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Effects of caffeine on alcohol reinforcement: beverage choice, self-administration, and subjective ratings

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Abstract

Rationale

Combining alcohol and caffeine is associated with increased alcohol consumption, but no prospective experimental studies have examined whether added caffeine increases alcohol consumption.

Objectives

This study examined how caffeine alters alcohol self-administration and subjective reinforcing effects in healthy adults.

Methods

Thirty-one participants completed six double-blind alcohol self-administration sessions: three sessions with alcohol only (e.g., beverage A) and three sessions with alcohol and caffeine (e.g., beverage B). Participants chose which beverage to consume on a subsequent session (e.g., beverage A or B). The effects of caffeine on overall beverage choice, number of self-administered drinks, subjective ratings (e.g., Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale), and psychomotor performance were examined.

Results

A majority of participants (65%) chose to drink the alcohol beverage containing caffeine on their final self-administration session. Caffeine did not increase the number of self-administered drinks. Caffeine significantly increased stimulant effects, decreased sedative effects, and attenuated decreases in psychomotor performance attributable to alcohol. Relative to nonchoosers, caffeine choosers reported overall lower stimulant ratings and reported greater drinking behavior prior to the study.

Conclusions

Although caffeine did not increase the number of self-administered drinks, most participants chose the alcohol beverage containing caffeine. Given the differences in subjective ratings and pre-existing differences in self-reported alcohol consumption for caffeine choosers and nonchoosers, these data suggest that decreased stimulant effects of alcohol and heavier self-reported drinking may predict subsequent choice of combined caffeine and alcohol beverages. These predictors may identify individuals who would benefit from efforts to reduce risk behaviors associated with combining alcohol and caffeine.

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Acknowledgments

National Institutes on Drug Abuse grant R01DA003890 supported this work. NIDA grant T32DA07209 supported Mary Sweeney, Steven Meredith, and Daniel Evatt. The authors thank Zainab Jackson for her assistance in conducting this research.

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Author notes

  1. Steven E. Meredith

    Present address: University of Connecticut Health Center, Calhoun Cardiology Center, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, CT, 06030, USA

  2. Daniel P. Evatt

    Present address: Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, 1335 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD, 20910, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 5510 Nathan Shock Drive, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA

    Mary M. Sweeney, Steven E. Meredith, Daniel P. Evatt & Roland R. Griffiths

  2. Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 5510 Nathan Shock Drive, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA

    Roland R. Griffiths

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  1. Mary M. Sweeney
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Correspondence to Mary M. Sweeney.

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Sweeney, M.M., Meredith, S.E., Evatt, D.P. et al. Effects of caffeine on alcohol reinforcement: beverage choice, self-administration, and subjective ratings. Psychopharmacology 234, 877–888 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-017-4528-6

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