The ALDH2*2 allele, common in East Asians, impairs aldehyde metabolism and leads to acetaldehyde accumulation during alcohol consumption. Whether this variant interacts with alcohol use to influence the age at ischemic stroke onset remains unclear. We evaluated the associations between ALDH2*2 and alcohol consumption with age at stroke onset.

Sleep disturbances are highly prevalent among individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Although sleep often improves during AUD treatment, associations with treatment outcomes have been inconsistent and have focused primarily on mean sleep parameters rather than daily within-person variability. Sleep variability is an emerging marker of physiological dysregulation and is linked to negative symptoms that may sustain alcohol use.

The incidence of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and related complications, such as alcohol-associated liver disease and alcohol-associated cirrhosis, continues to rise in the United States. However, limited data exist on the impact of AUD in aging hospitalized populations. We aimed to evaluate the association between AUD and clinical outcomes in aging hospitalized patients.

Associations between alcohol and mortality are well documented in epidemiological studies, but whether brief alcohol screening measures administered routinely in primary care similarly predict mortality is less established. This study examined whether alcohol consumption reported on the three-item Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test, Consumption (AUDIT-C) during routine care was associated with all-cause mortality, and secondarily, whether age and sex modified associations.

High rates of alcohol-related problems have been reported among US service members (SMs). Screening questions on drinking and related behaviors can help identify individuals at-risk for alcohol-related problems. However, brief alcohol screeners, such as the alcohol use disorders identification test-consumption (AUDIT-C) and the 4-item rapid alcohol problems screening (RAPS-4), have not been adequately and concurrently validated among active-duty SMs.

Given the importance of identifying mechanisms of action for the development and dissemination of alcohol interventions, this study tests theory-based mechanisms of change for two brief alcohol interventions.

Comorbidity between alcohol use disorder (AUD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exacerbates symptom severity and worsens treatment outcomes. Limited clinical research suggests that cannabidiol (CBD) may have therapeutic effects on anxiety disorders and addictive behavior, but efficacy has not been established.

Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) significantly impacts cerebellar development, which may affect cognitive function in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). We evaluated cerebellar anomalies in children with FASD and an unexposed comparison group using an advanced MRI volumetric method that characterizes cerebellar structure at the level of individual lobules. We also explored associations between the cerebellum and cognitive performance.

Self-determination theory characterizes drinking motives according to level of autonomy and locus of control and aligns with harm reduction approaches to alcohol use. This study used latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify motivational profiles of self-determined behavioral regulations for drinking and to test their associations with sociodemographic variables and alcohol consumption and outcomes.

Several facets of substance use self-stigma have been identified, and these constructs may be important within the specific context of alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment. Gaining a better understanding of self-stigma among individuals who are seeking treatment for AUD may help inform treatment approaches and ultimately could improve treatment to help reduce AUD-related self-stigma.

Alcohol analgesia (AA) is a well-established phenomenon and important motivator of pain self-medication with alcohol. Alcohol intoxication produces widespread alterations in many brain areas involved in pain processing. Sex and family history (FH) of problematic alcohol use both influence AA. Investigation of neural response to experimental pain during alcohol intoxication, and potential interactive effects of sex and FH, may clarify important pathways of risk for pain chronicity and alcohol use disorder.

Trauma causes 4.4 million deaths annually, comprising 8% of global mortality. In older individuals, the risk of severe traumatic injuries increases because of reduced physical reserves and comorbidities. Alcohol use may contribute to the occurrence of trauma and worsen patient outcomes; however, its exact role remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of alcohol exposure on trauma severity, injury patterns, and clinical outcomes in individuals aged ≥60 years.

The association between alcohol problems and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) is well documented, with recent evidence suggesting a causal effect of alcohol. Nevertheless, it is unclear if this relationship extends to less severe alcohol phenotypes. Moreover, only a few studies have explored whether STB may also increase alcohol use/problems. In this study, we combined two complementary methods to improve causal inference and investigate the bidirectional associations between alcohol use and STB.

Excessive alcohol consumption results in gastrointestinal (GI) tract dysfunction, including disruption of the intestinal barrier and exposure of the liver to microbes and gut-derived pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). The upper GI tract is exposed to the highest amount of alcohol, but little is known about alcohol's impact on GI inflammation. This study aimed to evaluate the initial effects of alcohol binges on GI inflammation.

Unhealthy alcohol use (UAU) describes a continuum of drinking behaviors ranging from risky consumption to severe alcohol use disorder (AUD). Despite its high prevalence, most individuals across this spectrum remain untreated. Contingency management (CM), a behavioral intervention utilizing reward-based incentives, effectively promotes behavior change in various substance use disorders but remains insufficiently studied across the full UAU spectrum. This systematic review and meta-analysis assesses the efficacy and clinical utility of CM for reducing alcohol use among individuals with UAU.

Research suggests that simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use (vs. alcohol-only) days are associated with increased alcohol-related consequences. Less is known, however, regarding whether consequences from simultaneous use events predict the subsequent patterns of simultaneous use and drinking behavior at subsequent simultaneous use events.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is associated with a range of developmental, behavioral, and physical impairments. While much research to date has focused on developmental and behavioral aspects of FASD, there is growing evidence that children with FASD may experience alterations in renal and cardiovascular function. By also comparing eating behaviors between children with FASD and typically developing children, this may provide some clues to the underlying causes of these physiological changes.

Alcohol consumption exacerbates health problems, including all-cause dementia, that will likely include 15%-20% with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), often heralding dementia. Despite the increasing prevalence of MCI with hazardous drinking, this comorbidity is seldom considered yet may be a contributor to exacerbating age-related motor decline, debilitating morbidity, and premature mortality.

Students with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are at risk of poor academic performance and school disruption given teachers' limited opportunity to learn about how to support them. The Families Moving Forward (FMF) Program and its derivative mobile health intervention, FMF Connect, provide an ideal framework to inform a scalable intervention for teachers. The current study aimed to develop and test the FMF Connect Teacher Companion website using the ADAPT-ITT framework, including teacher input.

Deaths from alcohol-related liver disease and associated conditions (ALD+), a major driver of alcohol-attributable mortality in the United States, are rising more rapidly than per capita alcohol consumption. These trends may stem from a broader "deaths of despair" epidemic disproportionately affecting those without a college degree. However, how ALD+ mortality trends vary by educational attainment remains underexplored. To address this, we analyzed ALD+ mortality from 2001 to 2020, focusing on disparities across educational and demographic subgroups.