Alcohol cue reactivity and ad lib drinking in young men at risk for alcoholism.

Individuals at high risk for alcoholism have been hypothesized to acquire alcoholic characteristics more rapidly than those at low risk. Two studies examined reactivity to alcohol cues, a phenomenon linked to craving for alcohol in clinical alcoholics, and ad lib drinking behavior in young men at varying risk for alcoholism. In Study 1, subjects exhibited increased autonomic and subjective responses during exposure to an alcohol beverage relative to a control beverage, suggesting that alcohol cue reactivity is not merely a clinical alcoholic phenomenon but also present in more moderate drinkers. This alcohol cue reactivity, however, was unrelated to risk status. Also, high-risk subjects exhibited greater nonspecific electromyographic and skin temperature reactivity, and higher baseline salivation volume than low-risk subjects. Of special note, ad lib alcohol consumption in Study 1 was correlated with subjects' self-report of craving during exposure to the alcoholic beverage. Study 2 attempted to replicate the baseline salivation finding but results were equivocal concerning the robustness of this effect. Also in Study 2, subjects exhibited decreased salivation volume following a placebo beverage and increased salivation volume following alcohol consumption. Studies 1 and 2 compared ad lib drinking behavior in high-risk and low-risk samples, but no group differences were found.