Latest news with #binge drinking
Daily Mail
05-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Trainee priest 'sexually assaulted worshippers' at booze-addled cathedral where choristers 'did last seven shots of Christ drinking game'
A trainee priest is alleged to have sexually assaulted two worshippers while drunk at a cathedral where choristers played a last seven shots of Christ drinking game. Serious complaints have been made about 'a culture in which sexual boundaries seemed blurred' at Bangor Cathedral with one of the victims coming forward. One of the trainee's alleged victims said she was assaulted at the Cathedral's booze-addled Oktoberfest event in 2022. She explained that the priest-in-training had consumed copious amounts of alcohol which led to the assault. 'He had had considerably too much to drink,' she told the BBC. 'I'd already warned people that night he's drinking a lot more than everyone else. So these warning signs were ignored and that led to that assault.' The Church in Wales confirmed that two people complained about the man's behavior and his priest training was not taken forward. Despite reporting the assault and receiving an apology, she said the intense drinking culture at the church did not change. She explained that after a cathedral concert on Good Friday in 2023, where the choir sang seven songs to mark the Seven Last Words of Christ - the seven last sentences that Jesus spoke from the cross - choristers and priests went for a drink. To mark the occasion they all decided to do 'the seven last shots of Christ'. Meanwhile, Esme Byrd, 29, who was a lay clerk at Bangor Cathedral for six months said there was an 'unhealthy' culture of binge drinking at the church. Ms Byrd, who sang with the choir until she left in January said she was deeply concerned about the wellbeing of younger members of the choir. 'I looked around and I just thought, this is not safe,' Esme told the BBC. 'This is not a safe and nurturing and good environment for children to be in.' She left the church after her concerns were ignored and a lack of action was taken. The claims come days after the Archbishop of Wales announced his sudden retirement following a critical report into the drinking culture at Bangor Cathedral. Most Reverend Andrew John said he would also be stepping down from his role as Bishop of Bangor on August 31. The report included claims of excessive drinking and 'inappropriate language' being used in front of younger members of the choir. Announcing his retirement on Friday, Mr John said: 'It has been an enormous joy to serve in the Church in Wales for over 35 years. 'I would very much like to thank the clergy and congregations of this wonderful diocese before I retire.' While no mention of the report was made in his retirement announcement, Mr John has previously faced calls to resign. Ruth Jones, Labour MP for Newport West and Islwyn, said: 'We want openness and transparency in all our church settings and it's really, really important that the archbishop makes clear what has gone on.' Two priests from within Bangor Cathedral have also called an independent inquiry following the report into the church's culture. Mr John previously offered his 'most heartfelt apology to any members of the cathedral community who have been hurt or who feel I have let them down'. Mr John assumed the role of Bishop of Bangor in 2008. He was elected Archbishop of Wales in December 2021 and was the 14th person to hold the title.
Medscape
01-07-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Fewer Teens Drinking, Unless They've Considered Suicide
TOPLINE: The prevalence of alcohol use and binge drinking declined among adolescents, but those with a recent history of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) showed more modest declines. METHODOLOGY: Researchers analyzed national survey data from 1991 to 2023 involving adolescents in grades 9 through 12 (n = 254,675) to examine temporal trends in use of alcohol and cannabis among those with and without a recent history of STB. Teens were asked if they had suicidal thoughts over the past year or if they had made any attempts at suicide, on the basis of which researchers defined two groups. Current alcohol use was defined as consumption of at least one drink on one or more days in the past 30 days; binge drinking was defined as the consumption of five or more drinks within a couple of hours on one or more days in the past 30 days. Current cannabis use was defined as use over the past 30 days. The trends in the prevalence rates of substance use were studied, as well as biennial percent change (BPC). TAKEAWAY: The prevalence of current alcohol use declined significantly from 2009 to 2023 among those with no STB (BPC, -5.41; P < .001) and 2007 onward among those with a history of suicidal ideation only (BPC, -3.51; P < .001) and suicide attempts (BPC, -2.82; P < .001). Teens without a recent history of STBs showed steeper declines in the prevalence of binge drinking than those with recent suicidal ideation or suicide attempts. Since 1995, the prevalence of cannabis use decreased significantly among adolescents without a recent history of STBs, but no significant change was observed for the other groups of teens. Among girls with a recent history of suicidal thoughts or attempts, the decline in alcohol use occurred at a more modest rate compared with the faster decline observed in girls without a recent history of STBs; and the rates of cannabis use plateaued since the 1990s for both. IN PRACTICE: '[These] findings suggest the need for continued screening and assessment of substance misuse among adolescents presenting with STBs, as well as the importance of developing targeted treatments to address these co-occurring concerns,' the authors wrote. SOURCE: This study was led by Shayna M. Cheek, PhD, of the Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina. It was published online on June 21 in the Journal of Adolescent Health. LIMITATIONS: The true prevalence rates of substance use may have been underestimated because the survey was conducted in schools, and STBs and substance use are linked to absenteeism. The timing of survey administration in 2021 was inconsistent because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Demographic factors such as gender identity or poverty were not assessed. DISCLOSURES: This study did not receive any specific funding. The authors reported having no conflicts of interest. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
Medscape
21-06-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Fast Five Quiz: Alcohol Use Disorder
Alcohol use disorder remains a significant public health challenge in the United States, affecting more than 29 million individuals and contributing to more than 140,000 deaths each year. Despite its high prevalence and devastating health consequences, alcohol use disorder often goes underdiagnosed and undertreated. A widely accepted heuristic framework conceptualizes alcohol use disorder as a 3-stage cycle, binge/intoxication, withdrawal/negative affect, and preoccupation/anticipation, offering clinicians a lens through which to understand its complex neurobiological underpinnings and diverse clinical presentations. Although effective behavioral therapies and several US Food and Drug Administration-approved medications are available for the treatment of alcohol use disorder, these interventions remain markedly underused, contributing to a substantial treatment gap. How much do you know about alcohol misuse and alcohol use disorder? Test your knowledge with this quick quiz. Alcohol misuse in alcohol use disorder can vary, from a pattern of intermittent episodes of binge drinking, to a pattern of prolonged heavy drinking over longer periods of time, to a continual drinking pattern due to fear of alcohol withdrawal. A heavy drinking day is defined as consuming 4 or more drinks for females and 5 or more drinks for males in a single day. In the United States, a standard drink is defined as 12 oz of beer, 5 oz of wine, and 1.5 oz of a distilled beverage. This definition helps identify patterns of alcohol misuse that might indicate alcohol use disorder. Learn more about alcoholism guidelines. Alcohol use disorder is more common in males, although the gap is narrowing. Although males are more likely to engage in frequent and heavy consumption, have a greater consumption of spirits, and experience higher rates of alcohol use mortality, females are at greater risk for certain health complications from alcohol, such as liver damage and experiencing higher blood alcohol concentrations at the same level of intake. Learn more about alcoholism presentation. The most frequent central nervous system consequence of persistent alcohol consumption is alcoholic cerebellar degeneration. This condition results from alcohol toxicity leading to damage of the cerebellum, the brain area responsible for coordination and balance. It commonly presents with gait instability, and balance problems, affecting 10%-25% of individuals with chronic alcohol use. Wernicke's encephalopathy is an acute, reversible condition caused by thiamine deficiency; it is not the most frequent long-term central nervous system consequence of alcohol consumption. Korsakoff syndrome is a chronic neuropsychiatric disorder that often follows untreated Wernicke's encephalopathy and is caused by malnutrition in combination with prolonged drinking. Although chronic alcohol use can lead to alcohol-related dementia, it occurs less frequently than alcoholic cerebellar degeneration. Learn more about Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Alcoholic polyneuropathy, caused by prolonged alcohol use and often associated with nutritional deficiencies like thiamine deficiency, typically presents as a symmetrical sensory neuropathy. Females have a greater rate of alcoholic polyneuropathy. The most common symptoms of alcoholic polyneuropathy are ataxia, pain, and paresthesia. Other frequent symptoms include burning pain in the arms, soles of the feet and toes, and cramping in the calves and hands. Skin alterations do occur in alcoholic polyneuropathy, but they are considered secondary or less common symptoms compared with the hallmark neurological signs. The muscle weakness seen in alcoholic polyneuropathy primarily affects distal muscles, like the feet and hands. Hair loss can happen as a minor trophic change, but it is not a defining or common symptom of alcoholic polyneuropathy. Learn more about alcoholic neuropathy. Benzodiazepines are the recommended class of medication for treating alcohol withdrawal syndrome because they are effective in preventing severe complications of alcohol withdrawal syndrome, such as seizures and delirium tremens, and are considered the criterion standard treatment due to their fast onset, long duration, and safety profile. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors do not target the GABAergic or glutamatergic systems involved in alcohol withdrawal syndrome, making them ineffective for managing withdrawal symptoms. Beta-blockers can help control some autonomic symptoms like tremors or tachycardia but do not prevent seizures or delirium tremens, so they are not appropriate as primary treatment. N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists can modulate glutamate activity but lack enough evidence to be first-line therapy for alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Learn more about alcohol withdrawal syndrome.
Wall Street Journal
14-05-2025
- Health
- Wall Street Journal
Women Are Drinking More—and Doctors Are Worried
At bars and dinner tables across the U.S., women are throwing back more drinks—raising concerns about the health consequences of their alcohol consumption. Women in their 30s and 40s have increased their alcohol consumption in recent decades, as their lifestyles have changed. Women who turned 35 between 2018 and 2019 were nearly 60% more likely to report recent binge-drinking or alcohol use disorder symptoms than women who turned 35 between 1993 and 1997, according to a 2023 report published in the journal Addiction.
