Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs
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J Stud Alcohol Drugs · Jan 2016
School Investment, Drinking Motives, and High-Risk, High-Reward Partying Decisions Mediate the Relationship Between Trait Self-Control and Alcohol Consumption Among College Drinkers.
Research has shown trait self-control, neuroticism, and coping and enhancement drinking motives to be predictors of alcohol consumption among college students. Recent research also provides evidence for the effects of role investment and role-based alcohol consumption-decision making (i.e., partying decisions). The goal of the present study was to clarify the organization and contributions of these multifarious influences on college student drinking. ⋯ The results provide support for disinhibitory and distress pathways to college student drinking, where impulsive and anxious students are more likely to drink excessively because of more frequent mood-affecting drinking goals, less academic involvement, and/or more frequent decisions to attend parties where negative academic consequences are likely but where perceived rewarding alcohol-related and social features are present.
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J Stud Alcohol Drugs · Jul 2015
Relationships Between Minimum Alcohol Pricing and Crime During the Partial Privatization of a Canadian Government Alcohol Monopoly.
The purpose of this study was to estimate the independent effects of increases in minimum alcohol prices and densities of private liquor stores on crime outcomes in British Columbia, Canada, during a partial privatization of off-premise liquor sales. ⋯ Reductions in crime events associated with minimum-alcohol-price changes were more substantial and specific to alcohol-related events than the countervailing increases in densities of private liquor stores. The findings lend further support to the application of minimum alcohol prices for public health and safety objectives.
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Alcohol outlets tend to be located in lower income areas, exposing lower income populations to excess risks associated with alcohol sales through these establishments. The objective of this study was to test two hypotheses about the etiology of these differential exposures based on theories of the economic geography of retail markets: (a) outlets will locate within or near areas of high alcohol demand, and (b) outlets will be excluded from areas with high land and structure rents. ⋯ These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that alcohol outlets are located in areas with high demand and are excluded from high-income areas. These processes appear to take place at relatively small geographic scales, encourage the concentration of outlets in specific low-income areas, and represent a very general economic process likely to take place in communities throughout the world.
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J Stud Alcohol Drugs · May 2015
Use of prescription pain medications among medical cannabis patients: comparisons of pain levels, functioning, and patterns of alcohol and other drug use.
Management of chronic pain is one of the most common reasons given by individuals seeking medical cannabis. However, very little information exists about the concurrent use of cannabis and prescription pain medication (PPM). This study fills this gap in knowledge by systematically comparing medical cannabis users who use or do not use PPM, with an emphasis on understanding whether concurrent use of cannabis and PPM is associated with more serious forms of alcohol and other drug involvement. ⋯ Use of PPM among medical cannabis users was not identified as a correlate for more serious forms of alcohol and other drug involvement. However, longitudinal study designs are needed to better understand the trajectories of alcohol and other drug involvement over time among medical cannabis users.