Abstract
Pre-drinking is the practice of consuming alcohol, usually in a private residence, prior to a social event, and is often linked to excessive alcohol consumption in a short period. Like other patterns of heavy episodic drinking, pre-drinking has deleterious health and social effects including risk of accidents, involvement in social disorder, and reduced functioning. Studies investigating pre-drinking determinants have been informed by theories of motivation and social cognition. Studies have established inebriation and ‘having fun’, instrumentality (cost, alcohol availability), social enhancement/social ease/conviviality, intimate pursuit, perceived barriers, implicit alcohol identity, and perceived control as determinants of pre-drinking. There are few theory-based interventions to reduce pre-drinking, and interventions have typically had modest effects. Future intervention research needs identify appropriate change techniques and account for socio-structural determinants of pre-drinking.
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Caudwell, K.M., Hagger, M.S. (2021). Determinants and Effects of Pre-drinking. In: Cooke, R., Conroy, D., Davies, E.L., Hagger, M.S., de Visser, R.O. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Psychological Perspectives on Alcohol Consumption. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66941-6_13
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