Just one more "drink" and I swear I will stop! The effects of alcohol on behavior

• Grant number: 24/00813-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Journalism
• Start date: May 01, 2024
• End date: April 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Pharmacology - Neuropsychopharmacology
• Principal Investigator: Karina Possa Abrahão
• Grantee: Gustavo Oliveira Lima
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 19/01686-0 - I cannot stop after the first ‘drink’! Alcohol effects on the inhibitory control brain systems, AP.JP

Abstract

According to data from the IBGE's (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) Monthly Industrial Survey, in November 2023 Brazil recorded the fifth consecutive month of increased production of alcoholic beverages. Included in the consumers of this substance are teenagers and young adults, who have been consuming increasing amounts of alcohol. When drunk, young people can get involved in risky situations, such as texting an ex-partner or even putting their lives and the lives of others at risk by driving while intoxicated. In addition, heavy drinking, known as "binge drinking", is on the rise, characterized by the consumption of high doses of alcohol in a short space of time. Therefore, Prof. Karina Abrahão's project is studying how alcohol affects behavior, more specifically risk behaviors, and the neural pathways associated with inhibitory control. Given the relevance of this topic, the purpose of the Science Journalism fellows' work is to produce educational content for the lay population about the effects of alcohol on human risk behaviors. As such, we will attend meetings of Prof. Dr. Karina Possa Abrahão's research group in order to delve deeper into the chosen topic. In addition, we will conduct individual interviews with researchers from the group involved in order to improve our understanding of each project. We will also follow publications by the group and others that are similar to the line of research, as well as taking courses offered by FAPESP, Canal Futura and the Roberto Marinho Foundation in order to improve our scientific communication skills. These activities will help us produce pertinent and highly relevant products, which we will share with the public. To publicize, we will use Instagram as a tool, by posting on the profile we will create for the group, on Prof. Dr. Karina's profile (@kaaabrahao) and on the research group's website (www.abrahaolab.com). As for the podcasts, we will publish the content on the Spotify platform and share the links to access it via the Instagram profiles and website mentioned above. Finally, with the production of the materials we hope to have a positive impact on the population by raising awareness about the impacts of alcohol on human behavior with the goal of reducing the rate of individuals who have a heavy consumption of the substance in question.