Subjective response to alcohol predicts motivation to self-administer alcohol in a progressive ratio task

Subjective responses to alcohol, which encompass the subjective feelings and experiences elicited by alcohol consumption, are important factors implicated in the etiology of alcohol use disorder. Previous human laboratory studies have investigated how subjective responses to priming doses of alcohol influence alcohol self-administration (SA) but have not accounted for responses throughout the task. The present study investigated how subjective responses to alcohol, measured at multiple time points during a progressive ratio SA task, impacted subsequent motivation to self-administer alcohol. Participants (n = 67; 36 male/31 female) who drank heavily completed a 120-min progressive ratio alcohol intravenous SA paradigm. Every 15 min, participants were breathalyzed and completed self-report questionnaires to measure alcohol-induced stimulation, sedation, alcohol wanting, alcohol liking, negative mood, and positive mood. Alcohol SA was indicated by an increase in breath alcohol concentration. Time-lagged subjective response outcomes were examined as predictors of subsequent SA using multilevel modeling. Sex and family history of alcohol-related problems were investigated as potential moderators of the impact of subjective response measures on SA. Higher levels of alcohol-induced stimulation, as well as wanting and liking alcohol, predicted increased SA of alcohol. An increase in time, as a proxy for task demand, predicted a decreased likelihood of subsequent SA and moderated the effect of liking on SA. Family history of alcohol-related problems moderated the impact of alcohol-induced wanting and negative mood on motivation to consume alcohol. Overall, these findings emphasize the significant role of subjective responses to alcohol, as well as their interactions with task demand and family history, in influencing alcohol consumption behaviors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).