Alcohol Abstinence

SAN ANTONIO — Obesity medications, regardless of class or generation, were associated with reduced alcohol intake among individuals participating in a telehealth weight-loss program, a speaker reported.

An alcohol brief intervention, along with mobile-based instant messaging, reduced alcohol use and intention to drink among college students, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The popular trend of Dry January is coming to a close for the year, but it helped spark interest in the benefits of abstaining from alcohol, even for just a month.

BOSTON — Oral naltrexone 50 mg safely improved alcohol use-related parameters and decompensation, and also reduced cravings, over 1 year among patients with alcohol use disorder and compensated cirrhosis, according to a presenter.

Waiting until patients with insomnia and alcohol use disorder achieve abstinence before treating their insomnia is unnecessary and could be “a missed opportunity” to both improve sleep and reduce alcohol-related harm, according to a study.

New research has challenged the idea that alcohol consumption confers health benefits, instead suggesting it may be worse for overall health.

Naltrexone was effective in achieving abstinence, reducing lapses and improving craving scores at 3 months in patients with alcohol-related cirrhosis, according to data presented at EASL Congress.

Abstinence from alcohol was associated with reduced risk for hepatic decompensation and mortality among patients with alcohol-related cirrhosis, regardless of disease stage, according to results in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

Many individuals look to the new year to follow through their resolutions such as diet and exercise and some are now attempting ‘Dry January’, to reset after a holiday full of drinking.

Providing tangible incentives for abstaining from alcohol may reduce alcohol dependence among American Indian and Alaska Native adults, according to results of a randomized clinical trial published in JAMA Psychiatry.