Most people know that drink sizes differ depending on where you purchase your drink and that they're not very consistent, in particular when you compare with how much you pour when at home. Since the size of drink determines how much alcohol you're consuming, knowing the amount of alcohol in a "standard drink", or what the British call a "unit of alcohol", as well as how to pour that amount of your usual beverage, is critical when trying to stay healthy and making sure you're not exceeding the … [Read more...]
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How does your drinking measure up?
One way to look at your drinking habits is to compare your own consumption level to how much the rest of the nation is drinking. ARG Senior Scientist, Thomas K. Greenfield and Scientist, Yu Ye, took data from the 2010 National Alcohol Survey (NAS) consisting of 7,969 individuals residing in 50 states and Washington DC, and looked at the number of drinks both women and men said they consumed per week on average during the last 12 months. Take a minute to add up how much you usually drink in a … [Read more...]
What is Recovery?
The term ‘recovery’ is widely used in the research literature. Recovery is a goal of alcohol treatment, and recovery-oriented systems of care are being developed to support that goal. Alcoholics who no longer drink and are trying to pursue an improved way of living/being say that they are ‘in recovery.’ Yet for all its use, and seeming centrality, there is no agreed upon definition of the term within the alcohol literature. Lacking a definition, recovery usually is equated with abstinence or … [Read more...]
Study Looks at Impact of Privatization on Drinking Patterns in Washington State
Senior Scientist William C. Kerr (PI)'s project tracks implementation of regulations, revenues and prices and uses state-representative cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys of Washington drinkers and residents to evaluate changes in drinking, purchasing, problems, attitudes and experiences following privatization. The longitudinal survey follows drinkers who consume spirits to assess individual changes in purchasing practices and consumption behaviors. Kerr hopes that analyses will … [Read more...]
How much alcohol is in your drink?
According to a report from ARG researchers and published by the National Alcoholic Beverage Control Association, people really aren't aware of how much alcohol they're drinking. This is in part due to beer and wine makers increasing the alcohol content of their products and because of new products entering the market with a higher alcohol percentage than ever seen before. It also doesn't help that beer and wine producers aren't required to label their product with the actual alcohol content. … [Read more...]
Rapid Alcohol Problems Screen (RAPS) Helps Clinicians Assess Patients
The Rapid Alcohol Problems Screen (RAPS) is a five-item instrument designed by Senior Scientist, Cheryl Cherpitel, to maximize sensitivity while maintaining strong specificity. Derived from other screens, and with no weighting, adding or scoring of responses, the RAPS provides a quick way for clinicians to determine who may have a drinking problem. This infographic provides some background information on its development, testing and the research involved. The test itself is available as … [Read more...]
Women at a Greater Risk for Injury than Men
A new study of emergency department patients in 18 countries led by ARG Senior Scientist, Cheryl Cherpitel, made available online by the scientific journal Addiction, shows that the risk of injury caused by acute alcohol consumption is higher for women compared with men. While the risk of injury is similar for both men and women up to three ‘standard’ drinks (containing 16 ml or 12.8 g of pure ethanol), the risk then increases more rapidly for women, becoming twice the risk to men around 15 … [Read more...]
NIAAA and NIDA Fund New Projects
This past fall several key projects were funded through the National Institutes on Alcohol and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). First up, William C. Kerr’s study that looks at the inter-relationship between life-course drinking patterns and health conditions. A four-year project, Kerr and colleagues will examine the effects of alcohol use over a lifetime, including social and economic hardships and racial and ethnic differences in factors that may contribute … [Read more...]
Alcohol Research Seminar is in Session
The spring Advanced Alcohol Research Seminar, offered from January to May 2015, operates through UC Berkeley and presents research and lectures on epidemiology, prevention and intervention, and theory and methodology related to alcohol and potentially other drugs. This seminar, taught and facilitated by Sarah Zemore, PhD, and co-led by Drs. Lee Kaskutas and Cheryl Cherpitel, features presentations by renowned scientists in the field of alcohol research both inside and outside ARG. The current … [Read more...]
Scientific Advisory Board at a Glance
The National Alcohol Research Center's Scientific Advisory Board supports and helps guide our ongoing work and provides advice in planning future activities. Members include both University of California faculty and external scientists experienced with alcohol epidemiology and research center operations. Members also have expertise in disparities research on alcohol and health, both in the US and internationally with each bringing a unique set of skills to the work we do. Board members … [Read more...]
