Effects of Alcohol Cue Exposure on Response Inhibition in Detoxified Alcohol‐Dependent Patients

Background: There is evidence that exerting self‐control during alcohol craving can diminish performance on subsequent tasks that require self‐control. Based on the resource depletion model (Muraven and Baumeister, 2000), we examined the influence of alcohol cue exposure on detoxified alcohol‐dependent patients’ ability to inhibit ongoing responses. Methods: Twenty alcohol‐dependent patients were randomly assigned to an alcohol‐cue exposure and a control‐cue exposure condition and thereafter had to perform an inhibition task (i.e., stop‐signal task). Results: Participants who sniffed alcohol before performing the inhibition task reported a stronger urge to drink alcohol than the control group that sniffed water. Participants who sniffed alcohol were also impaired in their inhibitory performance but not in their noninhibitory performance on the stop‐signal task. Conclusions: The urge to drink presumably reduced participants' self‐control, and this interfered with their ability to inhibit responding.     

Effects of Alcohol Taxes on Alcohol‐Related Mortality in Florida: Time‐Series Analyses From 1969 to 2004

Background: Over a hundred studies have established the effects of beverage alcohol taxes and prices on sales and drinking behaviors. Yet, relatively few studies have examined effects of alcohol taxes on alcohol‐related mortality. We evaluated effects of multiple changes in alcohol tax rates in the state of Florida from 1969 to 2004 on disease (not injury) mortality. Methods: A time‐series quasi‐experimental research design was used, including nonalcohol deaths within Florida and other states’ rates of alcohol‐related mortality for comparison. A total of 432 monthly observations of mortality in Florida were examined over the 36‐year period. Analyses included ARIMA, fixed‐effects, and random‐effects models, including a noise model, tax independent variables, and structural covariates. Results: We found significant reductions in mortality related to chronic heavy alcohol consumption following legislatively induced increases in alcohol taxes in Florida. The frequency of deaths (t = ?2.73, p = 0.007) and the rate per population (t = ?2.06, p = 0.04) declined significantly. The elasticity effect estimate is ?0.22 (t = ?1.88, p = 0.06), indicating a 10% increase in tax is associated with a 2.2% decline in deaths. Conclusions: Increased alcohol taxes are associated with significant and sizable reductions in alcohol‐attributable mortality in Florida. Results indicate that 600 to 800 lives per year could be saved if real tax rates were returned to 1983 levels (when the last tax increase occurred). Findings highlight the role of tax policy as an effective means for reducing deaths associated with chronic heavy alcohol use.