Discriminative control of alcoholics' drinking by the drinking situation.

Implicit in what has come to be called the loss of control concept is the notion that the environment, or the context within which drinking occurs, exerts little influence on the quantity of alcohol consumed by an alcoholic. In contrast, recent formulations of the alcohol dependence syndrome have argued that dependence arises from an interaction among personality, pharmacological and contextual variables. The present study investigated the relationship between contextual factors and alcohol consumption in 231 men and 90 women alcoholics.

The early detection and secondary prevention of alcoholism in France.

The conceptual foundation and structural development of a major secondary prevention program established in France to screen, diagnose and treat persons in the prodromal stages of alcoholism are described. Also discussed are the application and validity of a simple examination procedure used to identify alcoholics in this program.

"Never believe an alcoholic"? On the validity of self-report measures of alcohol dependence and related constructs.

A study of 114 male and female alcoholics was conducted to evaluate the validity of information obtained by means of self-report questionnaires. Factor analysis was used to derive composite measures of alcohol dependence, withdrawal symptomatology, pathological intoxication, and alcoholic psychosis. Validation was conducted by comparing these measures with independent and external criteria; that is drinking estimates made by collateral informants, measures of general alcohol involvement, and drinking behavior 6 months after treatment.

Typologies in alcoholism: an overview.

There seems to be a growing consensus that the differential outcome associated with alcoholism suggests different prognoses of specific subgroupings of alcoholic patients. This paper is a review of the literature of proposed typologies based upon drinking history, psychopathology, neuropsychological assessment, and family pedigree, with implications for theories of etiology, approaches to treatment, and research methodology. It should serve as an introduction to the series of papers which will follow.

Alcohol, affect, and the disinhibition of verbal behavior.

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of acute alcohol administration on affective states and verbal behavior during the ascending and descending limbs of the blood alcohol curve. Sixteen male social drinkers were given alcohol (1.0 g/kg) or placebo in a double-blind crossover research design.

The nature of alcoholism in patients with different family histories for alcoholism.

1. The course and consequences of alcohol abuse were examined in male and female patients being treated for alcoholism. 2.

Toward a systems-ecological approach to the prevention of adolescent alcohol abuse.

Findings from a questionnaire survey of adolescent drinkers are discussed in terms of developmental trends in alcohol and drug use, prevalence of drinking problems and the psychosocial correlates of problem drinking. Canonical correlation procedures are used to illustrate how multivariate statistical analysis can serve as a rational guide to the derivation of prevention goals and the formulation of prevention strategies. The basic elements of a "systems-ecological" approach are then presented as a conceptual basis for prevention strategies designed to meet these goals.

Drinking patterns in experimental and barroom settings.

A discount drink policy ("happy hour") was related to increases in the frequency of drinking and amounts of alcohol consumed by casual and heavy drinkers in experimental and barroom settings.

Empirical correlates of self-report drinking measures.

Self-report questionnaires assessing various drinking behaviors and constructs were administered to subjects in two separate empirical studies of longitudinal drinking patterns. The results suggest that self-report measures of both specific and general drinking behavior accurately differentiate drinkers who vary in frequency and intensity of alcohol consumption.

Social effects of marijuana use in a recreational setting.

Adult male volunteers with a prior history of either moderate (N = 12) or heavy (N = 14) marijuana use were systematically observed before, during, and after a 21-day period of free access to marijuana cigarettes. Data relevant to social interaction and recreational preferences were collected at hourly intervals. Moderate users consumed an average of 2.

Experimental analysis of the 'happy hour": effects of purchase price on alcohol consumption.

An experimental analogue of a discount drink policy known as the "happy hour" was used to study the effects of purchase price on drinking behavior. Male volunteers with a prior history of either casual (N=20) or heavy (N=14) drinking were given free access to beverage alcohol during a 20-day period. Approximately half the subjects could purchase alcohol under a single-price condition (50 cents/drink), while a matched group was given a price reduction daily (25 cents/drink) during a three-hour period in the afternoon.

Opiates, catecholamines, behavior, and mood.

Indirect evidence has linked opioid reinforcement with changes in noradrenergic metabolism secondary to drug administration. Methodological precedents for biobehavioral correlations in depressive illness have suggested an important association between changes in mood and biogenic amine excretion patterns in the urines of patients during depression and recovery. This paper presents preliminary data on the possible relationship between changes in catecholamine excretion that were observed and the changes in behavior, mood, psychiatric status, and cardiorespiratory physiology secondary to heroin administration and methadone-assisted withdrawal.

Interpersonal behavior in group discussion during marijuana intoxication.

Four-person groups of moderate and heavy marijuana users were studied in a group discussion situation during marijuana intoxication. Amount of participation and role behavior were compared to nonintoxicated baseline performance and to that of a no-drug control group. During intoxication, moderate users were less task-oriented and participated less in group discussion.

Marihuana and human physical activity.

Adult male volunteers with a prior history of either moderate (N = 12) or heavy (N = 14) marihuana use were systematically observed before, during and after a 21-day period of free access to 1 g 2% delta-9 THC marihuana cigarettes. A matched sample of casual alcohol drinkers (N = 11) served as a control group. Sleep and other molar behaviors were observed hourly to obtain a representative sample of daily activity.

Behavioral and social effects of heroin self-administration and withdrawal.

Behavioral and social reactions to intravenously administered heroin were studied during a 33-day experimental addiction cycle. Three groups of four subject volunteers were allowed to self-administer heroin for a ten-day period as part of a longer study of oplate antagonists. Data relevant to sleep patterns, energy expenditure, social interaction, and other observable behaviors were collected during hourly observations.

Interpersonal behavior in a small group setting during the heroin addiction cycle.

In a study of social interaction during an experimental addiction cycle, male narcotic addicts expressed more hostility after higher doses of heroin. No consistent role variations were observed in dominance, friendliness, or therapeutic-orientation.

Marijuana consumption and tolerance to physiological and subjective effects.

The relation between marijuana consumption and the development of tolerance was investigated during a 31-day study. Volunteers with a history of moderate or heavy marijuana use were given access to one-gram (2.1% delta9 tetrahydrocannabinol [THC]) marijuana cigarettes during a 21-day smoking period.