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Alcohol craving in adolescents: bridging the laboratory and natural environment

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Abstract

Rationale

Initial lab studies suggest that adolescent drinkers crave alcohol when presented with alcohol cues. Whether this effect generalizes to the natural environment, however, remains unknown, and studies have not examined whether craving predicts drinking among youths.

Objectives

This study builds on existing research by pairing controlled lab-based cue reactivity assessments (CRAs) with data collected in the natural environment using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methods. We examined whether alcohol cues evoke craving among adolescent drinkers in the lab and natural environment, and tested the clinical relevance of craving during adolescence by examining the prospective association between craving and alcohol use.

Methods

Non-treatment-seeking adolescent drinkers (N = 42; ages 15 to 20 years) completed a lab-based CRA followed by a 1-week EMA monitoring period. During the EMA period, youth were prompted randomly throughout the day to record momentary data on craving and contextual factors (e.g., alcohol cues, peers present).

Results

Alcohol cues elicited craving in the lab, and this effect generalized to the natural environment, especially among adolescents with more alcohol problems. In addition, craving predicted subsequent drinking levels in the natural environment.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates the utility of pairing lab paradigms with EMA methods to better characterize adolescents' reactivity to alcohol cues. Results implicate craving as a clinically meaningful motivator for drinking among adolescents and highlight a potentially important target of pharmacological or behavioral intervention.

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Acknowledgment

The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at the National Institutes of Health supported this work (AA017273, AA07850). We thank Alexander Blanchard, Jason Frezza, Jacqueline Lee, Bethany Rallis, and Justin Souliere for their assistance with this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University, Box S121-5, Providence, RI, 02912, USA

    Jason Ramirez & Robert Miranda Jr.

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  1. Jason Ramirez
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  2. Robert Miranda Jr.
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Correspondence to Robert Miranda Jr..

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Ramirez, J., Miranda, R. Alcohol craving in adolescents: bridging the laboratory and natural environment. Psychopharmacology 231, 1841–1851 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-013-3372-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-013-3372-6

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