Heidi H Meyer, Bethany L Stangl, Melanie L Schwandt, Vijay A Ramchandani, Nancy Diazgranados, Jeremy W Luk
{"title":"Associations of stress mindset with problematic alcohol use and human flourishing: an exploratory path analysis.","authors":"Heidi H Meyer, Bethany L Stangl, Melanie L Schwandt, Vijay A Ramchandani, Nancy Diazgranados, Jeremy W Luk","doi":"10.1093/alcalc/agag030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/agag030","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Stress is an inevitable part of life that can have positive or negative effects depending on one's beliefs about stress (stress mindset). Having a more stress-is-enhancing mindset may lead to better physical and psychological health outcomes, but its associations with alcohol-related outcomes have not been examined. This study assessed whether stress mindset was associated with problematic alcohol use and human flourishing, and whether these associations were mediated by perceived stress and loneliness.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The analytic sample included 202 adults [mean age = 42.0 years old, 51.5% male, 46.0% White, and 41.6% with a history of alcohol use disorder] who completed self-reported measures of stress mindset, perceived stress, loneliness, problematic alcohol use, and human flourishing. Correlational and path analyses were conducted.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Higher stress mindset scores (viewing stress as more enhancing) were correlated with lower perceived stress, lower loneliness, lower problematic alcohol use, and higher human flourishing. Perceived stress was a significant mediator of the associations between stress mindset and both outcomes, such that higher stress mindset scores were indirectly associated with lower problematic alcohol use and higher human flourishing via lower perceived stress. Loneliness mediated the association between stress mindset and human flourishing, such that higher stress mindset scores were associated with higher human flourishing via lower loneliness.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The promotion of a stress-is-enhancing mindset is relevant to alcohol intervention as it may help individuals view stress in more adaptive ways and activate social support that has the potential to reduce problematic alcohol use and foster human flourishing.</p>","PeriodicalId":7407,"journal":{"name":"Alcohol and alcoholism","volume":"61 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147863240","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kerstin K Rauwolf, Ulf Berggren, Jan Balldin, Caroline Hasselgren Bune, Kristina J Berglund
{"title":"Morbidity and mortality in alcohol use disorder: the role of comorbid substance use disorder, age, sex, and the A1 allele of the Taq1A (rs1800497) polymorphism in the ANKK1 gene in an 18-year follow-up.","authors":"Kerstin K Rauwolf, Ulf Berggren, Jan Balldin, Caroline Hasselgren Bune, Kristina J Berglund","doi":"10.1093/alcalc/agag020","DOIUrl":"10.1093/alcalc/agag020","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>The present study aimed to: (i) compare a patient group with solely alcohol use disorder (AUD) to a group with poly-substance use disorder (poly-SUD) regarding sociodemographic background, morbidity, mortality, and the prevalence of the A1 allele of the Taq1A polymorphism. (ii) Investigate whether gender, age, poly-SUD, and the prevalence of the A1 allele or interactions among these factors, are associated with mortality risk over an 18-year follow-up period.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study comprised 360 individuals treated for severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms in 1997 at a treatment unit in Sweden. Genotyping was performed during their hospital stay, and participants were followed annually for up to 18 years using data from Swedish registers.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Fifty-three percent of the participants had died over the 18 year period. Poly-SUD patients exhibited higher rates of psychiatric disorders, gastrointestinal diseases, and intoxication as the primary diagnosis. Patients with AUD exhibited a higher prevalence of cardiac diseases. Traumatic causes of death were more prevalent in the poly-SUD group, whereas somatic diseases were more common among individuals with AUD. Male sex and age were the strongest predictors of premature death among individuals with AUD. The A1 allele of the Taq1A polymorphism showed a borderline association with an increased hazard of death.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Male sex and age are the strongest predictors of premature death. Patients with poly-SUD may represent a distinct subgroup with different comorbidities and causes of death. To determine whether there is a genetic vulnerability as indicated by the findings, research using larger samples with sufficient statistical power is needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":7407,"journal":{"name":"Alcohol and alcoholism","volume":"61 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13050502/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147621647","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Justyna Zaorska, Maciej Kopera, Małgorzata Rydzewska, Hubert Suszek, Paweł Kobyliński, Elisa M Trucco, Andrzej Jakubczyk
{"title":"Emotion dysregulation and dissociation mediate the association between alexithymia and depressive symptoms in individuals with alcohol use disorder.","authors":"Justyna Zaorska, Maciej Kopera, Małgorzata Rydzewska, Hubert Suszek, Paweł Kobyliński, Elisa M Trucco, Andrzej Jakubczyk","doi":"10.1093/alcalc/agag024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/agag024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aims: </strong>Dissociation may be considered both a severe psychopathological symptom and an everyday life experience. Still, little is known about the role of dissociation in emotion processing of individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD), as the results of current studies remain inconclusive. The aim of this study was to examine associations between dissociation, emotional processing (emotion dysregulation; alexithymia) and depressive symptoms in patients with AUD and healthy individuals.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 136 individuals who participated in an 8-week abstinence-based inpatient alcohol treatment program comprised the AUD group, and 80 healthy adults comprised the non-AUD [healthy controls (HC)] group. Self-report measures were used to assess alexithymia [difficulties describing and identifying feelings; Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS)-20], depressive symptom severity [Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)], emotion dysregulation [Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS)], and dissociative experiences [Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES)-II].</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Individuals with AUD reported significantly higher levels of dissociation, emotion dysregulation, alexithymia, and depressive symptoms compared to HCs. Difficulties in emotion regulation and severity of depressive symptoms were positively associated with dissociation, but only in the AUD group. Difficulties in emotion regulation and dissociation serially mediated the association between alexithymia and severity of depressive symptoms, but only in the AUD group.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Associations between emotion processing characteristics, dissociation, and depressive symptom severity differ in individuals with and without AUD. These results suggest that dissociation might be a promising target for therapeutic interventions among individuals with AUD.</p>","PeriodicalId":7407,"journal":{"name":"Alcohol and alcoholism","volume":"61 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13107319/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147759383","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Demoralization, employment status, and early symptom reduction as correlates of treatment discontinuation in outpatient alcohol use disorder.","authors":"Chung-Han Lee, Ting-Ting Yen, I-Chun Chen, Chiann-Yi Hsu, Ting-Gang Chang","doi":"10.1093/alcalc/agag017","DOIUrl":"10.1093/alcalc/agag017","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Treatment discontinuation is common in outpatient alcohol use disorder (AUD) care, and attendance-related missingness can complicate interpretation of early symptom change in naturalistic cohorts.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We followed 72 adults newly entering outpatient care for moderate-to-severe AUD at a tertiary hospital in Taiwan (baseline and 1, 3, and 6 months). Discontinuation was defined as ≥30 consecutive days without documented clinic contact. Symptom trajectories were modeled using generalized estimating equations with and without baseline severity adjustment; baseline correlates of 1-month discontinuation were estimated using Firth bias-reduced logistic regression, and early symptom change was evaluated in a landmark analysis restricted to participants retained to the 1-month visit.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The demoralization-by-time interaction for Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) reduction was significant in unadjusted models but attenuated after adjusting for baseline AUDIT (P = .385). Regular employment was independently associated with higher odds of 1-month discontinuation [adjusted Firth odds ratio (OR) 7.67, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.19-49.24]. In the landmark cohort (n = 50), early symptom improvement at 1 month was not significantly associated with subsequent discontinuation by 3 months (Firth OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.16-2.04).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>After accounting for baseline severity, demoralization was not a robust determinant of symptom trajectories. Regular employment showed a consistent association with early discontinuation, suggesting potentially modifiable time- and access-related barriers; early symptom change should be interpreted as an attendance-conditioned correlate rather than a standalone prognostic marker.</p>","PeriodicalId":7407,"journal":{"name":"Alcohol and alcoholism","volume":"61 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13034543/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147571596","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Benjamin Rolland, Anna-Rita Galiano, Anjesa Veseli, François Bailly, Olivier Lejeune, Bernard Michelland, Louis Carrier, Monique Guénin, Christophe Icard, Louis-Ferdinand Lespine
{"title":"Co-occurring psychiatric disorders are key determinants of disability in alcohol use disorder: a cross-sectional analysis in 157 recently detoxified patients.","authors":"Benjamin Rolland, Anna-Rita Galiano, Anjesa Veseli, François Bailly, Olivier Lejeune, Bernard Michelland, Louis Carrier, Monique Guénin, Christophe Icard, Louis-Ferdinand Lespine","doi":"10.1093/alcalc/agag026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/agag026","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Disability is a central outcome in alcohol use disorder (AUD), yet little is known about its determinants.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In the baseline data from the QUALIFACT multicenter prospective cohort study, which enrolled 157 recently detoxified patients with AUD between April 2021 and March 2024, Functional disability was assessed using the 12-item World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0). Clinical, psychiatric, and patient-reported variables were collected, including Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-5th edition (DSM-5) AUD criteria and the Alcohol Quality of Life Scale (AQoLS). To identify predictors of disability, we applied penalized linear regression with elastic net regularization, combined with nested cross-validation to ensure model robustness.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Five predictors were consistently selected in predictive models: major depressive disorder (β = 4.97) and psychotic syndrome (β = 4.85) showed the strongest associations with higher disability scores followed by the AQoLS \"Activities\" dimension (β = 0.76), while anxiety disorder (β = 0.23) and antisocial personality disorder (β = 0.19) showed smaller but significant contributions. Notably, no markers of AUD severity such as DSM-5 criteria were retained as predictors.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Disability in AUD appears to be driven primarily by psychiatric co-occurring psychiatric disorders and patient-perceived functional limitations, rather than by traditional markers of AUD severity. These findings suggest that WHODAS 2.0 captures dimensions of impairment not reflected in DSM-5 criteria and highlight the importance of integrated care approaches addressing co-occurring psychiatric disorders. Future studies should validate these findings in larger and more diverse AUD populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":7407,"journal":{"name":"Alcohol and alcoholism","volume":"61 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147758947","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kerry Yi Chen Lee, Butros Fakhoury, Ye In Christopher Kwon, Hyundam Gu, Matthew Ambrosio, Nicole Ng, Juan Pablo Arab
{"title":"Synergistic effects of metabolic syndrome and hazardous alcohol use on liver injury among Asian Americans.","authors":"Kerry Yi Chen Lee, Butros Fakhoury, Ye In Christopher Kwon, Hyundam Gu, Matthew Ambrosio, Nicole Ng, Juan Pablo Arab","doi":"10.1093/alcalc/agag027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/agag027","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aims: </strong>Explore the combined effects of alcohol use and metabolic syndrome (MetS) on liver injury in Asian Americans.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of self-reported Asian Americans aged ≥21 years from the NIH All of Us database. MetS was defined using Adult Treatment Panel III criteria and operationalized as a binary diagnosis and severity score. Alcohol use was assessed using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Concise (AUDIT-C) questionnaire. Participants were categorized into four groups based on hazardous drinking status and MetS presence. Primary outcomes include liver injury (alanine aminotransferase >33 U/l for men, >25 U/l for women). Multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex, smoking, and socioeconomic status were used.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 799 participants, 132 (16.5%) had MetS only, 190 (23.8%) had hazardous drinking only, and 41 (5.1%) had both exposures. Overall, 25.8% met criteria for liver injury, with prevalence differing across groups (P < .05): 32.6% of MetS only, 22.1% of hazardous drinking only, and greater than 35% in the combined-exposure group. Elevated triglycerides, waist circumference, MetS severity, MetS binary, and low high-density lipoprotein independently increased odds of liver injury. Significant interactions were observed between hazardous drinking and MetS severity [odds ratio (OR) 1.40; confidence interval (CI) 1.04-1.88], triglycerides (OR 3.62; CI 1.72-7.66), and blood pressure (OR: 2.09; CI 1.02-4.28).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Metabolic dysfunction, particularly hypertriglyceridemia, synergistically interacts with hazardous alcohol use to increase liver injury risk in Asian Americans, underscoring the need for combined metabolic and alcohol reduction strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":7407,"journal":{"name":"Alcohol and alcoholism","volume":"61 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147759422","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Infrequent, monthly, weekly, or daily? Big Five traits of longitudinal drinking-frequency profiles.","authors":"Matsuri Okamoto, Atsushi Oshio","doi":"10.1093/alcalc/agag012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/agag012","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Using five-wave Japanese panel data (2019-23; N = 14 271), we identified four drinking-frequency classes: abstinent/very infrequent, monthly, weekly, and almost daily. Adjusted multinomial logistic regression models showed extraversion predicted higher-frequency membership, whereas conscientiousness reduced intermediate-frequency odds. An agreeableness × conscientiousness term suggested possible moderation. Results add to evidence on personality-drinking associations in the Japanese general population.</p>","PeriodicalId":7407,"journal":{"name":"Alcohol and alcoholism","volume":"61 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147759446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nicole Lim, Nicole Kennelly, Tammy Chung, Margret Z Powell, Shawn J Latendresse, Carolyn E Sartor
{"title":"Associations between alcohol-related parenting factors and youth alcohol expectancies: considering the role of perceived friends' disapproval of alcohol use.","authors":"Nicole Lim, Nicole Kennelly, Tammy Chung, Margret Z Powell, Shawn J Latendresse, Carolyn E Sartor","doi":"10.1093/alcalc/agag014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/agag014","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We investigated variations in associations of alcohol-related parenting factors with alcohol expectancies by perceived friends' disapproval of alcohol use in middle-school-aged youth (n = 7657). Perceived friend disapproval moderated the association of deciding on rules about drinking with positive expectancies. Parenting factors and friend disapproval were independently associated with negative expectancies.</p>","PeriodicalId":7407,"journal":{"name":"Alcohol and alcoholism","volume":"61 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147589393","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ieva Poceviciute, Martynas Arbaciauskas, Rokas Buisas, Osvaldas Ruksenas, Valentina Vengeliene
{"title":"Effect of cannabinol, tetrahydrocannabivarin and cannabidiol on voluntary alcohol consumption.","authors":"Ieva Poceviciute, Martynas Arbaciauskas, Rokas Buisas, Osvaldas Ruksenas, Valentina Vengeliene","doi":"10.1093/alcalc/agag019","DOIUrl":"10.1093/alcalc/agag019","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aims: </strong>Previous studies have demonstrated that the endocannabinoid system plays a significant role in the development of alcohol use disorder (AUD), and CB1 receptor antagonists/inverse agonists show promise as a novel AUD pharmacotherapy. However, these compounds failed in clinical trials due to the severe psychiatric side effects. Non-psychoactive phytocannabinoids may have a better safety profile and could be used as an alternative approach to treat AUD. The aim of this study was to test the potential of three phytocannabinoids in reducing alcohol consumption: CB1 receptor partial agonist cannabinol (CBN), neutral antagonist tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) and negative allosteric modulator cannabidiol (CBD).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Male Wistar rats were subjected to a long-term voluntary alcohol drinking procedure that lasted for several months. Thereafter, rats were given three once daily administrations of CBN, THCV, or CBD. Their side-effect profile was examined by recording changes in water consumption, body weight and locomotor activity. Ultrasonic vocalisations were recorded in alcohol-naïve group-housed rats to monitor if treatment induced discomfort, distress, or other changes in emotional states.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Our data demonstrated that all phytocannabinoids reduced voluntary alcohol consumption; however, the compounds differed in their effectiveness and side-effect profile. Treatment with CBN and THCV reduced alcohol intake and alcohol preference and had a mild sedative effect. CBD had a minor effect on alcohol consumption, did not affect alcohol preference, reduced the locomotor activity and lowered the positive emotional states of rats. None of the compounds caused discomfort or distress.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We conclude that CBN and THCV may have potential in treating AUD.</p>","PeriodicalId":7407,"journal":{"name":"Alcohol and alcoholism","volume":"61 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13058263/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147632190","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Steffi De Jans, Liselot Hudders, Dieneke Van de Sompel, Emma Beuckels, Hayley Pearce, Kleio Koutra, Lia Lombardi, Chiara Pilotti, Laura Del Campo, Severin Haug, Nick Dietrich, Nikolai Kiselev, Nikolaos Boumparis, Teresa de Pablo-Pardo, Maria Krini, Polonca Serrano, Eunate Arana-Arri, Delia Nicoara, Vassilis Kilintzis, Andreas Triantafyllidis
{"title":"Adolescents' intention to reduce alcohol use: a health belief model approach to cancer prevention.","authors":"Steffi De Jans, Liselot Hudders, Dieneke Van de Sompel, Emma Beuckels, Hayley Pearce, Kleio Koutra, Lia Lombardi, Chiara Pilotti, Laura Del Campo, Severin Haug, Nick Dietrich, Nikolai Kiselev, Nikolaos Boumparis, Teresa de Pablo-Pardo, Maria Krini, Polonca Serrano, Eunate Arana-Arri, Delia Nicoara, Vassilis Kilintzis, Andreas Triantafyllidis","doi":"10.1093/alcalc/agag010","DOIUrl":"10.1093/alcalc/agag010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aims: </strong>Alcohol consumption is a well-established risk factor for health problems such as cancer; yet, public health campaigns have shown mixed results in their effectiveness to reduce alcohol use. Drawing on the health belief model, this study examines adolescents' self-reported alcohol consumption and explores drivers and barriers to abstaining from or reducing their alcohol consumption, with the ultimate goal of reducing alcohol-attributable cancers.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>A large-scale, cross-sectional and cross-national online survey was conducted in 2024 among N = 4054 adolescents between 12 and 18 years, chiefly recruited through schools, in eight European countries (Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, and Switzerland).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Results indicate that 47.5% of adolescents reported never consuming alcohol. Alcohol use increased with age and country differences were observed, while we found no differences in gender. Among the 52.5% participants who reported drinking alcohol, the average intention to reduce consumption was moderate. Adolescents who drank more frequently were less inclined to reduce their alcohol use. Intention to reduce drinking decreased with age. Perceived benefits of alcohol reduction followed by self-efficacy were the strongest predictors of this intention.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The study's results provide valuable insights into adolescent alcohol consumption across Europe, leading to the formulation of concrete guidelines for future prevention campaigns regarding target groups (e.g. age, country), messaging, and framing. Specifically, future alcohol prevention campaigns could emphasize long-term health benefits and aim to increase adolescents' perceptions of self-efficacy to refrain from initiating or to reduce alcohol consumption.</p>","PeriodicalId":7407,"journal":{"name":"Alcohol and alcoholism","volume":"61 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13017050/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147472313","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}