Effects of alcohol on psychomotor performance and perceived impairment in heavy binge social drinkers
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
Article in Press, 8 June 2007




The present study utilized an alcohol challenge paradigm to examine whether heavy binge social drinkers, compared to light social drinkers , exhibit: (1) greater tolerance in psychomotor task performance under the influence of alcohol, and (2) differential perceptions of the impairing effects of alcohol.

Ethanol impaired performance at the high dose, but not at the low dose. The groups exhibited similar alcohol-induced impairment. However, HD reported lower self-perceived impairment compared to LD, particularly during the early portion of the blood alcohol curve when actual impairment was most pronounced.

Thus, this study extends prior research in that habitual binge social drinking does not appear to be associated with tolerance to alcohol's impairing effects on select psychomotor skills.

Further, results may have implications for alcohol-related harm as binge social drinkers regularly consume intoxicating doses of alcohol but may not be aware of the physical and cognitive impairments produced by alcohol.

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