Heavy Drinkers Still Can’t Hold Their Liquor

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2 years ago

June 22, 2023

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Share on Pinterest People who drink an excessive number of drinks will be impaired, even if they are heavy drinkers. Narcisa Palici / 500px/Getty ImagesA new study found that when people with alcohol-use disorder consumed the equivalent of seven to eight drinks they showed impairment on fine motor and cognitive tasks.This impairment was more than double what they experienced after consuming the smaller intoxicating amount of alcohol. Heavy drinkers and people with AUD both reported feeling less impaired than the light drinkers. Tolerance also does not reduce the damage that can be caused by alcohol, experts say.

While under some conditions, heavy drinkers may be better at holding their liquor, this is only true up to a certain level of alcohol intake, say researchers from the University of Chicago.

In a study published June 18 in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research, they tested the effects of alcohol consumption on young adults with different patterns of alcohol use light and heavy social drinkers, and those with alcohol use disorder (or AUD, previously known as alcoholism). Differences between heavy and light drinkers

Researchers found that heavy drinkers and those with AUD showed less overall impairment on fine motor and cognitive tasks after consuming the equivalent of four to five drinks, compared to light drinkers.

This amount of alcohol is sufficient to produce a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08-0.09%, the lower limit in the United States for drunk driving.

However, when people with AUD consumed the equivalent of seven to eight drinks which researchers say is more in line with their usual drinking habits, and produces a BAC of around 0.13% they showed impairment on both of those tasks.

In fact, this impairment was more than double what they experienced after consuming the smaller intoxicating amount of alcohol. Three hours after drinking, their performance on these tasks still hadnt returned to their baseline level.

In addition, people with AUD had greater impairment after consuming the larger amount of alcohol than what light drinkers experienced after drinking the lesser amount.

Theres a lot of thinking that when experienced drinkers (those with AUD) consume alcohol, they are tolerant to its impairing effects, study author Andrea King, PhD, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Chicago, said in a news release.

[Our study] supported that a bit, but with a lot of nuances, she added. When [young people with AUD] drank alcohol in our study at a dose similar to their usual drinking pattern, we saw significant impairments on both the fine motor and cognitive tests that was even more impairment than a light drinker gets at the intoxicating dose. Health effects of alcohol

Dr. Lawrence Weinstein, chief medical officer of American Addiction Centers, who was not involved in the new research, said the study highlights that technically, no one can handle their liquor.

There may be a marked difference in the amount of alcohol at which someone becomes intoxicated, which is a worrying issue in itself, but ethanol, acetaldehyde and other metabolites are toxicants that will affect anyone who consumes alcohol despite the tolerance theyve developed, he told Healthline.

Tolerance also does not reduce the damage that can be caused by alcohol, he said, adding: It is illogical to believe that one would remain unaffected by regular consumption [of alcohol].

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 140,000 people die from excessive alcohol use in the United States each year, making it the fourth-leading preventable cause of death in the country.

In addition, almost 30% of U.S. traffic fatalities in 2019 involved alcohol-impaired driving, reports the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Over the long term, excessive alcohol use can increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, certain types of cancer and other health problems.

[Alcohol is] costly to our society for so many reasons, said King in the release. Im hoping we can educate people who are experienced high-intensity drinkers who think that theyre holding their liquor or that theyre tolerant and wont experience accidents or injury from drinking. Different drinking patterns

In the new study, researchers enrolled almost 400 young people, most in their 20s, with different drinking patterns:light drinkers: consumed six or fewer drinks per week, with few binge drinking episodesheavy drinkers: consumed at least 10 drinks per week, with one to five heavy drinking episodes during that timedrinkers with AUD: consumed 28 or more drinks per week (21 or more for women), with at least 11 heavy drinking episodes per month; they also had to meet two or more clinical criteria for AUD

Binge drinking means consuming five or more drinks within about two hours for men, and four or more drinks for women.

Participants underwent two rounds of testing, one after consuming a high alcohol dose (the equivalent of four to five drinks) and the other after consuming a placebo drink containing only 1% alcohol (to create a similar taste). Both contained a flavored drink mix.

Researchers told participants they would receive a drink containing alcohol, a stimulant, a sedative or a placebo. This was to reduce the effect that peoples expectations might have on the results.

Participants consumed each drink over a 15-minute period.

Before drinking the beverage, and 30, 60, 120 and 180 minutes after drinking, participants took a breathalyzer and completed two performance tasks.

One task involved inserting a grooved metal peg into randomly slotted holes; this measured fine motor skills. The other was a pencil-and-paper task designed to test cognitive skills.

At the 30- and 180-minute intervals, participants also reported how impaired they felt. Impacts of higher alcohol intake

Heavy drinkers and people with AUD both reported feeling less impaired than the light drinkers.

In addition, these two groups showed less overall alcohol impairment on the fine motor and cognitive tests; although all groups had similar impairment on the fine motor test at the 30-minute interval.

The performance of heavy drinkers and people with AUD returned to baseline more quickly than that of light drinkers, suggesting they may have greater alcohol tolerance.

However, people with AUD often drink more than four or five drinks in a session. So researchers asked a subset of participants with AUD to repeat the tasks after consuming the equivalent of seven to eight drinks.

At this dose, they had more than double the impairment they experienced at the lower intoxicating dose. Their performance also did not return to baseline during the testing, even after three hours.

They also experienced greater impairment from that higher dose than light drinkers did after the lower intoxicating dose.

I was surprised at how much impairment that group had to that larger dose, because while its 50% more [alcohol] than the first dose, were seeing more than double the impairment, King said in the release.

Entertainment

Grammys 2025: Beyonce makes history as she wins album of the year

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1 hour ago

February 3, 2025

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Grammys 2025: Beyonce makes history as she wins album of the year

Beyonce has won the coveted album of the year prize at this year’s Grammy Awards.

Despite being the most nominated artist in Grammy history, this was her first win in the top category, which has evaded her four times previously.

Just three women of colour have won album of the year before her, the last being Lauryn Hill 26 years ago.

Members of the Los Angeles Fire Department presented her with the award and were given a standing ovation as they took to the stage.

Beyonce was joined by her 13-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter to accept the prize for her chart-topping album Cowboy Carter, saying said she felt “honoured” to receive the prize, adding: “It’s been many, many years and I just want to thank the Grammys, every songwriter, every collaborator, every producer, all the hard work.”

It was tough competition this year, with female stars including Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan and Taylor Swift in the mix. Andre 3000 and Jacob Collier were also in the running.

Earlier in the night, a stunned Beyonce told the audience she was “still in shock” after winning best Country album – becoming the first black female artist to take the prize.

After being handed the award by Taylor Swift, the Texas-born star said: “Wow, I really was not expecting this. I want to thank God that I’m able to do what I love after so many years.”

She went on: “Genre is a code word to keep us in place as artists, and I just want to encourage us to do what we’re passionate about.”

Beyonce has previously been vocal about the lack of wins in the big Grammy categories for artists of colour, who she said were largely relegated to the genre categories.

Last year her husband, rap star Jay-Z, addressed the oversight, telling the audience: “I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but she has more Grammys than everyone and never won album of the year. So, even by your own metrics, that doesn’t work.”

Beyonce had already made history earlier in the night, winning best country duo/group performance for II Most Wanted featuring Miley Cyrus, but was pipped at the post by Kacey Musgraves, who took best Country song for The Architect.

Ahead of the ceremony, Beyonce announced on social media that she would be taking Cowboy Carter on tour.

Diss track triumph for Lamar

Meanwhile, Kendrick Lamar also dominated the night, taking both song and record of the year for his much-talked-about diss track, Not Like Us.

He dedicated his record of the year win “to the city,” and later said he was “starstruck” to be handed his best song award by Diana Ross.

The California-born star had already won three awards earlier in the night.

The first award of the main ceremony, best rap album, went to Doechii for Alligator Bites Never Heal, who became tearful on stage as she became only the third woman ever to take the prize. She later gave a jaw-dropping, high-energy performance.

Her award was presented by Cardi B, one of those past winners, who told the audience: “Rap helped me find my voice, rap helped me find my story, but most of all rap changed my life.”

Thanks mum!

Best pop vocal album went to Sabrina Carpenter for Short N’ Sweet, she said she “might cry” for her first Grammy win, thanking her mum for “driving me to every voice lesson,” before going on to apologise for saying “Hell” three times during her acceptance speech.

Carpenter’s gong was presented by Red Hot Chilli Peppers band members Anthony Kiedis and Chad Smith, who sang a burst of their 1991 hit Under The Bridge, in tribute to the City Of Angles – LA.

The evening had a very different tone to previous shows following the devastating Los Angeles wildfires. Black was a common theme on the red carpet and the evening kicked off by highlighting the city’s resilience.

Host Trevor Noah’s opening speech spoke of the “entire communities burned to the ground”, going on, “it’s often said in the darkest time the best of humanity shines through…tonight we’re not only celebrating our favourite music but celebrating the city that brought us our favourite music”.

Raising money for those affected by the disaster, Noah said advertising space had also been given to local LA businesses affected by fire.

The first performance of the night celebrated first responders. I Love LA by Dawes, whose members were directly affected by the Eaton fire, were backed by John Legend, Brad Paisley, Sheryl Crow, Brittany Howard and St Vincent.

Chappell Roan calls out the labels

Best newcomer went to Chappell Roan, who wore a giant cone hat with a veil spouting from the top to accept her award, which threatened to fall as she accepted her gong.

The 26-year-old singer gave an empassioned speech as she accepted her first Grammy saying: “I told myself if I ever won a Grammy and I got to stand up here in front of the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels and the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a liveable wage and healthcare, especially to developing artists.”

She went on to describe the strain of being signed young, and then dropped by her label, struggling to afford health insurance.

She said “It was so devastating to feel so committed to my art and feel so betrayed by the system and so dehumanised… And if my label would have prioritised artists’ health, I could have been provided care by a company I was giving everything to.

She finished by saying: “So record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees with a liveable wage and health insurance and protection. Labels, we got you, but do you got us?”

Earlier, her rocking Pink Pony Club performance had featured a giant pony and host of cowboy clowns.

During the show, Billie Eilish performed on an LA hillside set, and Sabrina Carpenter giving it some old-school Hollywood glamour, with a bit of tap dance thrown in for good measure.

Other performances included Bensoon Boone who used the piano to assist a backflip, British star Raye giving a soulful performance of Oscar Winning Tears, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars who sang California Dreamin’, and a belly-dance inspired performance from Hips Don’t Lie star Shakira.

The Weeknd also returned to the Grammys after several years of boycot in protest at what he saw as a flawed voting system after his 2020 album After Hours failed to receive a single nomination.

Other notable early wins of the night included some nostalgic British acts – The Beatles, who took best rock performance for Now And Then, and The Rolling Stones who won best rock album for Hackney Diamonds.

Charli XCX scored her first Grammys for best dance/electronic album and best dance/pop recording, following her culture-shaping Brat album, which was the talk of the summer. She later worked her way through the arena in a performance, which featured Julie Fox and a large haul of knickers, and which Charlie joked might be so racy “it might not make the edit”.

Politics amid the music

Jennifer Lopez presented best Latin pop album, which went to Shakira for Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran. Shakira hugged her two sons as she went to collect her prize, dedicating it to “all my immigrant brothers and sisters in this country – you’re loved, you’re worth it, and I will always fight with you.”

Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars won best pop duo/group performance for Die With A Smile, paying their respects to one anothers career achievements in their acceptance speech.

Gaga also spoke out for trans rights, saying, “Trans people are not invisible. Trans people deserve love. The queer community deserves to be lifted up. Music is love.”

Alicia Keys – who is now an 18-times Grammy-winning artist – was also awarded the Dr Dre Global Impact Award by rapper and singer Queen Latifah. Taking one of her children on stage to accept her award, she paid tribute to a host of female artists who she said had “opened the doors” before her.

In a nod to politics, she went on to say DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) was “not a threat, but a gift” adding, “When destructive forces try to burn us down, we burn like a phoenix”.

In the US, the Trump administration is currently calling for the rollback of DEI programs.

Remembering those who are gone

Stars including Will Smith, Cynthia Erivo, Stevie Wonder and Janelle Monae headlined a tribute to the late, legendary producer Quincy Jones, featuring jazz musician Herbie Hancock on the piano, and rendidtions of We Are The World and Thriller.

Led by Coldplayer frontman Chris Martin, the In Memoriam section began by remembering Liam Payne who died in October aged 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina. It also included actress and singer Marianne Faithful, who passed away over the weekend.

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Environment

Trump tariffs-led spike in energy prices is temporary, oil prices could ‘plummet’ as global growth slows

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2 hours ago

February 3, 2025

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Trump tariffs-led spike in energy prices is temporary, oil prices could ‘plummet’ as global growth slows

Oil field, Alberta, Canada

Norm Betts | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Oil prices are likely to fall in the longer run after the initial jump following President Donald Trump’s implementation of hefty tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, said industry watchers.

Over the weekend, Trump followed through on his long-threatened 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, as well as a 10% duty on goods from China. Energy resources from Canada will be subject to a lower 10% tariff.

The U.S. West Texas Intermediate rose 1.75% to $73.8 per barrel, while U.S. gasoline futures also climbed. RBOB Gasoline futures were last up 2.81% at $2.11 per gallon. International Brent crude climbed 0.71% to $76.21 per barrel.

According to the latest data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, America’s imports of Canadian crude oil reached a record 4.3 million barrels per day in July 2024, following the expansion of Canada’s Trans Mountain pipeline. Canada made up about 62% of all U.S. crude oil imports in the first 10 months of last year, while Mexico accounted for about 7% in the same period.

While crude markets will see higher prices and consumers will be forking out more for gasoline and diesel costs in the near term, the spike is only temporary, oil watchers told CNBC.

“While the initial move on crude oil is upward, a cycle of tariffs and retaliatory actions by Canada, Mexico, China and perhaps others in the future could lead to a worldwide recession, causing oil prices to plummet,” Andy Lipow, President of Lipow Oil Associates told CNBC.

The tariffs have not resulted in any oil supplies being taken off the market, and will result in a redistribution of supplies as Mexico and Canada look to divert their volumes to Europe and Asia, Lipow added. Meanwhile, U.S. refiners will be looking to process more domestic crude oil while seeking Middle East alternatives.

Canada to bear the brunt

Both Canada and Mexico have limited spare refining capacity or alternative export routes, and the tariffs will likely push oil producers in both countries into steep price discounts, said Saul Kavonic, head of energy research at MST Marquee.

Canadian oil producers will eventually bear the brunt of the tariffs’ burden with a $3 to $4 per barrel discount on Canadian crude given the limited alternative export markets, Goldman Sachs wrote in a note dated Sunday.

In the medium term, Goldman’s analysts also expect that broad tariffs will impact global GDP as well as oil demand, weighing down oil prices.

Additionally, global oil prices could drop further after the next quarter as tariffs worsen the demand picture and OPEC+ faces increasing pressure from Trump to reverse production cuts, said Kavonic. Trump recently stated that he is urging Saudi Arabia and OPEC to lower oil prices.

The oil cartel, which is slated to meet on Monday, has yet to respond to Trump’s request. OPEC+ has been withholding 2.2 million barrels per day from the global market to stem falling prices. In December, the group decided to extend its production cuts through at least March 2025 before phasing them out gradually over the course of a year.

Politics

Ether, altcoins dive double digits as Trump tariffs take further toll

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2 hours ago

February 3, 2025

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Ether, altcoins dive double digits as Trump tariffs take further toll

Ether, Cardano, Avalanche, XRP, Chainlink and Dogecoin all dropped over 20% over the past 23 hours after US President Donald Trump imposed his first round of tariffs.