A new study claims that women are more prone to alcoholism and are drinking more and men are drinking less. The National Institute of Health released a statement, stating that a new study confirms recent reports about the changing pattern of alcohol use of men and women in the US.
Research Conducted at the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
The study was led by Aaron White from the NIAAA, who observed the drinking habits of women and men in America for 10 years. The findings are published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. According to the paper, which took into account age, onset and conditions under which subjects were drinking.
The Results Say Women are More Prone to Alcoholism
The percentage of subjects who drank alcohol 30 days before the study increased from 44.9% to 48.3%, but dropped in men from 57.4% to 56.1% between 2002 and 2012. In that span of time, women drank 7.3 days, while, in males, it dropped from 9.9 to 9.5 days.
Binge Drinking is A Big Problem in America
The National Institute of Health declared that binge drinking is still a huge issue for college-aged adults, but seeing as drinking in men has decreased, there is hope.
The figures also state that men are more likely to drink when getting high, and are more likely to get into accidents or become injured when drunk than women.
Good news to champagne enthusiasts: drinking bubbly every week improves memory and decreases the risk of developing dementia. The studies, while not recent, show that the phenolic compounds in two of the red grapes used in champagne have a positive effect on proteins in the brain connected to memory storage.
These proteins, which usually weaken with age, are stimulated by Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. These two grapes have been found to help the depletion of these proteins slow down and even halt the development of degenerative conditions that develop with age like Alzheimer’s and dementia.
This doesn’t mean at all that consistent champagne drinking will help, as alcoholism is extremely harmful to all organs with prolonged use. The original study reads that three glasses of champagne every week could have these positive effects tied to memory and dementia.
These effects have yet to be seen in humans, as the study conducted only studied rats. A team of scientists at Reading University in the United Kingdom, carried out their experiment with rats, and saw that they had better performance in memory tests after being given a mixture of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The team is looking to start on human trials immediately to further prove this theory.
Researchers at Duke University have uncovered two well-defined brain profiles that are associated with unsafe sexual behavior and alcoholism within young adults. Researchers say that when two compatible parts of the brain are imbalanced, young people are at a greater risk of succumbing to dangerous behavior. The two parts of the brain are the ventral striatum and the amygdala.
High activity in one and low activity in the other resulted in a drinking problem in both men and women. In men, it resulted in numerous sexual partners in a short period of time. When activity is high in both, women were more eager to partake in unsafe sexual interactions. The reasons for this is unknown, but it may have something to do with how men and women use each part of the brain differently.
This research is part of a continuous study, called the Duke Neurogenetics Study, which started in 2010. The purpose of the study is to help understand how connections between the brain, genome, and environment shape unsafe behavior, that can predict mental illness, depression, and addiction. Non-invasive MRI imaging is used to measure activity of the two brain areas that help process opposing behavior that is important for survival. Researchers hope to use the brain profiles to counteract and/or change the biology of people who are alcoholics and others who exhibit detrimental habits. If researchers are successful, there are a number of benefits that could arise from the study. Here are three benefits of predicting slutty and alcoholic behavior in young adults:
1. Lower Death Rate
By predicting slutty and alcoholic behavior, doctors can help save a ton of lives. If caught early, young adults would not be at a higher risk of catching sexually transmitted diseases or drinking to the point of blacking out and never waking up. Parents would have one less thing to worry about when their children went out with friends.
2. Increased Family Happiness
I have seen enough Lifetime movies to know what alcoholism can do to a family. Lifetime also doesn’t shy away from the tragic life of the girl that gets around and her impact on the family dynamic. Having the ability to predict slutty and alcoholic behavior can help keep families together and happier.
3. Better College Experience
Last but not least, another benefit of being able to predict slutty and alcoholic behavior is knowing your limits during college. With the knowledge and right treatment for your high risk of participating in dangerous activities, you can enjoy college a little more. Going to the bar may not be the thing for you but there are various other extracurriculars you can participate in. And just maybe you won’t ever have to take the walk of shame.
I hope researchers continue to have positive and concrete results throughout the study. Understanding the reasons behind what drives people to involve themselves in slutty and alcoholic behavior, could make a huge difference in the world we live in.
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Does having light-colored eyes make you more susceptible to alcoholism?
This is a questions a recent study published this month in the recent volume of the American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics undertakes to find out. The hypothesis suggested by researches from the University of Vermont was that the population of people with light-colored eyes may have more occurrences of alcoholism than those with dark eye colors. Most individuals with light colored eyes are also of European ancestry, which is a possible cultural reason as to why they consume more alcohol than other individuals.
Upon further study, there were signs linking dependence on alcohol to blue eyes-having individuals in the research study. This shows that there is a higher risk factor involved in being susceptible to alcoholism if you have blue eyes rather than brown. Although having lighter-colored eyes still exacerbates a tendency toward alcoholism, the strongest pull has been seen in blue eye colored subjects.
How did this link get discovered?
The connection from having blue eyes to alcoholism may seem farfetched, but the two traits share the same chromosome. The study sampled a pool of 1,263 European Americans, and from there, after taking into account several different factors, found numerous genetic interactions between the two. Thereby, the finding gave some solidity to the theory that was postulated at the beginning of the study- that individuals with eyes of lighter colors may be more susceptible to alcoholism.
What does this mean for everyone else?
Although further testing of the results and theory will be needed, this finding by the researchers may help to understand alcoholism on the genetics level, as well as predisposition, psychology of addiction, and many more aspects. You don’t have to have blue eyes to see or feel the pain that alcohol abuse is causing. Alcoholism today affects many communities on both a small and large scale, which has complications that may be fatal if not dealt with correctly. Alcoholism very often disrupts family dynamics, and heightens the younger generation’s predisposition to alcoholism as a result of family history.
Only time will tell what else this study can inform the masses, scientists, and researchers about the roots of alcoholism and all that it entails.
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A recent study in South Korea showed the potential role virtual reality can play in helping those who struggle with alcohol dependence. This study was led by senior researcher Doug Hyun Han, of the Chang-Ang University Hospital. Though the study had a relatively small number of people tested, those people were found to be craving less alcohol than when the virtual reality testing began. It’s a beginning step to what could hopefully be a technological breakthrough in helping those who struggle with addiction.
What Occurred In the Study?
Han and his team’s study had 12 patients being tested. For five weeks, these 12 people, who were being treated for their dependence, underwent a total of 10 virtual reality therapy sessions, broken down into two sessions a week. In these sessions, the patients were faced with three separate virtual realities. The first scene they were dealt was a calming environment meant to relax the patient. The second scene confronted alcoholics with a simulation of a restaurant in which others were drinking, which was referred to as a high-risk situation wherein cravings could possibly be triggered. The third virtual reality the patients were confronted with is known as an aversive situation, as they were subjected to both the sight and sound of drinking too much. Vomit was, unsurprisingly, heavily featured in this situation meant to showcase the least appealing and lowest points of heavy drinking. The simulation even involved a drink that tasted like vomit.
The researchers had the patients undergo PET ad CT scans both before the virtual reality therapy began and after the five weeks had been completed. What they found in the second scan was that the patients’ limbic circuits in the brain had seen a decrease in activity. The metabolism of the brain had also slowed down. Han theorized that this could result in a reduced craving for alcohol.
What Does This Mean Going Forward?
This study has the potential to be a big step in the treatment of dependence, but even the researchers themselves warn to not get ahead of ourselves. Larger studies will need to be done going forward. But optimism is strong in the researchers after their virtual reality findings.
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