Alcohol produces both stimulation and sedation. Following an acute dose of about 4 drinks of alcohol, binge drinkers have more stimulation and less sedation than light drinkers. With a 2 year follow up, individuals who had more stimulation and less sedation to the acute alcohol dose had an increased rate of binge drinking. This indicates that the ratio of stimulation to sedation following alcohol is an important characteristic that relates to future alcohol abuse.

The Increased “Stimulation” and Decreased “Sedation” Acute Effects of Alcohol Predicts Binge Drinking during a 2 Year Follow-Up

Alcohol drinkers had the acute subjective response to alcohol measured prior to a 2-year follow-up for drinking behavior.Subjects were 21 – 35 years. Light drinkers (48% female) drank 1 – 5 drinks per week and binged less than 5 times per year. Binge drinkers (42% female) drank 10 – 40 drinks per week and binged 1 – 5 times per week. Subjects consumed over a 15 min period. Placebo, or alcohol 0.4 g/kg or alcohol 0.8 g/kg (equivalent to 4 drinks/ 70 kg man) on 3 different days just prior to completing subjective ratings. The 0.8 g/kg dose produced a peak breath alcohol concentration around the legal blood alcohol level for driving of 0.08%.A.Response to the 0.8 g/kg doze.B.Data from binge drinkers, low binging group averaged about 47% of days binge drinking over the 2-year follow-up.The ratings of “like” and “want more” were also increased in binge drinkers jointly related to future binging similar to “stimulation”, and were associated with diagnosis of alcohol use disorders during follow-up.(Constructed from data in King, A.C. et al. Arch Gen Psychiatry, 68: 389 – 399, 2011)©2011 NBEP