Alcohol Use
Authors: Alain Braillon, David B. Menkes
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2016)

Letters6 September 2016Alcohol UseAlain Braillon, MD, PhD and David B. Menkes, MD, PhDAlain Braillon, MD, PhDFrom University Hospital, Amiens, France, and University of Auckland, Hamilton, New Zealand.Search for more papers by this author and David B. Menkes, MD, PhDFrom University Hospital, Amiens, France, and University of Auckland, Hamilton, New Zealand.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L16-0109 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:The In the Clinic article on alcohol use (1) raises several questions. First, the proposed protective effect of “moderate” alcohol consumption on cardiovascular risk is stated as fact despite the authors' later acknowledgment that it is based on observational studies and subject to confounding. Indeed, a recent U.K. government review casts serious doubt on these presumed health benefits and at the same time lowers the recommended “safe” level of drinking for men from 21 to 14 units per week (2). We believe that the medical profession must be mindful of the vast scale of alcohol-related harm when ...References1. Edelman EJ, Fiellin DA. In the Clinic Alcohol use. Ann Intern Med. 2016;164:ITC1-16. [PMID: 26747315]. doi:10.7326/AITC201601050 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Wise J. Cut drinking to reduce risk of cancer, says new guidance. BMJ. 2016;352:i109. [PMID: 26747831] doi:10.1136/bmj.i109 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Glass JE, Hamilton AM, Powell BJ, Perron BE, Brown RT, Ilgen MA. Specialty substance use disorder services following brief alcohol intervention: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Addiction. 2015;110:1404-15. [PMID: 25913697] doi:10.1111/add.12950 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Hall K, Staiger PK, Simpson A, Best D, Lubman DI. After 30 years of dissemination, have we achieved sustained practice change in motivational interviewing? Addiction. 2016;111:1144-50. [PMID: 26216706] doi:10.1111/add.13014 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Menkes DB, Herxheimer A. Interaction between antidepressants and alcohol: signal amplification by multiple case reports. Int J Risk Saf Med. 2014;26:163-70. [PMID: 25214162] doi:10.3233/JRS-140632 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From University Hospital, Amiens, France, and University of Auckland, Hamilton, New Zealand.Disclosures: Authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L16-0109. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoAlcohol Use E. Jennifer Edelman and David A. Fiellin Alcohol Use David P. Dooley and Thomas M. Brown Alcohol Use E. Jennifer Edelman and David A. Fiellin Metrics 6 September 2016Volume 165, Issue 5Page: 378-379KeywordsAlcohol consumptionAlcoholismAlcoholsIntoxicationMemoryMicrocephalyMotivationObservational studiesPatient advocacyPrevention, policy, and public health ePublished: 6 September 2016 Issue Published: 6 September 2016 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2016 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...