Testing alcohol container warning labels among alcohol consumers in the field over a 4-week period: a protocol for a randomized field trial
Online and lab-based experiments examining the impact of alcohol labels typically test a one-time exposure to labels and assess short-term, non-behavioural outcomes. These studies do not simulate a real-world label dose or assess actual alcohol use. This pilot aimed to develop a new protocol for testing alcohol labels that better reflects real-world exposure by presenting labels on consumers' own alcohol products over time and assessing effects on several outcomes, including alcohol use.
Perspective: Pseudoscience and the Detection of Marijuana-Based Impairment-We Can and Must Do Better
Existing tools for making workplace and roadside determinations of marijuana-based impairment are inadequate. They either merely imitate tools used to identify alcohol- based impairment without taking into account important differences between these molecules, or they are pseudoscientific "police science." Legalization of marijuana use must be accompanied by urgent efforts and dedicated funding for the development and implementation of practical, accurate, and objective methods for on-the-spot determination of whether a person is dangerously impaired by marijuana.
Polygenic Risk for Substance Use Disorders as Predictors of Substance Use Initiation Among African American Youth
Despite adverse health consequences associated with early substance use initiation, less is known about the influence of genetic risk on initiation and environmental characteristics that may moderate these associations, particularly among African Americans. We examined whether genetic risk for alcohol and cannabis use disorder, and nicotine dependence, is associated with age of initiation of these substances, and whether community disadvantage and parental monitoring moderate these associations in a sample of African American youth.
Using Virtual Reality in Sexual Aggression Alcohol Administration Research: Opportunities and Challenges
This paper explores methodological opportunities, challenges, and potential solutions for alcohol administration research that uses a virtual reality (VR) analogue for sexual aggression.
An Easily Accessible, Semi-Automated Approach to Creating Personalized Normative Feedback and Risk Feedback Graphics
Personalized normative feedback interventions show efficacy in reducing health risk behaviors (e.g., alcohol use, sexual aggression). However, complex personalized normative feedback interventions may require manual methods of inputting participant data into graphics, which introduces error, and automated approaches require substantial technical costs and funding and may limit the types of feedback that can be provided.
Do we need additional indicators for the Sustainable Development Goal Target 3.5 on strengthening the prevention and treatment of substance abuse? An analysis of recent submissions to the UN Inter-Agency and Expert Group
Cannabis and alcohol enforcement strategies across the U.S
As the legalization of adult-use cannabis has expanded to include almost half of the states in the U.S., substance use-related enforcement responsibilities for state and local law enforcement agencies may have changed. We assessed the use of cannabis and alcohol enforcement strategies at local and state levels, and in legal and non-legal cannabis states.
Reduced Bitter Taste and Enhanced Appetitive Odor Identification in Individuals at Risk for Alcohol Use Disorder: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013-2014
An inability to correctly perceive chemosensory stimuli can lead to a poor quality of life. Such defects can be concomitant with excess alcohol consumption, but a large-scale cohort study linking these effects is lacking. This study aimed to investigate the impact of chronic alcohol consumption on chemosensory function by analyzing data from the NHANES 2013-2014, involving 395 participants categorized by alcohol intake behavior: 219 no-intake, 136 light-intake, and 40 risky-intake groups.
The Evolving Alcohol Landscape: Implications for Public Health and Policy
How Effective were COVID-19-related State Policies in US to Mitigate Alcohol Sales?
We investigate the impact of state level COVID-19 related policies on alcohol sales in US.
Examining Between- and Within-subjects Effects of Posting and Exposure to Alcohol-Related Social Media Content on Drinking Over Time
Social media content featuring alcoholic beverages is posted and viewed by college students. Limited longitudinal research suggests that increased alcohol-related content (ARC) posting and exposure is associated with increased alcohol consumption among college students over time. Emerging evidence suggests this association may be bidirectional, with drinking predicting later ARC posting. The current study examined longitudinal bidirectional associations between alcohol consumption and: posting ARC (aim 1) and friend ARC exposure (aim 2).
Too Insensitive to Care: Alcohol Increases Human Aggression by Increasing Pain Threshold
For thousands of years, people have used alcohol to reduce their sensitivity to physical and emotional pain. Previous research has shown that alcohol increases pain threshold. Previous research has also shown that pain threshold is positively associated with aggression. This research tests the novel hypothesis that the relationship between alcohol and aggression is mediated by increased pain threshold.
Besides the drinking in alcohol's harm to others: potential economic and environmental factors
This paper considers how harm from others' drinking is distributed across several economic and environmental factors.
Characterizing Collegiate Recovery Programs in the US and Canada: A Survey of Program Directors
Collegiate Recovery Programs (CRPs) play a vital and expanding role in supporting students in recovery from substance use disorders and behavioral addictions at higher education institutions. Despite their importance, there is a lack of comprehensive research characterizing CRPs, including their program directors and the nature and influence of their funding streams.
The value of neuroscience-based approaches for the study of alcohol and drugs
Changes in Sources of Information about the Risks and Benefits of Cannabis in a National Cohort of US Adults from 2017 - 2021
As more states legalize cannabis in the US, marketing from the cannabis industry and news coverage of cannabis have increased. Sources of information on cannabis can influence beliefs about risks and benefits. Yet, little is known about how the use and influence of specific sources of information have changed over time.
The influence of drinking consequences on alcohol expectancy likelihoods and valences: an item-level multi-level approach
Alcohol expectancy theory proposes that beliefs about drinking motivate or deter drinking. Although expectancies influence drinking, less is known about how the consequences of drinking influence expectancies. We modeled a feedback conceptualization of how the experience of specific consequences influenced people's beliefs about how likely a consequence will occur (i.e., likelihoods) and how positive the consequence will be (i.e., valences).
Prevalence and correlates of driving under the influence of alcohol and cannabis among Spanish adolescents
Driving under the influence (DUI) of substances is the first cause of death among young populations. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of research looking at DUI risk factors in adolescents. This study aimed to estimate the past-year prevalence and correlates of DUI of alcohol (DUI-A), cannabis (DUI-C), and both (DUI-A+C) in adolescents who reported past-year alcohol and cannabis use.
College Student Social Network Characteristics and Alcohol Use: Differences (and Similarities) Based on Sexual Identity and Attraction
Sexual minority (SM) college students have higher alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences than heterosexual students. Peers are salient determinants of young adult drinking, and examining social network characteristics is useful for understanding peer influence. This study used social network methods to understand network characteristics, alcohol use (i.e., max drinks), and alcohol consequences of SM and heterosexual college students.
Is Delta-8-THC use associated with state-level cannabis policies? A content analysis from different jurisdictions in the United States
The United States has seen a rapid increase in the use of Δ-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ-THC), a psychoactive compound similar to Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ-THC). This study aimed to explore themes in Δ-THC related tweets from U.S. jurisdictions with varying cannabis regulations from 2020 to 2022.
Emergency department visits, inpatient hospitalizations, and non-fatal and fatal drug overdoses during COVID-19 among Veterans with opioid use disorder
The COVID-19 pandemic had dramatic adverse impacts on people with opioid use disorder (OUD), as evidenced by significant disruptions to care and unprecedented increases in drug overdoses. In this study, we evaluated the impacts of COVID-19 on utilization of emergency and inpatient care, and fatal and non-fatal overdoses among veterans with OUD.