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Updated: Jul 2, 2026

The Motivation for Alcohol Reward: Predictors of Progressive-Ratio Intravenous Alcohol Self-Administration in Humans
Published on: April 28, 2022
Individual differences in acute alcohol impairment of inhibitory control predict ad libitum alcohol consumption
Jessica Weafer1, Mark T Fillmore
1Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40506-0044, USA.
Rationale:
Research has begun to examine how acute cognitive impairment from alcohol could contribute to alcohol abuse. Specifically, alcohol-induced impairment of inhibitory control could compromise the drinker's ability to stop the self-administration of alcohol, increasing the risk of binge drinking.
Objective:
The present study was designed to test this hypothesis by examining the relation between acute alcohol impairment of inhibitory control and alcohol consumption during a single drinking episode.
Materials And Methods:
Twenty-six healthy adults performed a cued go/no-go task that measured inhibitory control. The study tested the degree to which their inhibitory control was impaired by a moderate dose of alcohol (0.65 g/kg) versus a placebo and the extent to which individual differences in this impairment predicted levels of alcohol consumption as assessed by ad lib drinking in the laboratory.
Results:
In accord with the hypothesis, greater impairment of inhibitory control from alcohol was associated with increased ad lib consumption.
Conclusion:
Acute impairment of inhibitory control might be an important cognitive effect that contributes to abuse in addition to the positive rewarding effects of the drug.
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