Elevated sensation seeking is associated with the development of alcohol dependence; however, it has not been studied in long-term abstinent alcoholics.
In the current study, we examine sensation seeking in middle-aged long-term abstinent alcoholics (LTAA) and in younger actively drinking treatment-naïve alcoholics (TxN).
The 2 NAC samples did not differ on the SSS, allowing the 2 NAC samples to be combined into a single control group (NAC = 118), and the LTAA and TxN samples to be directly compared without concern for cohort effects. LTAA did not differ from NAC on the SSS; however, the TxN group had higher SSS scores compared with NAC on all subscales except Boredom Susceptibility. Sensation seeking was comparably associated with lower socialization in each group.
The results suggest that either sensation seeking normalizes with long-term abstinence or that relatively normal levels of sensation seeking predict the ability to achieve long-term abstinence.
In either case, the results have important implications for our understanding of long-term abstinence.
Request Reprint E-Mail: george@nbresearch.com
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