Women who are satisfied with everyday life and are involved in leisure activities rarely have problems with alcohol, reveals a thesis from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Occupational therapist Christina Andersson, who wrote the thesis, has looked at how everyday life affects alcohol consumption as part of the wider Women and Alcohol in Gothenburg (WAG) population study which has been ongoing at the Sahlgrenska Academy since the mid-1980s.
In one study, 851 women aged 20-55 answered questions about their everyday life covering employment, leisure activities, the distribution of housework, how much time they have to themselves to do things they enjoy, and how satisfied they are in each of these areas.
“Alcohol dependence and abuse, high alcohol consumption and high episodic drinking turned out to be most common among women who, despite having more time to themselves, are less involved in leisure activities,” says Andersson. “Being more involved and being satisfied with the various domains of everyday life, such as work, housework and leisure activities, has only a weak link to risk drinking, even for those with little time to themselves.” [continue reading…]
Previous research regarding the association between alcohol consumption and dementia or cognitive impairment in later life suggests that mild to moderate alcohol consumption might be protective of dementia. However, most of the research has been conducted on subjects already rather elderly at the start of the follow-up. A new study published in the December issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease addresses this problem with a follow-up of more than two decades.
The study, conducted at the University of Turku, University of Helsinki and National Institute for Health and Welfare in Finland based on subjects from the Finnish Twin Cohort, shows that midlife alcohol consumption is related to the risk of dementia assessed some 20 years later. The study indicates that both abstainers and subjects consuming large amounts of alcohol have a greater risk for cognitive impairment than light drinkers. [continue reading…]
Alcohol is more harmful than heroin or crack, according to a study published in medical journal the Lancet.
The report is co-authored by Professor David Nutt, the former UK chief drugs adviser who was sacked by the government in October 2009.
It ranks 20 drugs on 16 measures of harm to users and to wider society. Researchers rated alcohol the most dangerous substance based on the overall dangers to the individual and society as a whole.Tobacco and cocaine are judged to be equally harmful, while ecstasy and LSD are among the least damaging.Curious? Continue reading Source: BBC
Alcohol is one of the most commonly abused substances, and men are up to twice as likely to develop alcoholism as women. Until now, the underlying biology contributing to this difference in vulnerability has remained unclear.
A new study published in Biological Psychiatry reveals that dopamine may be an important factor. [continue reading…]
