International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research

Editorial: Binge drinking during COVID, situational norms on alcohol consumption, alcohol purchasing and marketing – studies from middle-income and high-income countries

2026-06-06T03:42:10+02:00

Association of binge drinking with the COVID-19 pandemic

2026-06-05T09:42:34+02:00

Aim: This study examines changes in binge drinking prevalence and odds before and after the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic declaration in the United States (US) among individuals with prior history of alcohol use, and explores interaction effects of sociodemographic, behavioral, and health-related factors on the association.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) collected between February and June 2020 from adults reporting alcohol use in the past 30 days (N = 1,948). The primary outcome was binge drinking, defined as consuming ≥5 drinks (men) or ≥4 drinks (women) on one occasion in the past month. Weighted multivariable logistic regression models estimated adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for binge drinking after versus before the pandemic declaration, adjusting for sociodemographic, behavioral, and health-related factors.

Results: Binge drinking prevalence was similar before (44.39%) and after (44.13%) the declaration, with no significant overall difference (AOR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.54–1.10). Cardiometabolic outcomes significantly moderated the association (p = 0.022), with lower probabilities among those with cardiometabolic conditions and higher probabilities among those without. Increased odds of binge drinking were observed among Hispanic adults (AOR= 2.10, 95% CI= 1.08, 4.07), lesbian/gay or bisexual individuals (AOR= 2.89, 95% CI= 1.11, 7.54), and former (AOR= 1.78, 95% CI= 1.15, 2.76) or current (AOR= 3.45, 95% CI= 1.71, 6.98) smokers.

Conclusions: While overall binge drinking remained stable, disparities emerged across subpopulations. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions addressing alcohol use among vulnerable groups during public health emergencies.

Conviviality with and without caution: Variations in situational norms on drinking by consumption level and demography in Australia, 2021

2026-06-05T09:42:34+02:00

Background: Drinking together is a powerful symbol and instrument of conviviality. But alcohol consumption also risks subsequent injury or harm. Deciding to drink in social situations thus involves balancing convivial gains against potential risks. This paper studies the balancing of conviviality with caution by Australian adults in their views on situational norms on drinking.

Methods: In 2021, 2,574 Australians were asked whether and how much drinking was ‘OK’ in eleven social situations of everyday life, mostly involving conviviality, but varying in how much the situation or its aftermath implied drinking limits. The structure of responses was factor analysed, and regression analyses studied how answers on drinking norms related to respondents’ own drinking, demographics and social position.

Results: An exploratory factor analysis found three factors: (1) five situations where conviviality was primary; (2) four situations where there were clear reasons for limiting the drinking; and (3) a weaker factor dominated by situations without conviviality or which transitioned to sobriety. Respondents who on occasion drink heavily generally reported higher drinking norms for all situations. Those with a higher household income, who were younger than 35, and who were current drinkers, were more likely to support drinking in the first factor’s “conviviality” situations. Females were less likely to support drinking in “with caution” situations, while those with higher household incomes and who were self-employed were more likely to support drinking in those situations.

Conclusion: Australian drinking norms differ by situation, with caution limiting convivial drinking when required by the situation or its aftermath. Differences in normative views vary somewhat by whether and how much a respondent drinks. (263 words)

Determinants of alcohol purchase and expenditure among Vietnamese households: Evidence from a Heckman selection model

2026-06-05T09:42:35+02:00

Aims: This study examines the determinants of household alcohol purchase decisions and expenditure intensity in Vietnam, addressing the potential sample selection bias arising from the high proportion of non-purchasing households.

Design/Setting/Participants: The analysis uses cross-sectional data from the 2020 Vietnam Household Living Standards Survey (VHLSS) with a sample of 9,389 households. A Heckman two-step selection model is employed to jointly estimate the probability of purchasing alcohol and the level of expenditure conditional on purchase.

Measures: The dependent variables are the probability of household alcohol purchase and the level of alcohol expenditure among purchasing households. Explanatory variables include demographic, socioeconomic, and geographic characteristics such as age, gender, marital status, ethnicity, household size, number of children, presence of elderly members, education, income, employment status, place of residence, and geographic region.

Results: The Wald test of independent equations confirmed significant sample selection bias (), validating the use of the Heckman selection framework. Male-headed households were 7.6 percentage points (pp) more likely to purchase alcohol and spent an additional 325.3 thousand VND annually (conditional on purchase) than female-headed households. Income demonstrated the strongest gradient: the richest quintile was 13.3 pp more likely to purchase alcohol and spent 2,608.0 thousand VND more annually among purchasers compared to the poorest group. Geographically, households in the Mekong River Delta were 16.8 pp less likely to purchase alcohol than those in the Red River Delta, yet purchasers in this region recorded the highest spending intensity nationwide (+1,649.9 thousand VND,), indicating a pattern of high-intensity consumption events.

Conclusion: The results highlight the importance of accounting for demographic and regional heterogeneity. We propose a multi-layered policy framework combining strengthened excise taxation to address income-driven affordability with structural interventions targeting gendered norms. Crucially, region-specific strategies are essential: a “formalization support” model via cooperatives is recommended for the Northern mountainous areas, while strict supply-side restrictions are critical for high-intensity markets in the Southern regions.

Loopholes in control of online alcohol marketing in Thailand: Analysis of alcohol-related internet content for Thai audience extracted by artificial intelligence

2026-06-05T09:42:36+02:00

Introduction: Thailand’s alcohol control laws include an extensive ban on alcohol marketing. However, loopholes exist in online marketing, yet online marketing of alcohol targeting audiences in Thailand has not yet been systematically described. The objective of this study was to describe online alcohol marketing activities in the Thai language.

Methods: We used an artificial intelligence (AI) platform to collect alcohol marketing content on the internet. We prepared a database of search terms related to alcohol marketing. The platform automatically searched and filtered alcohol marketing content that violated control and regulatory measures. We analyzed data using descriptive statistics.

Results: Our analyses included data from 13,301 posts generated by 4,638 users. The most common violation of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act of 2008 was the use of alcohol brand trademarks or symbols (70%). The most common content producers were restaurants, pubs, and bars, followed by wholesale/retail stores and influencers. Content materials focused on driving awareness and drinking methods. Content materials did not mention the location of sales, shipping methods, discounts, free products, or giveaways.

Discussion: We found violations of regulations for alcohol control measures in Thailand among online media posts in the Thai language. Potential selection bias from search engine algorithms and the limited generalizability should be considered as caveats in the interpretation of the study findings.

In memoriam: Sharon Carlson Wilsnack and Richard Wilsnack

2026-06-05T09:42:36+02:00

In early December 2025. members of the Kettil Bruun Society learned of the very sad news that our friend and colleague, Professor Sharon Wilsnack had passed away. Sharon was a longtime member of KBS and had a prominent role in the society beginning in 1993 when she started the KBS working group on alcohol and gender, the International Research Group on Gender and Alcohol (IRGGA). From this group grew other networks and multinational research projects, funded by the US National Institute on Alcohol and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA), the European Commission, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and various funding agencies from collaborating countries (https://www.kettilbruun.org/projects/genacis/). For over 30 years, Sharon helped to maintain a strong focus on women, gender and alcohol within our society and helped to make the KBS a truly international research society. As described in the tributes, she was also a dedicated mentor to many young researchers coming up within KBS.

The many posts on the KBS listserv following news of Sharon’s death made it clear that members of KBS wished to share their sorrow and show their appreciation for Sharon’s contributions both to the body of knowledge on women and alcohol and to the careers of so many people around the world. Accordingly, after consultation with the Editors of IJADR, we started to collect these tributes for publication in this, the KBS journal.

Then, very shortly before a memorial service was to be held for Sharon on 12 April 2026 in Minneapolis, MN, USA, we received the news that Professor Richard Wilsnack, Sharon’s spouse of many decades, had passed away from a long illness. This was yet another blow to the IRGGA community and to KBS members generally, many of whom had also benefitted from Richard’s leadership, advice and depth of knowledge. To have both members of this wonderful couple depart so soon after each other was heartbreaking, especially to the Wilsnack children and grandchildren.

Some who were part of the IRGGA community worked mainly with Sharon. However, others worked closely with Richard, too. Therefore, we and the editors decided to invite people to revise their tributes to include their memories and the accomplishments of both Richard and Sharon, if they wished.

What follows is a collection of tributes written by some of the many KBS researchers who were touched by both Sharon’s and Richard’s guidance, wisdom, support and collaboration. We hope that the reader will enjoy reminiscing and appreciating these very special lives.