), and can promote the trade of TK based GI products. North East India is a hub of TK and traditional alcoholic beverages which constitute a popular TK amongst most tribes. The process of making such beverages and the ingredients used are different in different tribes. Amongst the Dimasa tribe in Assam, their popular alcoholic beverage is a traditional rice wine named Judima. This paper is a case study of Judima as a potential GI and includes step by step procedure for GI registration, the hurdles which might pose in the process and how it could be overcome. The paper also examines the prospects of socio economic upliftment of rural communities as a result of GI registration of their bio-cultural products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the social and cultural role of alcoholic drink in various countries including the Soviet Union, the Republic of Sakha and the Arctic region.

This article explores how proponents of a public health model of alcohol policy have, for more than a quarter of a century, argued consistently but unsuccessfully for an integrated national alcohol policy in the Republic of Ireland. It looks in particular at the past decade, a time when increases in alcohol consumption and related problems strengthened the case for such an integrated policy, and when managerial innovations in the sphere of cross-cutting management appeared to provide a template for its implementation. A number of explanations are offered for the refusal of successive governments to respond to what its advocates see as the only rational, evidence-based approach to the prevention of alcohol problems. It is argued that, unlike the Nordic countries, the political culture of independent Ireland has never been one in which the state could unilaterally impose strict alcohol control policies as a feature of its broader vision of the welfare state. It is also argued that during the recent period of economic prosperity (the so-called 'Celtic Tiger' era) the country was characterised by a neo-liberal policy climate, which was specifically antipathetic to the idea that the state should interfere directly in the alcohol market with a view to preventing related problems. It is suggested that the social partnership model of governance, to which many people attributed the country's economic success, created an atmosphere of consensualism within which the state as mediator between the two main protagonists (the public health lobby and the drinks industry) was unwilling to challenge the drinks industry. It is also concluded that this failure to create a national alcohol policy based on public health principles demonstrates the limitations of the cross-cutting, or 'joined-up', approach to public management in those areas of social policy characterised by clashing value systems or fundamental conflicts of economic interest. Finally, it is acknowledged that in Ireland, as elsewhere, neo-liberal certitudes have been effectively dethroned by the economic recession and banking crisis of late 2008; whether these more straitened economic circumstances will provide a better fit for the 'nanny state' ideals of the public health perspective on alcohol remains to be seen.

Introduction and Aims Despite the attention given to the broad topic of alcohol and violence, there are few studies of this relationship in the context of sporting events and their impact on alcohol-related hospital emergency department ( ED) attendances, none of which are Australian. Methods De-identified patient records from Barwon Health's Geelong Hospital ED were analysed from 1 July 2005 to 16 February 2010. Information contained in these records included age, gender, suburb of residence, attendance date and time, arrival mode and reason for attendance. The ED triage database was searched for attendances relating to alcohol, drugs and assault of which 16 940 cases were returned. Results There was a substantial increase in annual alcohol-related ED attendances from 2006 to 2009. Hierarchical binary logistic regression analyses showed that having a game on a particular day did not contribute to the model, but there were significantly more ED attendances for assaults on days when the Geelong Cats won. There were no significant predictors of ED attendance for alcohol-related harm in the variables studied. Discussion The findings of the study suggest that there are significantly more assault-related attendances at the ED in Geelong when the local national football team, the Geelong Cats, won. None of the variables under investigation appears to have impacted on alcohol-related attendances which were not assaults (i.e. injuries or intoxication). Conclusions It appears that increases in ED attendances associated with the success of a local sporting team are not significantly associated with alcohol use and are more influenced by other factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To review the findings of a paper that has often been cited as evidence-with potentially adverse public health consequences-that the demand for alcohol in Indigenous Australian communities is not responsive to price and that, in the face of increasing alcohol prices, expenditure is diverted from basic sustenance to the purchase of alcohol. Methods. The raw data on income and various items of expenditure from the original study were entered in a database, a trend variable was created, and trends in measures of interest were tested using appropriate cross-correlations. Results. Re-analysis of the data did not support the findings of the original study. Conclusions. The original study does not contradict the general findings of the national and international literature that the demand for alcohol is sensitive to increases in price and does not provide evidence for the assertion that, other factors being equal, price controls on the availability of alcohol in Indigenous communities are likely to be ineffective.[Dennis Gray. Is the demand for alcohol in Indigenous Australian communities 'price inelastic'? Drug Alcohol Rev 2012;31:818-822] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the study which investigates the effectiveness of the What Do You Drink (WDYD) web-based brief alcohol intervention to reduce alcohol use among heavy drinking adolescents with low educational background. The study used a two-arm parallel group cluster randomized controlled trial. The study measures the percentage of participants, who drink within the normative limits and the frequency of binge drinking.

Edible foam is held in particularly high esteem in Mesoamerica, and in certain instances, even considered sacred. Based on "observational" rather than "cultural" logic. this papel' suggests reasons for this high regard. It proposes that the relationship between bubbles and the sacred state of inebriation is a key factor contributing to the status of edible foam in Mesoamerica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The history of grappa has its roots in the metaphysical alchemic search for the quintessential classical element along with earth, fire, water, and air. The Greeks called such element aether, or pure, fresh air, and it was believed to be the material of the region of the universe where the gods lived. It was the product of distillation, mostly from wine. When Italian distillers turned their attention to the less valuable pomace, or the skins, seeds, and other residues left after the grapes are crushed for wine, grappa was born. Using data which was collected during fieldwork in northern Italy and from private and public archival documents, published works, and selected secondary data, the paper follows the social, cultural, and economic journey of grappa from its remote and still obscure birth to the long, modest identification as the laborer's alcoholic staple, to the present times, when grappa is experiencing a new and trendy socioeconomic success as national patrimony. Paralleling other typical regional products, the paper reveals how the socioeconomic and geographic evolution of grappa can be linked to the growth of consumerist forms of identity-production of vernacular products in globalizing markets. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Neighborhood indicators of social disadvantage, such as poverty and unemployment, are associated with intimate partner violence (IPV). Despite the well-established link between heavy drinking and IPV, few studies have analyzed the contribution of alcohol outlet density to the occurrence of IPV. Greater numbers of alcohol outlets in a community may be a sign of loosened normative constraints against violence, promote problem drinking among at-risk couples, and provide environments where groups of persons at risk for IPV may form and mutually reinforce IPV-related attitudes, norms, and problem behaviors. This study used ecological data to determine if alcohol outlet density (number of bars, restaurants serving alcohol, and off-premise outlets per unit area) is related to rates of IPV-related police calls and IPV-related crime reports in Sacramento, California. Separate analyses for IPV calls and crime reports were conducted using Bayesian space-time models adjusted for area characteristics (poverty rate, unemployment rate, racial/ethnic composition). The results showed that each additional off-premise alcohol outlet is associated with an approximate 4% increase in IPV-related police calls and an approximate 3% increase in IPV-related crime reports. Bars and restaurants were not associated with either outcome. The findings suggest that alcohol outlet density, especially off-premise outlets, appear to be related to IPV events. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms by which neighborhood factors, such as alcohol outlet density, affect IPV behaviors. Understanding these mechanisms is of public health importance for developing environmental IPV prevention strategies, such as changes in zoning, community action, education, and enforcement activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compares the personal, family and social functioning of older husbands and wives concordant or discordant for high-risk alcohol consumption and identifies predictors of changes in concordance and high-risk consumption. Three groups of couples were identified at baseline and followed 10 years later: (i) concordant couples in which husbands and wives engaged in low-risk alcohol consumption ( n = 54); (ii) concordant couples in which husbands and wives engaged in high-risk alcohol consumption ( n = 38); and (iii) discordant couples in which one partner engaged in high-risk alcohol consumption and the other partner did not ( n = 75). At each follow-up, husbands and wives completed an inventory that assessed their personal, family and social functioning. Compared to the low-risk concordant group, husbands and wives in the high-risk concordant group were more likely to rely on tension-reduction coping, reported more friend approval of drinking, and were less involved in religious activities; however, they did not differ in the quality of the spousal relationship. The frequency of alcohol consumption declined among husbands in discordant couples, but not among husbands in concordant couples. Predictors of high-risk drinking included tension-reduction coping, friend approval of drinking and, for husbands, their wives' level of drinking. High-risk and discordant alcohol consumption do not seem to be linked to decrements in family functioning among older couples in long-term stable marriages. The predictors of heavy alcohol consumption among older husbands and wives identify points of intervention that may help to reduce their high-risk drinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One-eighth of young adults in the United States report that their biological father has ever been incarcerated (FEI). This study is the first to examine associations between FEI and trajectories of substance use during the transition from adolescence into young adulthood for the US population. Using multi-level modeling techniques, trajectories of marijuana and other illegal drug use are examined, with FEI as the primary independent variable. Data are from the first three waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a nationally representative sample of US adolescents beginning in 1995. Panels of 7157 males and 7997 females followed from adolescence (7th-12th grades) into early adulthood (ages 18-27 years). Dependent variables included an ordinal measure of marijuana frequency of use in last thirty days, and a dichotomous measure for whether respondent had any use in the last thirty days of illegal drugs such crystal meth, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, PCP, LSD, speed, and ecstasy. Among males and females, respectively, FEI is associated with an increased frequency of marijuana use, and increased odds of any other illegal drug use. Interactions between FEI and age further reveal that FEI is associated with an accentuated trajectory (i.e. a steeper slope) of marijuana use, and an elevated risk (i.e. higher mean level) of other illegal drug use. Analysis provides some of the first evidence that paternal incarceration is significantly associated with drug use among U.S. males and females, even after controlling for a number of family background, parental, and individual characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the role of public drinking establishments towards the human social behaviour contributing to the political, economic and social life of urban working-class districts. It mentions issues that surrounded drunkenness and anti-social behaviour affecting the Mancunian society. It notes on the connection on the notions of violence in society as an integral part of daily life. It also emphasizes on the social impacts of too much drunkenness in public drinking establishments.

The domestic violence is quite a spreaded phenomenon in Romania, and the registered number is lower than the actual number of victims. The domestic violence victims do not know their rights and they do not know where exactly to turn to for qualified help. This article analyzes the state fact of the domestic violence in Romania between the years 1980 and 2008. It is also focusing on presenting the causes and the effects of the phenomenon as well as on how criminal law is punishing the aggressors. In the article, the accent falls on the link between the usage of alcoholic drinks and the violent behavior of a family member. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Public policy on alcohol in the UK relies on health promotion campaigns that encourage individuals who misuse alcohol to make healthier choices about their drinking. Individuals with alcohol-dependence syndrome have an impaired capacity to choose health. As a result, individuals with the worst alcohol misuse problems lie largely outside the reach of choice-based policy. However, such policy has been widely criticized and efforts to reform it are underway. This paper argues that the British Medical Association's recent attempt to improve policy on alcohol in the UK by introducing strategies which have been shown to control drinking within populations still gives insufficient attention to alcohol dependence. This is because it fails accurately and consistently to characterize alcohol dependence and gives insufficient attention to the social challenges it presents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims We conducted a systematic review of studies examining relationships between measures of beverage alcohol tax or price levels and alcohol sales or self-reported drinking. A total of 112 studies of alcohol tax or price effects were found, containing1003 estimates of the tax/price–consumption relationship. Design Studies included analyses of alternative outcome measures, varying subgroups of the population, several statistical models, and using different units of analysis. Multiple estimates were coded from each study, along with numerous study characteristics. Using reported estimates, standard errors, t-ratios, sample sizes and other statistics, we calculated the partial correlation for the relationship between alcohol price or tax and sales or drinking measures for each major model or subgroup reported within each study. Random-effects models were used to combine studies for inverse variance weighted overall estimates of the magnitude and significance of the relationship between alcohol tax/price and drinking. Findings Simple means of reported elasticities are −0.46 for beer, −0.69 for wine and −0.80 for spirits. Meta-analytical results document the highly significant relationships ( P < 0.001) between alcohol tax or price measures and indices of sales or consumption of alcohol (aggregate-level r = −0.17 for beer, −0.30 for wine, −0.29 for spirits and −0.44 for total alcohol). Price/tax also affects heavy drinking significantly (mean reported elasticity = −0.28, individual-level r = −0.01, P < 0.01), but the magnitude of effect is smaller than effects on overall drinking. Conclusions A large literature establishes that beverage alcohol prices and taxes are related inversely to drinking. Effects are large compared to other prevention policies and programs. Public policies that raise prices of alcohol are an effective means to reduce drinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper aims to investigate relationships between reported alcohol consumption and exposure to alcohol advertising. Design/methodology/approach - A survey of young people (17-21 years) was carried out in which they were questioned about their alcohol consumption habits, types of alcohol they consume, exposure to alcohol advertising, and a range of other factors linked to drinking (e.g. parental and peer groups alcohol-related behavior and attitudes). General alcohol consumption was measured within three time-frames: own lifetime, past year and past month. Findings - The results showed no significant relationships between exposure to any type of alcohol advertising (cinema, magazine, TV) and general alcohol consumption. Exposure to televised advertising for alcopops and for cider in each case emerged as a significant predictor of consumption of each of those types of alcohol. While there was no evidence that alcohol advertising plays a significant role in shaping general alcohol consumption among young people, it does seem to play a part in driving consumption of certain types of alcoholic beverage. Research limitations/implications - Self-completion questionnaires were used and the sample was based in central east England. Practical implications - The results can inform current debates about the role of advertising in young people's drinking. Originality/value - A wider range of alcohol-related consumption and alcohol advertising exposure behaviors was examined in this study than in most other published surveys that have investigated relationships between these classes of variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Street outreach encounters were used to collect data of reported alcohol and other drug use among gay and bisexual males ( N = 11,375) in Hollywood and West Hollywood, California over a 9-year period from January 1999 to December 2007. Analyses were conducted to assess demographic data, self-reported HIV status, and frequency of alcohol and other drug use. Participants averaged 32.3 (SD = 7.7) years, slightly over half were Caucasian/white (53%), and most were identified as gay (85.8%). Self-reported HIV seroprevalence was 20.7%. Observations began January to June 1999, with 46.0% reporting recent methamphetamine use, and ended July to December 2007, with 24.8% reporting recent use of methamphetamine. Percent reporting methamphetamine use peaked in the first half of 2002 at 53% and dipped to a low of 11.1% in the second half of 2006. Findings demonstrate the common use of methamphetamine over the observation period in this high-risk group even in the face of a recent decline in reported use. These data also indicate the need for ongoing methamphetamine abuse and HIV-prevention interventions in this particular high-risk population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is a survey to determine prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of drinking problems among students from five university centres in Turkey. Using an anonymous self-administered questionnaire and the CAGE Questionnaire for alcohol use problems, 1,720 students were surveyed. Of the whole student sample 63.3% reported that they had ever tried drinking alcohol, and 48.5% had used alcohol in the past year. Sixty five percent of the students had been drinking once a month or more frequently. The overall prevalence of alcohol use problems according to CAGE2+ was 9.7% (19.9% among the students who used alcohol in the past year). In multivariate analysis, male students tended to have problems with alcohol about three times more than females. Living in the dormitory seemed to be protective in terms of frequent drinking, and as educational level of the parents increased, the odds of drinking at least once a month increased. Students whose mothers were illiterate or primary school graduate tended to give more positive answers to the Cut-down, Annoyed and Guilty items. The odds of giving a positive answer to the Cut-down item among those living alone was greater than the other residence groups. Predictors of positive answer to the Eye-opener item were male gender, living alone at home, and residence of the family being in a foreign country. Paternal educational level being in the illiterate/primary school category was significantly related with more positive answers to the Guilty item. Drinking problems among university students in Turkey are more prevalent when compared with prevalence rates shown in other surveys in Turkey. Alternative ways of socialization should be provided for the university youth in order to prevent alcohol use problems in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To determine the incidence and covariates of hangover following a night of moderate alcohol consumption at a targeted breath alcohol level. Design Data were combined from three randomized cross-over trials investigating the effects of heavy drinking on next-day performance. A total of 172 participants received either alcoholic beverage (mean = 0.115 g% breath alcohol concentration) or placebo on one night and the other beverage a week later. The next day, participants completed a hangover scale. Participants Participants were 54 professional merchant mariners attending a recertification course at Kalmar Maritime Academy (Kalmar, Sweden) and 118 university students or recent graduates recruited from greater Boston. Setting One trial was conducted at Kalmar Maritime Academy (Sweden); the other two were conducted at the General Clinical Research Center at Boston Medical Center. Measurements A nine-item scale assessed hangover. Findings Hangover was reported by 76% of participants. Neither alcoholic beverage type nor participant characteristics was associated with incidence of hangover. Conclusions Our findings on the propensity of hangover suggest that 25–30% of drinkers may be resistant to hangover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To evaluate the impact of excessive alcohol consumption on the health-related quality of life of patients receiving methadone treatment for opioid dependence. Design A cross-sectional survey. Participants One hundred and ninety-two patients attending out-patient methadone clinics in the south-east of England, United Kingdom. Measurements Quality of life (QoL) was assessed using the Medical Outcomes Study: General Health Survey, Short Form (SF-12). Alcohol consumption was assessed using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Findings Approximately one-third of the sample (57/192) were AUDIT-positive (score ≥ 8) and 20 of the 135 AUDIT-negative patients reported past history of alcohol problems. AUDIT-positive patients were less satisfied with their methadone dose than AUDIT-negative patients ( P = 0.002), despite having a higher dose. AUDIT-positive patients reported more physical ( P = 0.020) and psychological ( P = 0.034) health problems and poorer QoL ( P = 0.008) with an estimated effect size of 0.46. Lower QoL scores for AUDIT-positive patients affected both ‘physical’ ( P = 0.009) and ‘psychological’ ( P = 0.012) health domains with poor role functioning (‘role limitation’ due to physical health, P < 0.001 and to emotional health, P = 0.009), social functioning ( P = 0.015) and self-perceived general health ( P = 0.029). Conclusion Excessive alcohol consumption may be associated with a distinctive pattern of QoL impairment in methadone patients. In addition to advising methadone patients regarding their alcohol consumption, comprehensive care plans should seek to restore normal personal, family and social role functioning through the provision of appropriate health and social care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the authors' views on the social cost of underage drinking in the United States. Interventions to reduce underage drinking that were suggested by a National Academy of Sciences committee; Idea that a societal shift in norms is needed to reduce youth access to alcohol; Strategies for enhancing the deterrent effects of existing laws, including comprehensive community initiatives like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the Saving Lives program in Massachusetts, New Futures nonprofit advocacy organization, and the Concord Pilot Project in New Hampshire.

Examines how newspapers portrayed gin and the people who drank and sold it in 18th-century London in England. Implications of the popularity of gin as the first modern drug scare; Role of newspapers in creating moral concerns over gin; Effect of the Gin Act of 1729 on the press coverage of the effects of gin.

Managers consume alcohol across a broad range of organizational contexts. In many cases, alcohol is consumed with little or no consideration of the risks or benefits involved. This article identifies hazards of managerial drinking, as well as the role alcohol can play in developing relationships. We describe results from recent experiments that investigated the influence of alcohol on negotiations, and discuss the role of alcohol in many cross-cultural settings. We argue that the decision to consume alcohol should be made rationally and strategically, and offer advice for managers setting corporate policy or making individual decisions to consume alcohol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]