New Study Finds Just a Single Episode of Binge Drinking Can Cause Damage

According to a new study funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), just a single alcohol binge can cause bacteria to leak from the gut, and increase levels of bacterial toxins in the blood. Earlier studies have tied chronic alcohol use to increased gut permeability, wherein potentially harmful products can travel through the intestinal wall and be carried to other parts of the body, but this study is the first to show that even a single binge event can have a similar effect.

Binge drinking is defined by NIAAA as a pattern of drinking alcohol that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08g/dL or above. For a typical adult, this pattern corresponds to consuming five or more drinks for men, or four or more drinks for women, in about two hours. In the study, 11 men and 14 women were given enough alcohol to raise their BAC to at least .08 g/dL within an hour. 

Dr. Gyongyi Szabo, Professor and Vice Chair of Medicine and Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Medical School who lead the study, said these findings are significant because it proves that drinking heavily even just once can have long-term impacts.

“The study now demonstrates that even a single binge drinking event can have negative consequences on the body, even in a healthy individual. Our observations suggest that an alcohol binge is more dangerous than previously thought,” he said.

In the study, a single alcohol binge in normal subjects resulted in a rapid increase in levels of bacterial toxins (called endotoxins) in the blood, and that even a modest increase had substantial biological effects.
Increased levels of endotoxins were shown to affect the immune system, with the body producing more immune cells involved in fever, inflammation, and tissue destruction. Alcohol binge can also alter immune functions which reduces the body’s defense to pathogens. Greater gut permeability and increased endotoxin levels have been linked to many of the health issues related to chronic drinking, including alcoholic liver disease and organ damage in the brain.

Dr. Szabo notes that “this study shows that binge drinking is not benign, and has major biological impacts, and may also impact chronic drinking behavior. At least in animals, this increased endotoxin level, as based on our study, contributes to alcohol dependence and promotes prolonged increase of alcohol intake.” 

Further study on this in humans may show that the factors that lead to increased alcohol intake may be biological, not just psychological. The bodily damage caused by binge drinking behavior may lead to further desire for alcohol. 

Binge drinking has significantly greater health impacts on women than men, this study also found. Despite the similar BMIs of the males and females in the study, compared to men, women showed a slower decrease in BAC, and even 24 hours after the alcohol binge, women had higher BAC than men.

Serum endotoxin levels were also higher overall in women than in men after alcohol intake, and a significant difference in endotoxin level was observed between genders after four hours. Dr. Szabo warned that women should keep these greater consequences in mind when consuming alcohol. 

People likely to engage in binge drinking behavior, especially teens and young adults, should be made aware that binge drinking can lead to more than a hangover. This study shows that binge drinking causes an immune response and inflammation, leading to health consequences in even healthy individuals, especially in women. Initial findings also point to a potential relationship between this response and in increased desire to consume more alcohol, demonstrating that binge drinking behavior may lead the body to crave alcohol and lead to dependence.

SEE ALSO:
CADCA’s underage drinking and excessive drinking prevention resources created in partnership with NIAAA.
New Study Finds States With Stronger Alcohol Policies Have Less Binge Drinking

CDC Report Finds Deaths from Prescription Opioids Have More Than Tripled

Drug poisoning deaths involving opioid analgesics among those aged 15 and have more than tripled in the past decade, according to Health, United States, 2013, an annual, comprehensive report on the nation’s health by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC report found that deaths from prescription painkillers jumped from 1.9 deaths per 100,000 population in 1999-2000 to 6.6 deaths in 2009-2010.

The report also found that About half of all Americans reported taking one or more prescription drugs in the past 30 days during 2007-2010, and 1 in 10 took five or more. Cardiovascular agents (used to treat high blood pressure, heart disease or kidney disease) and cholesterol-lowering drugs were two of the most commonly used classes of prescription drugs among adults aged 18-64 years and 65 and over in 2007-2010.  Other commonly used prescription drugs among adults aged 18-64 years were analgesics to relieve pain and antidepressants.

The full report is available at: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/. 

Students Who Used Alcohol or Marijuana On Campus at Higher Risk for Trauma, Mental Health Problems

When teens are caught drinking or using marijuana at school, a trip to the dean's office may not suffice. These students also should be screened for exposure to trauma, mental health problems and other serious health risks, according to a study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The study was reported in Medical News Today.

Researchers found that using substances at school was associated with increased odds of serious problems such as depression, intimate partner violence and attempting suicide.

"At-school substance use is not just an isolated event requiring simple disciplinary action but an important signal identifying teens in need of urgent psychosocial assessment and support," said lead author Rebecca N. Dudovitz, MD, MS, FAAP, assistant professor of pediatrics at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA and the UCLA Children's Discovery & Innovation Institute.

Dr. Dudovitz and her colleagues analyzed data from the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a nationally representative survey of more than 15,000 U.S. high school students. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducts the survey every two years to monitor conditions and behaviors that impact adolescent health.

Researchers looked at whether at-school alcohol and marijuana use by high school students was associated with nine other serious health risks, including driving while intoxicated or riding in a car with a driver who was intoxicated; fighting; carrying a weapon at school; drinking alcohol or using drugs the last time they had sex; experiencing intimate partner violence; being forced to have intercourse; having symptoms of depression; thinking about suicide; and attempting suicide.

Results showed that 9 percent of all students reported using alcohol or marijuana at school. For both boys and girls, using alcohol or marijuana on campus was associated with dramatically higher odds of exhibiting all nine serious health risks than using substances only out-of-school.

For example, students who reported using either alcohol or marijuana on school campus had a 64 percent chance of having been in a car with an intoxicated driver, a 46 percent chance they had symptoms of depression, a 25 percent chance they had experienced intimate partner violence and a 25 percent chance they had attempted suicide.

Coalitions In Action: Ohio Youth Hold Rally to Spread Message that Majority of Teens are Drug-Free

May 01, 2014

Coalition resources: Coalition Stories

Too often what makes the news are stories of youth drug use. On Thursday, 1800 youth from Ohio held a rally in Columbus with the hopes that a different message would make the news – that the majority of teens don’t use drugs and alcohol.

The 3rd annual “We Are the Majority” rally and concert was organized by members of the Ohio Youth-Led Prevention Network (OYLPN), under the guidance of CADCA member, the Drug Free Action Alliance (DFAA).  Students from across the state attended the event to show that they are in the majority of teens, those who do not use drugs or alcohol.

“One of the most common misconceptions from our society is that a majority of young people are making detrimental decisions that affect the rest of their lives. However, research has continuously shown that a vast majority of youth are making positive, healthy choices,” said Marcie Seidel, Executive Director of Drug Free Action Alliance.  “The young people who make up the OYLPN understand that message and want other kids to celebrate their decisions to make positive decisions and become future leaders in their communities.”

The We are the Majority message came from the first generation of the OYLPN, 15 high school students who were “sick of the adult messaging seen in campaigns like ’Just Say No’,” explains Tony Coder, Assistant Director of DFAA. They wanted to send clear message to let other young people know that most of their peers are not using drugs and alcohol, Coder said.

It was these youth coalition members who started the rally three years ago, as a way to spread the We are the Majority message statewide. With 400 in attendance the first year, 1100 last year, and 1800 this year, the rally has continues to expand and reach more young people across Ohio.  

This rally and the work of OYLPN members have already impacted drug abuse prevention policy in Ohio. Inspired by the work of OYLPN, Governor John Kasich, a guest at last year’s rally, announced 22 Building Youth Resiliency grants totaling $1.5 million as part of the new Start Talking! youth drug prevention initiative.

The OYLPN consists of 15 high-school youth from around the state who are focused on peer-to-peer prevention strategies and promoting healthy lifestyles for youth in Ohio.  Youth coalition members of OYLPN are being trained in evidence-based prevention practices, learning to become stronger advocates for drug prevention. They are writing editorial letters, and meeting with their elected officials to spread their message of peer-to-peer prevention.  

This year, the OYLPN incorporated into the rally discussions of teen depression, mental health, and other factors, which tie into substance abuse issues. Working with the Ohio National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), part of the rally featured a resiliency march around the state house to draw the connection between youth mental health and substance abuse. 

The We are the Majority message is spreading. Two smaller rallies in other parts of Ohio were held concurrently with the main event, and groups outside of the state are reaching out to OYLPN and DFAA to learn more about their methods and the campaign. The day of the rally, adult supporters were given a toolkit on how to effectively run events in their own community. DFAA has also held webinars, and is currently redesigning their website to make information more accessible to other youth coalitions looking to sponsor their own events. 

Mario Barrett, Grammy-nominated performer and founder of The Mario Do Right Foundation, a non-profit youth development organization with emphasis on substance abuse prevention, was the keynote speaker and provided a free concert to rally participants. Mario was introduced to the OYLPN and DFAA at CADCA’s 2014 National Leadership Forum. 

Social media tools have been vital in organizing the rally, and spreading the word on peer-to-peer substance abuse prevention. To connect with OLYPN or the We Are the Majority campaign, visit:

OLYPN's Facebook Page 
We are the Majority's Facebook Page
Twitter
Pinterest
Blog 

The teen members of OYLPN have completely taken charge of their message and outreach to their peers and their communities. For adults, Coder says, the trick is letting youth take charge. With a little guidance and motivation, “their creativity and hard work, what they put into it, they will amaze you.”