Since heavy drinking precedes the development of alcohol abuse and dependence, it is important to identify the processes involved. One method has been to assess cognitive function in the presence of alcohol cues. When this was done, was found that heavy drinkers have more cognitive impairment to alcohol cues than light drinkers. This suggests that with increased alcohol use during heavy drinking there is a gradual alteration in cognitive processes that become more like those seen in alcohol abusing and alcohol dependent individuals.

Heavy Drinkers Have Impaired Cognitive Processing in the Presence of Alcohol Cues.

16 undergraduate psychology students (30 heavy drinkers, about 32 drinks/week and 30 light drinkers 2.6 drinks/week) (65% female) were divided into 4 groups and took a Stroop task in the presence of visual control cues or alcohol cues where they responded to the color of 3 different types of words or 1 type of symbol. Alcohol cues slowed reaction time (*p < 0.05, compared to other 3 groups) only in the heavy drinkers. Since alcohol dependent individuals also show impaired cognitive processing in the presence of alcohol cues, this indicates that automatic cognitive processes underlying addiction develop gradually as the individual progresses from initial exposure to dependence. (Constructed from data in Cox WM, et al, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 55:85, 1999)