The Effects Of Excessive Alcohol Use On Substance Abuse

Alcohol may seem to be very innocent to people and a way to socialize with others even though that at times can be true it can also be very harmful and in some cases dangerous. Studies show that impulsivity has long been considered a risk factor for harmful alcohol use. Advances in neurocognitive models of impulse control have allowed substance abuse researchers to understand how dysfunction of specific cognitive mechanisms underlying behavioral control can contribute to substance use (Fillmore, 2003; Jentsch & Taylor, 1999;Lyvers,2000). Intoxicated drinkers may find their ability to inhibit behavioral impulses compromised to a greater extent than their ability to activate responses (Fillmore, 2003). As a result, as drinkers consume alcohol and become more intoxicated, they become less able to inhibit further alcohol consumption. For example, one study (Turrisi, Wiersma & Hughes, 2000) found that positive expectancies were associated with a higher advantage to experience blackouts, hangovers, and fights, even when drinking was statistically controlled for. From personal experience I have family and friends who after having consumed alcohol would get very aggressive and sometimes violent. With regard to negative alcohol expectancies, Borders, Barn- well, and Earleywine (2007) found that individuals expecting alcohol to increase aggression were more likely to report aggressive acts and hostile feelings after drinking, independent of the amount of alcohol consumed.