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Campaign recognition among young people at a music festival who report risky drinking.
The Australian Government launched a mass media campaign in 2009 to raise awareness of the harms and costs associated risky drinking among young Australians. The aim of this study was to assess if young people attending a music festival who report frequent risky single occasions of drinking (RSOD) recognise the key message of the campaign, „Binge drinking can lead to injuries and regrets“, compared to young people who report less frequent RSOD.
Conclusions: Whilst a high proportion of the target group recognised the campaign, our analysis suggests that participants that reported frequent RSOD – and thus the most important group to target – had statistically significantly lower odds of recognising the campaign message. (Source: BMC, Public Health, 06/20/11) Comment: Who wonders?

Analysis of a National Samplestar.
This study examined patterns and correlates of protective drinking behaviors among incoming first-year college students.
Incoming first-year students (N = 76,882) from 258 colleges across the U.S. provided baseline data on demographics, drinking practices, and protective behaviors as part of a web-based alcohol education program. Across the several colleges, responses to protective behavior questions were collected from seven weeks before the start of the school year to five weeks after. …
Conclusions: College students increase risky drinking after the start of school while progressively using fewer behaviors that might mitigate the consequences of drinking. (Source: Alcohol Reports, 06/18/11) sciencedirect.com, 06/15/11

The objective of this study was to see whether levels of alcohol consumption newly included as „moderate“ in proposed changes to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans are associated with significant levels of alcohol-related harm. … Conclusions: We recommend two alternative approaches to rewording the proposed changes to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans that would avoid suggesting that there are benefits associated with the gray area of alcohol consumption. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 72, 453–458, 2011) (Source: Alcohol Reports, 04/27/11) jsad.com, May 2011

As with underage drinking, social factors can help predict excessive drinking among older adults, according to new research from Rudolf H. Moos of the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System in Palo Alto, Calif.
Moos and colleagues studied 719 men and women ages 55 to 65 over a 20-year period and found that those with more money, a more active social life, and friends who approved of drinking were more likely to engage in risky or excessive drinking. (Source: Join Together, 2/2/10)