Mapping acute alcohol effects on bodily sensations: A cross-dimensional interoceptive approach

Interoceptive processes may underlie maladaptive patterns of alcohol use. Bodily sensations experienced during alcohol intoxication could therefore reveal distinct mechanistic components relevant for addiction theory and research. Here, we apply novel tools to examine how intoxication impacts somatic awareness using bodily maps and a cardiac interoception task.

In a double-blind, within-subjects, placebo-controlled study, social drinkers (n = 37, 17 female) were administered 0.4 g/kg of alcohol. We measured changes in self-reported bodily sensations during the ascending and descending limbs of the blood-alcohol curves using the emBODY tool. Additionally, we recorded biphasic measures of subjective alcohol effects (sedation and stimulation), changes in heart rate, and assessed psychophysical measures of cardiac beliefs using the heart rate discrimination task.

Acute alcohol administration altered bodily sensations, reflected by strong sensations in the chest, limbs, and head, with lesser effects in the placebo condition. Linear-mixed models examined correlates of bodily sensations across conditions. Extent of bodily sensations correlated with heart rate changes and breath alcohol content. In the ascending limb, bodily sensations negatively correlated with subjective stimulation and positively with sedation. Finally, extent of bodily sensations correlated with the metacognitive sensitivity of cardiac beliefs, suggesting a cross-dimensional integration between sensations and interoceptive awareness.

These findings highlight the value of bodily mapping in psychopharmacology, as interoceptive components of alcohol intoxication may provide a somatic basis for addiction. We interpret our results through low-sensitivity models, suggesting individuals with reduced bodily sensations during intoxication may face elevated risk for alcohol use disorder, a hypothesis that will be examined in future research.