DRIED BLOOD SPOT STUDY

The main goal of this study is to better understand the relationship between how our immune systems work and what role that might play in how using alcohol can affect our mental health.

We will test the blood spot samples for proteins that we think are related to alcohol use and mental health. We will do this so we can see if these proteins are associated with alcohol use and mental health.

Scientists know that using alcohol is associated with certain mental health problems, like depression and anxiety, but we don’t know a lot about the bodily processes that link using alcohol with these health problems. Using results from tests of the blood spot samples, we will look to see if there is relationship between different levels of alcohol use, levels of immune proteins, and experiencing mental health problems.

So this work is all about trying to figure out if the immune system plays a role in how alcohol use affects our mental health and well-being.

If you are a study participant, we are very grateful for the contribution you are making to this study. We hope you also feel good about the important role you are playing in helping us understand alcohol’s effects on everyone’s health.  Thank you!