Extension of the simulated drinking game procedure to multiple drinking games

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Public Health
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Drinking games are prevalent among young adults and contribute to high alcohol consumption.
• Understanding alcohol intake and Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) during these activities is crucial for harm reduction.
• The Simulated Drinking Game Procedure (SDGP) offers a controlled method to study these behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To adapt and utilize the Simulated Drinking Game Procedure (SDGP) for assessing alcohol consumption and estimating peak Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) across different drinking game types.
• To investigate variations in consumption and BAC based on drinking game type and group dynamics.
• To examine the influence of participant sex and prior drinking game experience on alcohol intake and BAC.

Main Methods:

• Phase I involved online screening of 545 participants for substance use and drinking game experience.
• Phase II included 92 participants in laboratory sessions involving three distinct drinking game scenarios.
• Data collected were used to estimate peak BAC and total alcohol consumption for each game type.

Main Results:

• Total alcohol consumption and estimated BAC varied significantly by drinking game type (Beer Pong, Memory, Three Man).
• Female participants consistently exhibited higher estimated BACs across all game types.
• Previous experience with the specific drinking games did not influence total consumption or estimated BAC.

Conclusions:

• The SDGP effectively estimates alcohol consumption and BAC during various drinking games.
• Findings highlight sex-based differences in alcohol metabolism and risk during simulated drinking games.
• Future research should incorporate direct alcohol administration within the SDGP to further explore experience-based effects on consumption and BAC.