Citation

Houben K, Havermans RC, Nederkoorn C, Jansen A. Addiction 2012; 107(7): 1280-1287.

Affiliation

Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1360-0443.2012.03827.x

PMID

22296168

Abstract

Aims Previous research showed that consistently not responding to alcohol-related stimuli in a Go/No-Go training reduces drinking behavior. This study aimed to further examine the mechanisms underlying this Go/No-Go training effect. Design, setting, and participants Fifty-seven heavy drinkers were randomly assigned to two training conditions: In the beer/no-go condition, alcohol-related stimuli were always paired with a stopping response, while in the beer/go condition, participants always responded to alcohol-related stimuli. Participants were individually tested in a laboratory at Maastricht University. Measurements Weekly alcohol intake, implicit attitudes toward beer, approach-avoidance action tendencies toward beer, and response inhibition were measured before and after the training. Findings Results showed a significant reduction in both implicit attitudes (p= .03) and alcohol intake (p= .02) in the beer/no-go condition, but not in the beer/go condition. There were no significant training effects on action tendencies or response inhibition. Conclusions Repeatedly stopping prepotent responses toward alcohol-related stimuli effectively reduces excessive alcohol use via a devaluation of alcohol-related stimuli rather than via increased inhibitory control over alcohol-related responses.

Language: en