John Marendes, Marissa A Muench, Camille L Young, Amira A Ghaly, Brendan J Tunstall
{"title":"Analgesic Effect of Oxytocin in Alcohol-Dependent Male and Female Rats.","authors":"John Marendes, Marissa A Muench, Camille L Young, Amira A Ghaly, Brendan J Tunstall","doi":"10.1016/j.alcohol.2024.12.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcohol.2024.12.002","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Chronic alcohol exposure in humans and rodents causes tolerance to the analgesic effects of alcohol, and enhances pain sensitivity during alcohol withdrawal (i.e., hyperalgesia). The available literature suggests a bidirectional enhancement between chronic alcohol consumption and chronic pain sensitivity. We previously found that oxytocin administration could reduce alcohol consumption in alcohol-dependent rats, and now hypothesize that oxytocin, through analgesic action in the central nervous system, could ameliorate the hyperalgesia induced by alcohol-dependence. To test this hypothesis, we assessed the ability of central and peripheral oxytocin administration to alter thermal (Hargreaves assay) and mechanical (Von Frey assay) pain sensitivity, in male and female rats, made alcohol dependent through repeated cycles of chronic-intermittent ethanol-vapor exposure (CIEV; compared to air-exposed controls).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Male and female cohorts of Wistar rats were surgically prepared with an ICV cannula and assigned to two groups matched in terms of initial response in the Hargreaves assay. Rats in the alcohol dependent group were exposed to chronic-intermittent alcohol-vapor, while air-exposed control rats were exposed only to room air and served as the control group. The thermal nociception sensitivity of all rats was monitored via weekly Hargreaves assay to determine alcohol-dependence-induced hyperalgesia in dependent rats. Next, rats were ICV administered oxytocin (0, 0.5, or 5 μg in 2.5 μL saline) prior to Hargreaves testing (Experiment 1) or Von Frey testing (Experiment 2). Finally, rats were IP administered oxytocin (0, 0.1, or 1 mg/kg) prior to Hargreaves testing (Experiment 3) or Von Frey testing (Experiment 4). In a follow-up experiment, female rats were tested to directly compare three methods for applying the Von Frey test.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Male and female alcohol-dependent rats developed hyperalgesia, observed in the Hargreaves assay (Experiment 1 & 3), however, hyperalgesia was not so readily observed when the same rats were tested in the Von Frey assay (Experiments 2 & 4, with the exception of female rats in Experiment 4; follow-up testing indicated that the method of Von Frey test employed is likely important to explain this discrepancy). In both the Hargreaves and Von Frey assays, and in both male and female rats, following central or peripheral administration, oxytocin produced analgesia similarly in both alcohol dependent rats and air-exposed controls.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Together, these data suggest the oxytocin system could be targeted to produce therapeutic action in disease that produce hyperalgesia such as in alcohol dependence. We discuss methodological considerations and future experiments that could further elucidate a role for oxytocin in the overlapping neurobiology of alcohol dependence and chronic pain.</p>","PeriodicalId":93864,"journal":{"name":"Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.)","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142883822","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
J Daniel Obray, Adam R Denton, Jayda Carroll-Deaton, Kristin Marquardt, L Judson Chandler, Michael D Scofield
{"title":"Enhanced Fear Extinction Through Infralimbic Perineuronal Net Digestion: The Modulatory Role of Adolescent Alcohol Exposure.","authors":"J Daniel Obray, Adam R Denton, Jayda Carroll-Deaton, Kristin Marquardt, L Judson Chandler, Michael D Scofield","doi":"10.1016/j.alcohol.2024.12.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.alcohol.2024.12.006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Perineuronal nets (PNNs) are specialized components of the extracellular matrix that play a critical role in learning and memory. In a Pavlovian fear conditioning paradigm, degradation of PNNs affects the formation and storage of fear memories. This study examined the impact of adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure by vapor inhalation on the expression of PNNs in the adult rat prelimbic (PrL) and infralimbic (IfL) subregions of the medial prefrontal cortex. Results indicated that following AIE, the total number of PNN positive cells in the PrL cortex increased in layer II/III but did not change in layer V. Conversely, in the IfL cortex, the number of PNN positive cells decreased in layer V, with no change in layer II/III. In addition, the intensity of PNN staining was significantly altered by AIE exposure, which narrowed the distribution of signal intensity, reducing the number of high and low intensity PNNs. Given these changes in PNNs, the next experiment assessed the effects of AIE and PNN digestion on extinction of a conditioned fear memory. In Air control rats, digestion of PNNs by bilateral infusion of Chondroitinase ABC (ChABC) into the IfL cortex enhanced fear extinction and reduced contextual fear renewal. In contrast, both fear extinction learning and contextual fear renewal remained unchanged following PNN digestion in AIE exposed rats. These results highlight the sensitivity of prefrontal PNNs to adolescent alcohol exposure and suggest that ChABC-induced plasticity is reduced in the IfL cortex following AIE exposure.</p>","PeriodicalId":93864,"journal":{"name":"Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.)","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142878399","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"FGF21 responses to alcohol, an insight from a comparative study in individuals with alcohol use disorder.","authors":"Suthat Liangpunsakul, Lorenzo Leggio","doi":"10.1016/j.alcohol.2024.12.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcohol.2024.12.001","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":93864,"journal":{"name":"Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.)","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142866587","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Examination of factors related to problem drinking among the working population: The Japanese civil servants study.","authors":"Takashi Shigeno, Takashi Tatsuse, Michikazu Sekine, Masaaki Yamada","doi":"10.1016/j.alcohol.2024.02.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.alcohol.2024.02.001","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Problem drinking affects not only the health of a population but also the productivity of a nation, especially if it is rampant among the working population. This study examines the association between problem drinking and work characteristics, work-family status, and social situations among the Japanese working population. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed on the basis of gender on 3136 participants (men: 65.1%, women: 34.9%) adopted from the Japanese Civil Servants Study in 2014 (response rate: 87.8%), to examine the factors related to problem drinking, after adjusting for frequency and quantity of drinking. Problem drinking was assessed using the Cutdown, Annoyed, Guilty, and Eye-opener (CAGE) questionnaire. The presence of problem drinking was found in 24.3% of men and 10.3% of women. The analysis showed that in men, poor work performance (OR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.00-1.79), high family-to-work conflict (OR: 1.54, 95% CI: 1.14-2.09), and high work-to-family conflict (OR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.14-2.34) were significantly associated with problem drinking, whereas in women, high work-to-family conflict (OR: 2.45, 95% CI: 1.21-4.95) was significantly associated with problem drinking. Although the number of close friends is negatively associated with problem drinking in women, the significance disappeared in the fully adjusted model. It can be concluded that it is important for both men and women to strike a balance between work and family life. Moreover, owing to gender differences, work performance may be important for men, and the presence of close friends may be important for women, in reducing the risk of problem drinking.</p>","PeriodicalId":93864,"journal":{"name":"Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.)","volume":" ","pages":"199-207"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139713537","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Juliana Harkki, Pauli Tuovinen, Veikko Jousimäki, Goncalo Barreto, Pekka Rapeli, Jussi Palomäki, Jonne Annevirta, Anna-Helena Puisto, Francis McGlone, Heikki Nieminen, Hannu Alho
{"title":"CT-optimal touch modulates alcohol-cue-elicited heart rate variability in Alcohol Use Disorder patients during early abstinence: a randomized controlled study.","authors":"Juliana Harkki, Pauli Tuovinen, Veikko Jousimäki, Goncalo Barreto, Pekka Rapeli, Jussi Palomäki, Jonne Annevirta, Anna-Helena Puisto, Francis McGlone, Heikki Nieminen, Hannu Alho","doi":"10.1016/j.alcohol.2024.11.004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcohol.2024.11.004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a chronic brain disorder associated with a high risk of relapse and a limited treatment efficacy. Relapses may occur even after long periods of abstinence and are often triggered by stress or cue induced alcohol craving. C-tactile afferents (CT) are cutaneous nerve fibers postulated to encode pleasant affective touch and known to modulate physiological stress responses. However, their translational potential has not yet been explored extensively in controlled clinical trials. This randomized controlled study aimed to investigate the potential of CT stimulation in modulating relapse predicting biomarkers, physiological cue-reactivity, and subjective alcohol craving in AUD patients in early abstinence. Twenty-one participants meeting DSM-5 criteria for mild to moderate AUD received CT-optimal touch or a non-CT-optimal control treatment while exposed to neutral, stress-inducing, and alcohol-related visual stimuli. The tactile treatment was provided with a robotic device, eliminating the social elements of touch. Heart rate variability (HRV), salivary cortisol, and subjective craving were assessed at the baseline, during and after the treatment and stimuli exposure. The results showed that CT-optimal touch significantly reduced alcohol-cue-elicited standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN) HRV compared to the control group, shifting the HRV reactivity to the direction known to indicate lower relapse susceptibility. Cortisol levels showed no significant differences between the groups, and subjective alcohol craving increased after alcohol cue exposure in both groups. This study found that CT-optimal touch modulates autonomic cue-reactivity in AUD patients, encouraging further research on the therapeutic potential of affective touch. Future research should explore the long-term effects and real-world clinical relevance of CT-optimal touch in alcohol relapse prevention.</p>","PeriodicalId":93864,"journal":{"name":"Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.)","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142752645","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
T L Verplaetse, R F Carretta, C A Struble, B Pittman, W Roberts, Y Zakiniaeiz, M R Peltier, S A McKee
{"title":"Gender Differences in Alcohol Use Disorder Trends from 2009-2019: An Intersectional Analysis.","authors":"T L Verplaetse, R F Carretta, C A Struble, B Pittman, W Roberts, Y Zakiniaeiz, M R Peltier, S A McKee","doi":"10.1016/j.alcohol.2024.11.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcohol.2024.11.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Trend estimates from national surveys over the last 20 years have suggested converging rates of alcohol use over time between adult men and women. However, limited research has utilized an intersectional lens to examine how sociodemographic characteristics influence gender differences in these trends.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The current study used data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) to examine whether gender intersected with race/ethnicity, age, education level, marital status, employment status, household income, and urbanicity on temporal trends (2009-2019) in alcohol use disorder (AUD). Logistic regression and linear trend analyses were conducted to examine interaction effects of sociodemographic variables and changes in rates of AUD over time in males and females.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We observed decreasing rates of AUD over time in males and females, with larger declines in males (p=0.01; OR=0.96 in males vs. OR=0.98 in females). We identified subpopulations of females that demonstrated little or no reductions during this timeframe (2009-2019), which varied by race/ethnicity, age, marital status, employment, and income but not by education or urbanicity. In adults aged 49 years and younger (overall p=0.02; ages 18-25 OR=0.92 in males vs. 0.96 in females, ages 26-29 OR=0.97 in males vs. OR=0.99 in females), and in those employed (overall p=0.05; OR=0.96 in males vs. OR=0.99 in females), women demonstrated smaller declines in comparison to men. Additionally, women who reported that they were Black (p=0.006; OR=0.94 in males vs. OR=1 in females), single (p=0.009; OR=0.94 in males vs. 0.96 in females) or earning between $20,000 and $49,000 (p=0.012; OR=0.96 in males vs. 0.98 in females), had smaller or no declines in AUD in compared to men with the same demographic characteristic.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our findings provide support for converging rates of AUD between genders and newly identify subpopulations of females that may be at heightened risk.</p>","PeriodicalId":93864,"journal":{"name":"Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.)","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142696082","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Andressa Raphaely de Lima Silva, Maria Letícia Santos Carnaúba da Silva, Jadson Freitas da Silva, Katarine Evelyn Falcão E Falcão, James A Marrs, Marilia Ribeiro Sales Cadena, Pabyton Gonçalves Cadena
{"title":"Single essential oils and their binary mixtures protect against ethanol-induced defects in a zebrafish fetal alcohol spectrum disorder model at the same level as folic acid.","authors":"Andressa Raphaely de Lima Silva, Maria Letícia Santos Carnaúba da Silva, Jadson Freitas da Silva, Katarine Evelyn Falcão E Falcão, James A Marrs, Marilia Ribeiro Sales Cadena, Pabyton Gonçalves Cadena","doi":"10.1016/j.alcohol.2024.11.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcohol.2024.11.002","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study evaluated protective effects of clove (SEO), thyme white (TEO), oregano (OEO), and caraway (CEO) essential oils (EOs), and their binary mixtures, in a zebrafish fetal alcohol spectrum disorder model. Furthermore, folic acid (FA) was used for comparison as it had previously shown protection against ethanol (EtOH)-induced defects. The co-exposure of zebrafish embryos to EtOH (150 mM) and FA (75 μM) or EOs and their binary mixtures (0.5-1 mg/L) was carried out during 6 or 22 hours postfertilization (hpf). Different developmental endpoints (epiboly measurement, survival rate at 24 hpf, embryonic developmental progression measurement at 24 hpf, larval development at 48-96 hpf, and hatching rate at 72-96 hpf) were evaluated at 8-96 hpf. EtOH exposure reduced epiboly. Only FA and the SEO + TEO binary mixture protected against these defects, and SEO and TEO single exposure showed partial protection. Therefore, these groups were chosen for subsequent experiments. At 24 hpf, EtOH showed developmental delay and hatching rate was delayed at 72 hpf. FA, SEO, TEO, and SEO + TEO partially protected against these defects. This study supports the conclusion that FA partially protects against EtOH-induced defects. SEO and TEO single exposure partially protect against EtOH-induced defects. However, the binary mixture of SEO + TEO was more effective, showing similar efficacy as FA.</p>","PeriodicalId":93864,"journal":{"name":"Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.)","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142634328","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effect of high mobility group box 1 pathway inhibition on gene expression in the prefrontal cortex of mice exposed to alcohol.","authors":"Shuxun Qiu, ShuXin Dong, Jingxin Fan, Wu Chengji, Xunzhong Qi","doi":"10.1016/j.alcohol.2024.10.047","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcohol.2024.10.047","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) pathway plays a pivotal role in the development of alcohol-induced brain injury. Glycyrrhizinic acid (GlyA) is widely regarded as an inhibitor of HMGB1. The objective is to investigate the impact on gene expression in the prefrontal cortex,we sequenced the transcriptome in control, alcohol-exposed, and HMGB1-inhibited groups of mice. We verified our findings by real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>An alcohol exposure model was established in mice by intraperitoneal injection of alcohol. Transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics analyses were performed on prefrontal cortex tissue. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis was performed to identify pivotal pathways of differentially expressed genes. The role of relevant genes was verified by qRT-PCR.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Expression of genes involved in the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathway exhibited an increase in mice from the alcohol-exposed group.However, there were no significant differences observed in the expression of these genes between control and those receiving an intraperitoneal injection of alcohol along with a HMGB1 inhibitor. Mice in the alcohol-exposed group showed increased gene expression of Cysltr2, Chrna6, Chrna3, Chrnb4, and Pmch. Expression of these genes was decreased in mice injected with HMGB1 inhibitor.</p><p><strong>Significance: </strong>Our study demonstrates that alcohol primarily influences gene expression in the prefrontal cortex of mice through the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathway. HMGB1 inhibitor effectively inhibited the expression of this pathway. This study provides a novel route for drug development in alcohol-induced brain injury.</p>","PeriodicalId":93864,"journal":{"name":"Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.)","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142592298","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Monica L Roman, Clément Vansteene, Daphnée Poupon, Philip Gorwood
{"title":"Detecting the comorbidity of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in a population of outpatients with alcohol use disorder (AUD): the role of personality traits, age at first alcohol use and level of craving.","authors":"Monica L Roman, Clément Vansteene, Daphnée Poupon, Philip Gorwood","doi":"10.1016/j.alcohol.2024.11.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcohol.2024.11.001","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) commonly affects individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD). However, despite the negative outcomes associated with this comorbidity, ADHD is underdiagnosed in this population. We aim to identify clinical parameters and propose cutoff scores enabling the detection of ADHD among patients with AUD. We retrospectively analyzed data from 199 patients, out of a global sample of 412 who were consecutively admitted to a day hospital for alcohol-related problems between 2009 and 2022. We found that lower level of self-directedness, higher levels of novelty seeking, self-transcendence, harm avoidance and craving, and earlier first alcohol consumption could accurately predict the presence of ADHD in AUD (AUC=0.926). Self-directedness and novelty seeking had the best predictive abilities: a self-directedness score below 52 was associated with an accuracy of 82% and, combined with a novelty seeking score over 53, the accuracy reached 85%. Such findings could be useful to help clinicians detect ADHD in patients with AUD so that they can receive the adequate care.</p>","PeriodicalId":93864,"journal":{"name":"Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.)","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142592294","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dokyoung S You, Maisa S Ziadni, Noel Vest, Nareh Megerdichian, Tara Maronesy, Ralph J Castro, Beth D Darnall, Sean C Mackey, Keith Humphreys
{"title":"Evaluating a 30-day alcohol abstinence challenge in heavy-drinking individuals with and without chronic pain: feasibility, safety, and perceived benefits.","authors":"Dokyoung S You, Maisa S Ziadni, Noel Vest, Nareh Megerdichian, Tara Maronesy, Ralph J Castro, Beth D Darnall, Sean C Mackey, Keith Humphreys","doi":"10.1016/j.alcohol.2024.10.046","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.alcohol.2024.10.046","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>To combat high-risk alcohol consumption, we introduced a 30-day alcohol abstinence challenge targeted at heavy drinkers with and without chronic pain. Our study aimed to assess the challenge's feasibility and safety and to explore its perceived benefits. Our exploratory aim was to identify participants' coping strategies during the challenge.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Our single-arm study recruited heavy drinkers from a pain clinic and a university setting (n = 34, 64.7% chronic pain). Participants underwent a modified community-based 30-day challenge, which included motivational interviewing, an individualized start date, and weekly phone check-ins.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We found the 30-day challenge was feasible and safe; 72.3% of eligible heavy drinkers participated in the challenge with no serious adverse events. Most challengers (94.1%) reported some benefit from the challenge, which included improvements in alcohol withdrawal symptoms, sleep, and alcohol abstinence self-efficacy, but not in pain. We identified 25 perceived benefits and 21 coping strategies.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our study confirms that a 30-day alcohol abstinence challenge is a feasible and safe intervention for heavy drinkers with and without chronic pain, yielding notable health benefits. The challenge also facilitated the development of effective coping strategies. Future studies should explore the long-term benefits of such interventions in broader outpatient settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":93864,"journal":{"name":"Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.)","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142570228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}