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Updated: Aug 10, 2026
08:05
A Prediction Error-driven Retrieval Procedure for Destabilizing and Rewriting Maladaptive Reward Memories in Hazardous Drinkers
Published on: January 5, 2018
Creating a research context for reducing risk and obtaining informed consent in human alcohol studies
1Department of Health Behavior, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health, 1665 University Boulevard, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, USA. jtucker@uab.edu
Summary
Research on problem drinkers
Area of Science:
- Addiction research ethics
- Problem drinking studies
Background:
- Ethical considerations in alcohol research with problem drinkers are complex.
- Disease models of addiction often overstate risks and question participant autonomy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically evaluate the perceived risks and ethical challenges of alcohol consumption research involving problem drinkers.
- To explore how contemporary theories can inform safer research practices and enhance informed consent.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on addiction, volitional control, and informed consent.
- Analysis of disease perspectives versus contemporary theories on problem drinking.
- Identification of contextual factors influencing risk and consent in research settings.
Main Results:
- Disease perspectives exaggerate risks and question the capacity for informed consent in problem drinkers.
- Contemporary research challenges assumptions about volitional control and denial.
- Availability of alternative activities and contingencies for accurate reporting reduce research risks.
Conclusions:
- Ethical concerns regarding alcohol research with problem drinkers are often overstated by disease models.
- Research designs can be optimized to mitigate risks and ensure robust informed consent.
- Contextual factors are crucial for ethical and valid alcohol consumption studies.
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