Alcohol Alcohol

Health Locus of Control in problem drinkers with and without liver disease.

Year 1998
Farid B. Clark M. Williams R.
Leicestershire Mental Health Trust, NHS Community Drug and Alcohol Service, Narborough, UK.
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether patients who developed alcoholic liver disease have more awareness of the link between their behaviour and subsequent health than patients with non-alcoholic liver disease and people with drink problems with no liver disease. This study included three groups of patients, alcoholic liver disease (ALD) (n=57), non-alcoholic liver disease (n=77), and problem drinkers with no liver disease attending a London community day treatment centre (ACCEPT) (n=115). Health locus of control differentiates people into two groups, health externals who are individuals who maintain that their health is largely determined by external factors, as opposed to health internals, who believe that their behaviour plays a major role in determining their subsequent health or illness. The results of the Health Locus of Control (HLC) scale administered to the above subjects suggested that the ALD group had limited insight into the relationship between their drinking and subsequent liver disease, compared to the ACCEPT group. It is suggested that alcoholic liver disease patients receive counselling as part of their total management.

ESBRA 1997 Award lecture: relationship between excessive alcohol drinking and viral infections.

Year 1998
Nalpas B. Pol S. Thepot V. Zylberberg H. Berthelot P. Brechot C.
Unite d'Hepatologie, Hopital Necker, INSERM U 370, Faculte de Medecine Necker, Paris, France.
Several epidemiological studies suggest that chronic alcoholics are at risk of viral infections. Clinical and basic research has demonstrated that alcohol not only worsens the natural history of chronic viral hepatitis, but also seems to interact with the viral replication cycle leading to an unusual serum virological profile and/or modification in the serum concentration of viral particles. Infections with hepatitis B and C viruses are a major risk for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in excessive drinkers who should be protected against these viruses.

Treatment, Alcoholics Anonymous and alcohol controls during the decrease in alcohol problems in Alberta: 1975-1993.

Year 1998
Smart RG. Mann RE.
Clinical, Social and Evaluation Research Department, Addiction Research Foundation, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
In this study, the trends in alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems, alcohol availability and treatment efforts were examined for the province of Alberta, for the period 1975-1993. Most of the trends previously observed in Ontario were also observed in Alberta. We found: (1) stabilization followed by important declines in per capita consumption of alcohol; (2) large decreases in most measures of problems such as cirrhosis mortality and traffic fatalities related to drinking; (3) increases in treatment and Alcoholics Anonymous membership rates; (4) increases in measures of physical availability of alcohol. One problem, impaired driving arrest rate, increased substantially during the years examined.