Learning alcohol tolerance by mental or physical practice.

Five groups of six male social drinkers learned a psychomotor task (Tracometer) and subsequently attended five sessions to perform the task after drinking. On each of the first four sessions, subjects received 0.62 g/kg alcohol. On session 5, a placebo was administered when alcohol was expected. During treatment sessions 1-3, two groups performed the task with a valuable consequence for drug-compensatory performance: either information (IO) or information plus money (MI). This MI experience was mentally rehearsed by a third group (MR). Two control groups performed the task, either with no outcome (N), or with money for compensatory performance but no information about earnings until the study concluded (MO). Sessions 4 and 5 assessed the effect of the prior treatments when all groups performed the task with money and information. Groups MI, IO and MR displayed comparable and significantly more tolerance and a stronger compensatory response to placebo than control groups MO and N. The evidence indicates that mental or physical practice associating drug-compensatory performance with some valuable outcome enhances tolerance to moderate doses of alcohol.