Subjective alcohol responses in a cross-sectional, field-based study of adolescents and young adults: Effects of age, drinking level, and dependence/consequences

Abstract

Background Adolescents are physically, cognitively, socially, and emotionally different than adults in ways that may partially explain why alcohol misuse typically develops during this period. Ample animal-science evidence and nascent ecological evidence points toward developmentally limited differences in sensitivity to alcohol’s stimulatory and sedative effects. Field-based research methods were used to test for such age-related differences in a sample of adolescents through young adults. Potential moderating influences of estimated blood alcohol content (eBAC), as well as typical consumption and level of dependence/consequences were explored. Methods Subjective alcohol responses were collected from 1,364 participants, aged 17 to 32 years, recruited outside of venues where drinking takes place in a small metropolitan bar district. Results Self-reports of stimulatory response to alcohol were age-related, such that younger participants reported increased subjective stimulation at the time of data collection relative to older participants. Age-related differences in stimulatory responses were more pronounced at lower eBACs and among younger participants who typically drank more heavily. Stimulatory responses generally diminished among older than younger participants, although individuals with greater dependence/consequences consistently reported greater stimulation from drinking. Contrastingly, age, typical consumption, and dependence/consequences were not related to sedation in this sample. Conclusions This research provides cross-sectional evidence to support age-, consumption-, and dependence/consequences-related differences in stimulatory alcohol responses among adolescents and young adults assessed within a bar-area context. While cross-sectional, the results of this field-based study provide support for the theory that addiction liability is developmentally linked and associated, in part, with age-related differences in subjective alcohol responses.

Age and Sex Interact to Mediate the Effects of Intermittent, High-Dose Ethanol Exposure on Behavioral Flexibility

“…Targeted BECs between 250 and 350 mg/dL and low to moderate intoxication ratings were chosen to model ethanol consumption patterns in young adults drinkers. Recent reports suggest that in natural environments (i.e., at a bar) adolescent and young adults achieve estimated blood alcohol concentrations within this range ( Treloar et al, 2017 ). Intoxication ratings have been shown previously to correlate with BEC, and indeed our findings revealed that intoxication ratings in both adolescent and adult ethanol exposed animals significantly correlated with BECs ( Figures 2E,F ).…”

Risk and Protective Factors for Alcohol Use Disorders Across the Lifespan

“…A series of studies confirm the additional impact of trigger factors including exposure to stress, biological markers of stress sensitivity, cues, and priming drug doses on key cognitive and behavioral mechanisms associated with alcohol intake [25, 38-40, 41•]. Furthermore, the relative impact of stressors, cues, and priming doses on alcohol intake can differ with age, and indeed, age-related differences in the effects of setting and cues have been reported by first ambulatory assessment studies in substance use disorder [42,43]. Using smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment, a study investigating older adults with and without HIV infection as population showed that greater anxiety predicted subsequent substance use (alcohol and cannabis), greater happiness predicted substance use in the evening and in the night, whereas higher pain levels led to higher consumption in the morning [43].…”

A Review of Developmental Considerations in Human Laboratory Alcohol Research

“…A fourth approach involves direct ecological assessment of alcohol responses in naturalistic settings. For example, researchers recruited a large sample of participants (ages 17-32 years) from a bar district and collected data on subjective responses [88]. Self-reports of alcoholinduced stimulation were higher in younger compared to older participants, with these differences being more pronounced at lower BACs and among heavier drinkers [88].…”

“…For example, researchers recruited a large sample of participants (ages 17-32 years) from a bar district and collected data on subjective responses [88]. Self-reports of alcoholinduced stimulation were higher in younger compared to older participants, with these differences being more pronounced at lower BACs and among heavier drinkers [88]. Using a similar ecological recruitment approach, researchers found that acute intoxication related to executive functioning deficits in a group of 18-20 year-olds [89].…”