Subjective Effects Of Alcohol Research Articles

Alcohol effects on interoception shape expectancies and subjective effects: a registered report using the heart rate discrimination task.

Alcohol acutely impacts interoceptive processes, which in turn affect the perception of alcohol effects and the development of alcohol expectancies. However, previous research is limited by the tools used to measure cardiac interoception and subjective alcohol effects. This registered report proposes a re-examination of previous findings using a state-of-the-art measure of interoceptive capacity, the heart rate discrimination task, and measurements of subjective alcohol effects across both ascending and descending limbs. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment, n = 36 participants were given 0.4g/kg of ethanol, and a baseline measure of alcohol expectancies was obtained. Changes in interoceptive capacity after beverage administration, along with measures of light-headedness, mood, and biphasic alcohol effects, were assessed over two sessions. As registered in this secondary data analysis, alcohol was expected to acutely impact different indices of interoceptive capacity, and those changes were hypothesized to correlate with subjective alcohol effects and expectancies. Analyses were conducted only following in-principle acceptance. Alcohol-induced changes in interoceptive capacity predicted the development of light-headedness, stimulation, and negative mood. Changes in interoceptive capacity were also correlated with negative alcohol expectancies, as measured 2 weeks prior to the experiment. These effects were unique to the interoceptive condition, as null effects were observed in an exteroceptive control task. This report offers a replication of key previous findings that alcohol impacts interoceptive processes to shape the detection of subjective alcohol effects. We propose that, through repeated drinking occasions, bodily responses feed into the experience of intoxication, shaping future expectancies about alcohol effects.

Use of mindfulness training to improve BAC self-estimation during a drinking episode.

Individuals are often inaccurate at estimating levels of intoxication following doses of alcohol. Previous research has shown that when required to estimate (BAC) at different time points, participants often underestimate their BACs and amounts of alcohol consumed. The present study aimed to increase drinkers' BAC estimation accuracy after drinking alcohol using mindfulness-based feedback to increase their awareness of the interoceptive cues associated with alcohol intoxication. Thirty-three adults were given 0.65 g/kg of alcohol and received one of three training conditions: BAC feedback only, body scan exercise + BAC feedback and no treatment control. Those in the BAC feedback group received feedback concerning their observed BAC during dose exposure. Participants in the body scan group received BAC feedback and underwent a mindfulness exercise to enhance their perception of the acute subjective effects of alcohol. The control group received no BAC estimation training. Participants attended four study sessions: Two training sessions where participants underwent structured training based on their condition and two retention sessions to test for the lasting effects of the training exercises. Retention tests showed that participants in both treatment groups were most accurate in estimating their BACs. There were no differences among the groups in their perceived levels of intoxication at posttraining. The findings suggest that BAC feedback, alone and in combination with, mindfulness training can improve accuracy in estimating BACs. The findings provide preliminary support for the efficacy of mindfulness training in combination with BAC feedback to improve BAC estimation accuracy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

MGlu2 and mGlu3 receptor negative allosteric modulators attenuate the interoceptive effects of alcohol in male and female rats

RationaleThe subjective effects of alcohol are associated with alcohol use disorder (AUD) vulnerability and treatment outcomes. The interoceptive effects of alcohol are part of these subjective effects and can be measured in animal models using drug discrimination procedures. The newly developed mGlu2 and mGlu3 negative allosteric modulators (NAMs) are potential therapeutics for AUD and may alter interoceptive sensitivity to alcohol. ObjectivesTo determine the effects of mGlu2 and mGlu3 NAMs on the interoceptive effects of alcohol in rats. MethodsLong-Evans rats were trained to discriminate the interoceptive stimulus effects of alcohol (2.0 g/kg, i.g.) from water using both operant (males only) and Pavlovian (male and female) drug discrimination techniques. Following acquisition training, an alcohol dose-response (0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 g/kg) experiment was conducted to confirm stimulus control over behavior. Next, to test the involvement of mGlu2 and mGlu3, rats were pretreated with the mGlu2-NAM (VU6001966; 0, 3, 6, 12 mg/kg, i.p.) or the mGlu3-NAM (VU6010572; 0, 3, 6, 12 mg/kg, i.p.) before alcohol administration (2.0 g/kg, i.g.). ResultsIn Pavlovian discrimination, male rats showed greater interoceptive sensitivity to 1.0 and 2.0 g/kg alcohol compared to female rats. Both mGlu2-NAM and mGlu3-NAM attenuated the interoceptive effects of alcohol in male and female rats using Pavlovian and operant discrimination. There may be a potential sex difference in response to the mGlu2-NAM at the highest dose tested. ConclusionsMale rats may be more sensitive to the interoceptive effects of the 2.0 g/kg alcohol training dose compared to female rats. Both mGlu2-and mGlu3-NAM attenuate the interoceptive effects of alcohol in male and female rats. These drugs may have potential for treatment of AUD in part by blunting the subjective effects of alcohol.

Effects of social drinking context on subjective effects, affect, and next-day appraisals in the natural environment.

Drinking commonly occurs in social settings and may bolster social reinforcement. Laboratory studies suggest that subjective effects and mood are mechanisms through which the social context influences alcohol consumption. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) may be useful for extending these findings to the natural environment. This pre-registered secondary analysis of EMA data investigated the influence of the social environment on: (1) stimulating and sedating subjective effects of alcohol, (2) contentedness and negative affect, and (3) next-day evaluations of the drinking occasion. Nontreatment seeking adults reporting past-month heavy drinking (N = 131; Mage = 28.09; 42% female) completed 7 days of EMA (in the morning, at random, and following drinking prompts), which included questions on their social context (drinking in the presence of known others or alone), contemporaneous stimulating and sedating effects, contentedness and negative affect, alcohol consumption, and next-day evaluations of a prior day's drinking event (how satisfying/pleasant was drinking). We used multi-level models in SAS 9.4 M7 software to examine relations among the variables. Contemporaneous subjective effects (stimulating or sedating), negative affect, and contentedness did not significantly depend on the social context. For next-day evaluations of pleasure/satisfaction from drinking, context effects were dependent on consumption totals. As the total number of standard drinks consumed increased, recollections of pleasure/satisfaction were higher when drinking had occurred with others, relative to alone. At lower consumption totals, next-day evaluations did not appear to depend on social context. When reported contemporaneously, subjective effects and affect do not appear dependent upon the presence of known others. However, heavier drinking events, relative to lighter drinking events, are appraised more favorably the following day when occurring within social contexts.

Subjective effects of simultaneous alcohol and cannabis versus alcohol-only use: A qualitative analysis.

Theoretical models of addictive behavior suggest that subjective effects serve as a mechanism through which substance use disorders develop. However, little is known about the subjective effects of simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use, particularly whether simultaneous use (a) heightens specific subjective effects or (b) is related to unique subjective effects relative to single-substance effects. The present study used formative, qualitative data analysis to examine patterns of responses within open-answer text response data on subjective effects of simultaneous use. College students who simultaneously use alcohol and cannabis (N = 443; 68.2% female) were asked to describe how alcohol effects differ on simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use versus alcohol-only use days. Conventional content analysis revealed nine concepts related to simultaneous (vs. alcohol-only) use subjective effects including as follows: (a) increased/decreased impairment, (b) low arousal/relaxation, (c) balancing/replacement effects, (d) "cross-faded" effects, (e) little-to-no differences, (f) altered sensation and perception, (g) increased negative affective states, (h) increased appetite, and (i) increased/decreased negative consequences. Increased impairment (N = 191) and increased relaxation (N = 110) were the most often endorsed subjective effects, followed by decreased impairment (N = 55), balancing/replacement effects (N = 50) and cross-faded/enhancement effects (N = 44). Subjective effects from simultaneous use largely map onto domains of single-substance alcohol and cannabis effects (e.g., relaxation, sociability, cognitive/behavioral impairment), but also include distinct domains related to simultaneous use (e.g., balancing/replacement effects, altered sensation and perception). Future quantitative research is needed to validate measures of subjective effects from simultaneous use and their relations with use behavior. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Assessing real-time positive subjective effects of alcohol using high-resolution ecological momentary assessment in risky versus light drinkers.

High-resolution ecological momentary assessment (HR-EMA) can assess acute alcohol responses during naturalistic heavy drinking episodes. The goal of this study was to use HR-EMA to examine drinking behavior and subjective responses to alcohol in risky drinkers (moderate-severe alcohol use disorder [MS-AUD], heavy social drinkers [HD]) and light drinkers (LD). We expected that risky drinkers would endorse greater alcohol stimulation and reward, with lower sedation, than LD, even when controlling for amount of alcohol consumed. Participants (N = 112; 54% male, M ± SD age = 27.2 ± 4.2 years) completed smartphone-based HR-EMA during one typical alcohol drinking occasion and one non-alcohol-drinking occasion in their natural environment. Participants were prompted to complete next-day surveys that assessed drinking-related outcomes, study acceptability, and safety. HR-EMA prompt completion rates were excellent (92% and 89% for the alcohol and nonalcohol episodes, respectively). The MS-AUD group consumed the most alcohol with the highest estimated blood alcohol concentration (eBAC) by the end of the alcohol drinking episode (0.14 g/dL) versus LD (0.02 g/dL), with HD intermediate (0.10 g/dL). Relative to LD, MS-AUD and HD endorsed greater positive effects of alcohol (stimulation, liking, and wanting). This study is the first to use HR-EMA to measure and compare real-world acute alcohol responses across diverse drinker subgroups, including persons with MS-AUD. Results demonstrate that risky drinkers experience heightened pleasurable effects measured in real-time during natural-environment alcohol responses. Rather than drinking excessively to eventually achieve desirable subjective effects, risky drinkers show sensitivity to positive alcohol effects throughout a heavy drinking episode.

Free-access intravenous alcohol self-administration in social drinkers and individuals with alcohol use disorder: Evaluation of relationships with phosphatidylethanol and self-reported alcohol consumption.

The free-access (FA) intravenous alcohol self-administration (IV-ASA) paradigm is an experimental approach that can identify modulators of alcohol consumption in humans. Moreover, the outcome measures of IV-ASA paradigms are associated with self-reported alcohol intake using the timeline follow-back method (TLFB). To evaluate how FA IV-ASA reflects drinking in real life, we examined the relationship between an objective marker of recent alcohol intake, phosphatidylethanol in blood (B-PEth), and TLFB and measures obtained during IV-ASA in individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and social drinkers (SD). We also explored the associations between these measures and gut-brain peptides involved in AUD pathophysiology. Thirty-eight participants completed a laboratory session in which they self-administered alcohol intravenously. The safety limit was 200 mg%, and main outcomes were mean and peak breath alcohol concentrations (BrAC). Blood samples were drawn prior to IV-ASA and subjective alcohol effects were rated during the experiment. The study sample comprised 24 SD and 14 participants with DSM-5 mild AUD. Although BrACs were not associated with B-PEth or TLFB in the full sample or AUD subgroup, there was an association with TLFB in SD. In both subgroups, BrACs were associated with alcohol craving but with differential timing. Total ghrelin levels were higher in AUD participants than in SD. No associations between B-PEth levels and achieved BrACs were observed in the mild AUD group, the SD group, or the full sample. The ability for FA IV-ASA to reflect recent drinking was confirmed only for TLFB in SD, whereas there were no associations within the smaller subsample of participants with mild AUD or in the full sample. Further studies that include a larger AUD sample are warranted. The association of BrACs with craving for alcohol suggests that the IV-ASA method may be useful for assessing interventions that target craving. This could be explored by using the FA IV-ASA model to evaluate the effects on craving of approved pharmacotherapies for AUD.

Change in brain asymmetry reflects level of acute alcohol intoxication and impacts on inhibitory control

Alcohol is one of the most commonly used substances and frequently abused, yet little is known about the neural underpinnings driving variability in inhibitory control performance after ingesting alcohol. This study was a single-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized design with participants (N = 48 healthy, social drinkers) completing three study visits. At each visit participants received one of three alcohol doses; namely, a placebo dose [equivalent Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) = 0.00%], a low dose of alcohol (target BAC = 0.04%), or a moderate dose of alcohol (target BAC = 0.08%). To measure inhibitory control, participants completed a Go/No-go task paradigm twice during each study visit, once immediately before dosing and once after, while their brain activity was measured with time-domain functional near-infrared spectroscopy (TD-fNIRS). BAC and subjective effects of alcohol were also assessed. We report decreased behavioral performance for the moderate dose of alcohol, but not the low or placebo doses. We observed right lateralized inhibitory prefrontal activity during go-no-go blocks, consistent with prior literature. Using standard and novel metrics of lateralization, we were able to significantly differentiate between all doses. Lastly, we demonstrate that these metrics are not only related to behavioral performance during inhibitory control, but also provide complementary information to the legal gold standard of intoxication (i.e. BAC).

Association of cerebellar and pre-motor cortex gray matter density with subjective intoxication and subjective response following acute alcohol intake

Acute alcohol intake produces subjective intoxication (SI) and response (SR; e.g., valanced stimulation and sedation), which has important implications for alcohol-related risk. Individuals who experience less SI may be more likely to engage in risky behaviors while drinking. Gray matter morphometry in brain regions underlying cognitive and affective processes may help to inform individual differences in subjective intoxication and response. The subjective effects of alcohol vary between limbs of the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) curve (i.e., whether BAC is rising or falling; acute tolerance). We examined the relationship between gray matter density (GMD) and SI/SR as a function of BAC limb. Healthy social drinkers (N = 89; 55 women) completed an alcohol challenge paradigm (target BAC = 0.08 g/dL) and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Participants completed measures of SR and SI on ascending and descending BAC limbs. Association between GMD and SI/SR on each limb were assessed using whole-brain, voxel-wise general linear models. GMD estimates were extracted from significant clusters. Differences in association of GMD and SI/SR between limbs were assessed using hierarchical regression. Significant associations of SI with GMD on the ascending limb were observed in the cerebellum. A significant association between SR and GMD on the descending limb were observed in the pre-motor cortex (BA6) and cerebellum. We identified common and unique associations among cerebellum and pre-central gyrus structures with SI and SR between BAC limbs. Functional imaging studies may further clarify unique dimensions of subjective alcohol effects linked to the observed structural associations.

Associations Between Social Context and Mood During Alcohol Consumption in Young Adult Smokers.

Differences in the subjective effects of alcohol in different social contexts have been well documented, but little research examines affect during drinking in real-world social contexts. This study examined differences by social context in negative affect and positive affect during alcohol consumption. We hypothesized that negative affect and positive affect with drinking would vary as a function of social context (alone or with others). A total of 257 young adults (M age = 21.3, 53.3% female) who were enrolled in a longitudinal, observational study assessing risk for smoking completed 7 days of ecological momentary assessment assessing alcohol use, affect, and social context at two time points of the study. Mixed-effects location scale analyses examined effects of being alone versus with others on positive affect and negative affect after drinking and compared with nondrinking times. Positive affect was higher when drinking with others versus alone, and negative affect was higher when drinking alone versus with others. Both negative affect and positive affect variability were higher when participants were drinking alone compared to with others, and negative affect variability was higher at low amounts of alcohol but decreased with increased drinking. These findings demonstrate that solitary drinking is less consistently reinforcing because of greater and more variable negative affect, as well as more variable positive affect. When drinking with others, increased and less variable positive affect suggests that social drinking may be particularly reinforcing in young adulthood.

Consuming oral cannabidiol prior to a standard alcohol dose has minimal effect on breath alcohol level and subjective effects of alcohol.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is found in the cannabis plant and has garnered attention as a potential treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD). CBD reduces alcohol consumption and other markers of alcohol dependence in rodents, but human research on CBD and alcohol is limited. It is unknown whether CBD reduces drinking in humans, and mechanisms through which CBD could impact behavioral AUD phenotypes are unknown. This study explores effects of oral CBD on breath alcohol level (BrAC), and subjective effects of alcohol in human participants who report heavy drinking. In this placebo-controlled, crossover study, participants consumed 30mg CBD, 200mg CBD, or placebo CBD before receiving a standardized alcohol dose. Participants were blind to which CBD dose they received at each session and completed sessions in random order. Thirty-six individuals completed at least one session and were included in analyses. Differences in outcomes across the three conditions and by sex were explored using multilevel structural equation models. BrAC fell fastest in the placebo condition, followed by 30mg and 200mg CBD. Stimulation decreased more slowly in the 200mg CBD condition than in placebo (b = - 2.38, BCI [- 4.46, - .03]). Sedation decreased more slowly in the 30mg CBD condition than in placebo (b = - 2.41, BCI [- 4.61, - .09]). However, the magnitude of condition differences in BrAC and subjective effects was trivial. CBD has minimal influence on BrAC and subjective effects of alcohol. Further research is needed to test whether CBD impacts alcohol consumption in humans, and if so, what mechanism(s) may explain this effect.

Drinking context, alcohol use, and subjective responses during binge drinking episodes measured by high-resolution ecological momentary assessment (HR-EMA).

Subjective responses to alcohol play a key role in the development and maintenance of risky drinking and alcohol use disorder (AUD). The social and environmental context where drinking occurs may moderate alcohol's subjective effects, but ecologically valid studies of these associations are limited. The present study used high-resolution ecological momentary assessment (HR-EMA) targeting real-world binge drinking episodes to examine associations among drinking context, alcohol consumption, and subjective responses to alcohol. Young adult heavy drinkers (N = 61; 57% male) completed two smartphone-based, 3-hr HR-EMA of drinking context (social context and location), alcohol use, and subjective responses (alcohol stimulation, sedation, feeling, liking, and wanting more). Analyses examined the associations between drinking context and subjective alcohol responses, accounting for demographic characteristics and individual differences in alcohol consumption. Most (85%) participants reported binge drinking during real-world drinking events. Estimated blood alcohol concentration (eBAC) and alcohol stimulation and reward (liking, wanting) were greater when participants drank with others (vs. alone) and in a bar/restaurant (vs. other location). Sedation was higher when drinking alone versus with others. The present study extends prior laboratory-based research and shows that subjective responses during naturalistic binge drinking episodes may be influenced by drinking context. Drinking with others and in bars and restaurants may increase alcohol consumption, enhance alcohol's rewarding effects, and lead to more alcohol-related harm in at-risk drinkers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Aging in nucleus accumbens and its impact on alcohol use disorders.

Ethanol is one of the most widely consumed drugs in the world and prolonged excessive ethanol intake might lead to alcohol use disorders (AUDs), which are characterized by neuroadaptations in different brain regions, such as in the reward circuitry. In addition, the global population is aging, and it appears that they are increasing their ethanol consumption. Although research involving the effects of alcohol in aging subjects is limited, differential effects have been described. For example, studies in human subjects show that older adults perform worse in tests assessing working memory, attention, and cognition as compared to younger adults. Interestingly, in the field of the neurobiological basis of ethanol actions, there is a significant dichotomy between what we know about the effects of ethanol on neurochemical targets in young animals and how it might affect them in the aging brain. To be able to understand the distinct effects of ethanol in the aging brain, the following questions need to be answered: (1) How does physiological aging impact the function of an ethanol-relevant region (e.g., the nucleus accumbens)? and (2) How does ethanol affect these neurobiological systems in the aged brain? This review discusses the available data to try to understand how aging affects the nucleus accumbens (nAc) and its neurochemical response to alcohol. The data show that there is little information on the effects of ethanol in aged mice and rats, and that many studies had considered 2-3-month-old mice as adults, which needs to be reconsidered since more recent literature defines 6 months as young adults and >18 months as an older mouse. Considering the actual relevance of an aged worldwide population and that this segment is drinking more frequently, it appears at least reasonable to explore how ethanol affects the brain in adult and aged models.

Ghrelin Predicts Stimulant and Sedative Effects of Alcohol in Heavy Drinkers.

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between ghrelin levels and the subjective effects of alcohol in heavy drinkers, and to compare them to healthy controls. Ghrelin levels were collected as part of two laboratory studies. Both groups received either IV infusion of saline or high dose of alcohol (100 mg%). In the study of heavy drinkers, ghrelin was gathered on all subjects, but data was analyzed only for participants who received placebo (N=12). Healthy controls (N=20) came from another study that collected data on family history. Ghrelin levels and measures of alcohol effects (BAES, VAS, NDS, YCS [see manuscript for details]) were collected at 4 timepoints: baseline, before infusion, during infusion and after infusion. IV alcohol significantly reduced ghrelin levels and higher fasting ghrelin levels were associated with more intense subjective alcohol effects. There were no differences in fasting ghrelin levels or subjective effects between heavy drinkers and controls. However, while both groups showed similar decline in ghrelin levels following alcohol infusion, on the placebo day, ghrelin levels in the healthy subjects increased significantly and exponentially over time while for the heavy drinkers ghrelin levels remained flat. Our findings support the role of ghrelin in reward mechanisms for alcohol. Contrary to others, we found no differences in fasting ghrelin levels or subjective experiences of alcohol between heavy drinkers and healthy controls. However, the group differences on the IV placebo day may be a possible indication of ghrelin abnormalities in heavy drinkers.

Gabapentin increases the abuse liability of alcohol alone and in combination with oxycodone in participants with co-occurring opioid and alcohol use disorder

BackgroundPeople who have co-occurring Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) carry a higher risk of adverse outcomes, including drug overdose. Early clinical and preclinical studies suggested that gabapentin may be effective in treating both disorders. The present study was designed to assess the effects of gabapentin on the subjective and physiological effects of oxycodone (OXY) and alcohol (ALC), alone and in combination. MethodsDuring an 8-week, inpatient, within-subject, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, non-treatment seeking participants (N = 13; 12 M/1F; 44.1 ± 3 years of age) with OUD and AUD were maintained on oral morphine (120 mg daily). Under gabapentin (1800 mg/day) and placebo (0 mg/day) maintenance, participants completed nine separate test sessions (three sessions per week) during which they received an oral solution containing 0, 15, or 30 mg/70 kg OXY in combination with 0, 0.5, or 0.75 g/kg ALC. During test sessions, subjective effects and physiological responses were assessed repeatedly on 100-mm visual analog scales (VAS). The primary outcome variable was the VAS rating of drug liking after receiving the drug challenge. ResultsAlcohol alone (but not oxycodone alone) produced dose-related increases in several positive subjective responses, including drug liking. Gabapentin significantly increased drug liking when given in combination with ALC and OXY + ALC (p < 0.05). Gabapentin did not clinically compromise respiration or other vital functions. ConclusionsGabapentin may increase the abuse liability of ALC and OXY + ALC in those with co-occurring OUD and AUD.

The neurobiological markers of acute alcohol's subjective effects in humans.

The ingestion of alcohol yields acute biphasic subjective effects: stimulation before sedation. Despite their predictive relevance to the development of alcohol use disorders (AUD), the neurobiological markers accounting for the biphasic effects of alcohol remain poorly understood in humans. Informed by converging lines of evidence, this study tested the hypothesis that alcohol ingestion acutely increases gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-mediated inhibition, which would positively and negatively predict the feeling of stimulation and sedation, respectively. To do so, healthy participants (n = 20) ingested a single dose of 94% ABV alcohol (males: 1.0 ml/kg; females: 0.85 ml/kg) in a randomized placebo-controlled cross-over design. The alcohol's biphasic effects were assessed with the Brief-Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale, and non-invasive neurobiological markers were measured with transcranial magnetic stimulation, before and every 30 min (up to 120 min) after the complete ingestion of the beverage. Results showed that acute alcohol ingestion selectively increased the duration of the cortical silent period (CSP) as compared to placebo, suggesting that alcohol increases non-specific GABAergic inhibition. Importantly, CSP duration positively and negatively predicted increases in the feeling of stimulation and sedation, respectively, suggesting that stimulation emerges as GABAergic inhibition increases and that sedation emerges as GABAergic inhibition returns to baseline values. Overall, these results suggest that modulations of GABAergic inhibition are central to the acute biphasic subjective effects of alcohol, providing a potential preventive target to curb the progression of at-risk individuals to AUD.

Measuring subjective alcohol effects in daily life using contemporary young adult language.

Young adults' subjective feelings of alcohol's effects are a key predictor of engagement in risky behavior such as deciding whether to drive after drinking. To best inform prevention messaging and tailor intervention techniques that target high-risk drinking, it is critical that our measurement best captures subjective feelings. Standard sliding scales (0-100 rating of, "how drunk do you feel?") may have some challenges with distinguishing between levels of subjective responses to alcohol. The current daily diary study compared the utility of the standard sliding scale to a newly developed sliding scale that uses contemporary, crowd-sourced language from young adults as evenly spaced anchors (slightly buzzed, tipsy/"happy," drunk, and wasted) along a continuum of subjective effects of alcohol. Participants were 154 young adult substance users (58% women) who completed up to 14 consecutive daily reports of their substance use behavior. The four-anchored sliding scale performed similarly well as the standard scale in predicting alcohol use outcomes while showing the advantages of recording higher mean values/standard deviations and demonstrating that participants used the anchors to denote varying degrees of subjective effects. Findings suggest that the four-anchored subjective alcohol effects sliding scale is a viable alternative to the standard scale. By providing evenly spaced anchors that reflect incremental differences in language young adults use to describe their subjective states, the proposed scale may provide a guide for participants to indicate how they feel after drinking and may better capture variability in alcohol's effects. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Acute alcohol rewarding effects as a risk factor for hangover frequency

Background/Purpose: Acute subjective alcohol effects appear to play an important role in predicting alcohol hangover. However, no studies have used a laboratory-based alcohol challenge to examine the concurrent or longitudinal effects of subjective alcohol responses on hangover frequency. As such, we investigated the direct and indirect effects of alcohol stimulation, sedation, liking and wanting, as measured in a controlled setting, on hangover frequency over five years. Method: Participants were 294 young adult light-to-heavy social drinkers (aged 21–35 years, 42% female) enrolled in the Chicago Social Drinking Project. The study utilized a placebo-controlled, double blind, laboratory alcohol challenge and a battery of measures including the Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale, Drug Effects Questionnaire, Hangover Symptom Scale, and alcohol use Quantity-Frequency Interview, with the latter two re-administered after five years. Results: Through the use of a path analysis, the present study found significant direct effects from alcohol liking to hangover frequency at initial testing. In addition, there were multiple significant indirect effects from greater alcohol liking and wanting to greater alcohol use quantity-frequency and, in turn, greater hangover frequency at initial testing and 5-year follow-up. Last, there were significant indirect effects from greater alcohol sedation to less alcohol use quantity-frequency and, in turn, less hangover frequency at initial testing and 5-year follow-up. Conclusion: This study highlights the role of the hedonic reward and motivational salience of alcohol as potential mechanisms of alcohol-related consequences (i.e., hangover) among light-to-heavy social drinking young adults.

Co-use of medication and alcohol: The influence on subjective effects of intoxication and affect.

Co-use of alcohol and medication can have serious negative health effects (e.g., overdose risk, liver damage). Research has primarily focused on older adults or the pharmacokinetics of specific medication-alcohol combinations. Little work has focused on the subjective experience of persons who take alcohol-interactive (AI) medications and also drink alcohol, particularly in psychiatric samples at high risk for problematic alcohol use and high rates of prescription medication use, such as individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Data from a larger ecological momentary assessment study of alcohol use in 52 persons diagnosed with BPD (83% women; Mage = 26 years) were used to examine the influence of alcohol intoxication (i.e., estimated blood alcohol concentration [eBAC]) and medication co-use on momentary subjective experience while drinking. Participants reported AI medication use at baseline and completed multiple ecological momentary assessment reports per day over 21 days, which included reports of alcohol use, subjective effects of alcohol (e.g., pleasure, feeling worse), and negative and positive affect. AI medications significantly moderated the association between eBAC and pleasurable effects of alcohol, such that at higher levels of eBAC, those taking AI medications experienced blunted subjective pleasure compared with those not taking AI medications. AI medications did not moderate the associations between eBAC and subjective relief, feeling worse, positive affect, or negative affect. Attenuated pleasure during drinking could lead to increased drinking in an attempt to achieve a desirable state among individuals who co-use psychiatric medications and alcohol, and therefore may represent a useful target for prevention and intervention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The language of subjective alcohol effects: Do young adults vary in their feelings of intoxication?

Among young adults, subjective feelings of alcohol's effects often guide risky decision making. The majority of studies measuring subjective effects have used singular indices ("How drunk do you feel?") which limits our understanding of young adults' full range of subjective states and their individual differences in subjective effects language. Toward a more in-depth understanding of the heterogeneity among alcohol users based on their subjective experiences of alcohol's effects, we identified latent classes of individuals based on their self-generated language describing feelings after drinking and compared these classes across demographic and drinking characteristics. Participants (N = 323, 54% women, 68% White, Ages 18-25 years) were recruited using Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk). Participants listed words they would use to describe how they feel after drinking low, moderate, and heavy amounts of alcohol. Four latent classes of young adults emerged: "happy drinkers" (31%) primarily reported feeling "happy" when drinking; "relaxed drinkers" (24%) reported feeling happy, relaxed, and buzzed; "buzzed drinkers" (18%) reported feeling buzzed and dizzy; and "multiexperience drinkers" (27%) reported feeling buzzed, tipsy, drunk, and wasted. Relaxed drinkers indicated heavier alcohol use and buzzed drinkers reported lower drinking frequency. Classes did not differ by demographic characteristics. Young adult alcohol users can be distinguished based on the language they use to describe their feelings of intoxication. To continue to advance our understanding of subjective effects, it is necessary to take into account the full range of language used and how this language differs by young adult drinking behavior. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).