The role of drinking restraint success in subsequent alcohol consumption

Intentional self-restraint may play an important role in the control of potentially addictive behavior. Unfortunately, for some individuals, efforts to reduce substance use may prove not only temporary but to increase the likelihood of a later "binge." An experimental study examined the relationship between prior self-restraint efforts and drinking. Results indicated that successfully restrained drinkers (i.e., those individuals who reported exerting considerable effort toward drinking self-control, and who were normatively successful, that is, light drinkers) responded to the sudden availability of alcohol with increased levels of consumption, relative to unrestrained drinkers at a similar level of habitual drinking. There was no such effect among unsuccessfully restraining (i.e., heavy) drinkers. These results suggest that a period of successful drinking restraint which is initiated by the individual, may lead to heightened subsequent alcohol consumption.