Modeling ability to resist alcohol in the human laboratory: A pilot study

Matthew E. Sloan; Joanna R. Sells; Courtney L. Vaughan; James K. Morris; Nancy E. Ortega; Sachin Sundar; Soundarya Soundararajan; Bethany L. Stangl; Joshua Gowin; Sumedha Chawla; Nancy Diazgranados; Sherry A. McKee; Andrew Waters; Vijay A. Ramchandani

Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports (Dec 2022)

Modeling ability to resist alcohol in the human laboratory: A pilot study

Matthew E. Sloan,
Joanna R. Sells,
Courtney L. Vaughan,
James K. Morris,
Nancy E. Ortega,
Sachin Sundar,
Soundarya Soundararajan,
Bethany L. Stangl,
Joshua Gowin,
Sumedha Chawla,
Nancy Diazgranados,
Sherry A. McKee,
Andrew Waters,
Vijay A. Ramchandani

Affiliations

Matthew E. Sloan: Addictions Division, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Division of Neurosciences and Clinical Translation, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychological Clinical Science, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Corresponding author at: Addictions Division, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Joanna R. Sells: Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Uniformed Services University of Health Science, USA; Human Psychopharmacology Laboratory, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 10 Center Drive, Rm 2-2352, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
Courtney L. Vaughan: Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Uniformed Services University of Health Science, USA; Human Psychopharmacology Laboratory, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 10 Center Drive, Rm 2-2352, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
James K. Morris: Human Psychopharmacology Laboratory, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 10 Center Drive, Rm 2-2352, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
Nancy E. Ortega: Human Psychopharmacology Laboratory, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 10 Center Drive, Rm 2-2352, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
Sachin Sundar: Human Psychopharmacology Laboratory, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 10 Center Drive, Rm 2-2352, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
Soundarya Soundararajan: Human Psychopharmacology Laboratory, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 10 Center Drive, Rm 2-2352, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
Bethany L. Stangl: Human Psychopharmacology Laboratory, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 10 Center Drive, Rm 2-2352, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
Joshua Gowin: Human Psychopharmacology Laboratory, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 10 Center Drive, Rm 2-2352, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Department of Radiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
Sumedha Chawla: Human Psychopharmacology Laboratory, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 10 Center Drive, Rm 2-2352, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
Nancy Diazgranados: Office of the Clinical Director, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, USA
Sherry A. McKee: Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
Andrew Waters: Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Uniformed Services University of Health Science, USA
Vijay A. Ramchandani: Human Psychopharmacology Laboratory, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 10 Center Drive, Rm 2-2352, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Corresponding author.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 5
p. 100105

Abstract

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Background: Roughly half of patients with alcohol use disorder prefer non-abstinence based approaches to treatment. However, only individuals who can limit their alcohol use after low-risk consumption are most likely to benefit from these approaches. This pilot study developed a laboratory-based intravenous alcohol self-administration paradigm to determine the characteristics of individuals who could successfully resist consuming alcohol after an initial exposure. Methods: Seventeen non-treatment seeking heavy drinkers completed two versions of an intravenous alcohol self-administration paradigm designed to assess impaired control over alcohol use. In the paradigm, participants received a priming dose of alcohol and then entered a 120-min resist phase, in which they received monetary rewards if they resisted self-administering alcohol. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to determine the impact of craving and Impaired Control Scale scores on rate of lapse. Results: 64.7% of participants across both versions of the paradigm were unable to resist alcohol for the duration of the session. Craving at baseline (HR = 1.07, 95% CI 1.01-1.13, p = 0.02) and following priming (HR = 1.08, 95% CI 1.02-1.15, p = 0.01) were associated with rate of lapse. Individuals who lapsed endorsed greater attempts to control their drinking over the prior six months compared to individuals who resisted. Conclusions: This study provides preliminary evidence that craving may be predictive of risk of lapse in individuals who are trying to limit alcohol intake after consuming a small initial amount of alcohol. Future studies should test this paradigm in a larger and more diverse sample.

Published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports

ISSN: 2772-7246 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Medicine
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/drug-and-alcohol-dependence-reports

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