Overview of studies on drinking patterns and consequences

Abstract

Research on selected consequences of alcohol use are reviewed in terms of how alcohol use is measured and reported in research designs common to that area of study. In addition, evidence of the probable underlying mechanisms by which alcohol leads to the various consequences is examined, particularly in relation to the aspects of drinking pattern which are theoretically most relevant to the outcome. There is considerable variation in the degree to which research in these areas stresses pattern of drinking (as opposed to average amount consumed or total dose). Ideally, theoretical consideration of underlying causal links should determine data collection and analysis techniques.

Intoxicaciones por alcohol y accidentes mortales en Bielorrusia

“…This evidence is consistent with the findings from previous studies indicating that binge drinking is associated with high risk of trauma (Bondy, 1996 (2005) reported that binge drinking is a major risk factor for head trauma among trauma patients and that the relative risk for head injury markedly increases with increasing blood alcohol level. In recent study from Finland was shown There is also research evidence that in the FSR accident mortality rate is more responsive to per capita changes in distilled spirits consumption rather than in the total level of alcohol consumption.…”

Exploring daily variations of drinking in the Swiss general population. A growth curve analysis

“…Compared with other health-relevant behaviours, drinking has been characterized predominantly as a social activity and variations in drinking patterns are therefore expected to refl ect social aspects of alcohol consumption (Rehm et al, 1996). Investigations of drinking patterns provided evidence of differences between socio-demographic or drinking subgroups when addressing various issues such as heavy episodic drinking occasions (Bondy, 1996), settings (Rossow, 1996;Single and Wortley, 1993), types of beverages consumed (Goldberg et al, 1995), drinking partners (Demers, 1997), or variations in consumption during the day (Dawson, 1996). With respect to variations between days, results stem mainly from earlier work done in North America (Arfken, 1988;Argeriou, 1975;Cahalan et al, 1969;Cahalan and Room, 1974;Harford and Gerstel, 1981).…”

Association among different measures of alcohol use across adolescence and emerging adulthood

“…Although alcohol indices are highly correlated at a single time-point [24,[29][30][31], longitudinal research suggests that indices may change differentially over time and are differentially related to health outcomes [12,[32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40]. Following 714 emerging adults (ages 18-26), Casswell, Pledger & Pratap [12] found that typical quantity peaked at age 21 and then declined, whereas drinking frequency continued to increase steadily over time.…”

“…Similarly, following 7344 adolescents from ages 12 to 23, Biehl et al [14] found that both frequency and HED increased from ages 12 to 19, but that HED leveled off more than frequency after age 19. Further, acute consequences of alcohol, such as accidental injury, tend to be associated more strongly with HED than volume [32][33][34][35][36]. In contrast, chronic problems, such as alcohol use disorders, have been more closely linked with volume [34,37,38].…”