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“High” Motivation for Alcohol: What are the Practical Effects of Energy Drinks on Alcohol Priming?
Author(s) -
Peacock Amy,
Bruno Raimondo
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/acer.12021
Subject(s) - alcohol , placebo , priming (agriculture) , psychology , alcohol consumption , social psychology , medicine , chemistry , biochemistry , botany , alternative medicine , germination , pathology , biology
Background While several researchers have proposed a causal relationship between alcohol mixed with energy drink ( A m ED ) consumption and subsequent alcohol intake, there is a dearth of research exploring the potential mechanisms underpinning this association. Methods M arczinski and colleagues (in press) report the results of a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, between‐groups study assessing whether an initial A m ED dose primes an increased motivation to drink relative to alcohol alone. Participants ( n = 80) received either alcohol (0.91 ml/kg vodka), energy drink ( ED ; 1.82 ml/kg R ed B ull ® ), A m ED , or a placebo beverage and then self‐reported their motivation to drink via the Desire‐for‐Drug scale. Results Subjective ratings of “desire more alcohol” were significantly higher than predrink in the placebo, alcohol, and A m ED conditions, with this effect apparent at more time points in the A m ED condition. While it was concluded that ED s may increase alcohol priming, between‐condition analyses revealed that ratings did not differ significantly in A m ED and alcohol conditions, with moderate magnitude treatment effects at most, and ratings of desire generally closer to 0 (absence of desire) than 100 (very much desire). Conclusions While the study by M arczinski and colleagues fills an important gap in the literature, direct measurement of A m ED priming's effect on subsequent alcohol consumption using a within‐subjects design and appropriate statistical comparison is required to (i) establish the practical implications of these results for A m ED consumers and (ii) discount any individual differences in such priming effects.