College Drinking

Media images of drinking among college students emphasize hilarious parties and mischievous antics performed by college students while under the influence of alcohol. A recent study funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), however, suggests that there is a dark side to college drinking that needs to be taken more seriously.

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Labeling of Containers and the Prevention of Drinking in Pregnancy

Alcohol use during pregnancy can lead to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and to other conditions that affect intelligence and behavior. The United States Surgeon General has advised women to abstain from drinking during pregnancy. However, not all women are aware of the dangers of drinking during the time they are pregnant and some of those who are aware have difficulty stopping drinking. Prevention efforts are most effective when they are multilevel, aimed at a number of different audiences. Some efforts are directed at pregnant drinkers themselves ("indicated" prevention) while others ("universal") are aimed at promoting the health and well-being of all individuals in the community, through media campaigns and social policy.

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Genetic Aspects of Alcoholism

It has been reported since the times of antiquity that alcohol-drinking patterns of children resemble those of their parents. The notion that alcoholism is a disease in which individuals have difficulties with or are unable to control their consumption of alcohol rather than a "mental weakness" had its origins in the medical literature of the mid 19th Century. How definitive are the findings in humans supporting the inheritance of alcoholism?

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