Abstract
ABSTRACT
Background
Alcohol consequences are among the most studied predictors of future drinking behavior, yet findings regarding the influence of negative consequences on subsequent alcohol use remain inconsistent. It is possible that the more frequent experience of positive consequences, which are more salient to drinking behavior, outweighs the impact of negative consequences. The current study examined how both domains of alcohol consequences and their co‐occurrence influenced next‐day evaluations of drinking episodes and subsequent drinking behavior among young adults.
Method
Eighty‐four young adults (Mage = 22.73, SD = 1.54; 56% female at birth) enrolled in an 18‐day ecological momentary assessment study. Across 1412 days (578 drinking days), participants completed morning reports assessing prior‐day drinking behavior, prior‐day positive and negative consequences, and evaluations of the drinking episode. Multilevel models tested indirect associations between alcohol consequences and next‐day drinking via subjective evaluations, as well as the interaction between concurrent positive and negative consequences.
Results
Experiencing more positive consequences than usual was associated with more favorable evaluations of the drinking episode, including higher overall positivity ratings (
b
= 0.23, SE = 0.03,
p
b
= 0.16, SE = 0.02,
p
b
= −0.24, SE = 0.05,
p
b
= −0.16, SE = 0.05,
p
b
= 0.06, SE = 0.03,
p
b
= 0.05, SE = 0.02,
p
Conclusions
Findings suggest that positive alcohol experiences may buffer the impact of negative consequences, highlighting the importance of subjective evaluations of drinking episodes in shaping subsequent drinking behavior.