Anticipated Stimulant and Sedative Effects of Alcohol Vary with Dosage and Limb of the Blood Alcohol Curve

Anticipations of alcohol's effects reportedly covary with the amount consumed. Alcohol's stimulant and sedative properties also may contribute to alcohol consumption. Anticipations of stimulant and sedative effects have not been investigated extensively. The present study examined the stimulant and sedative effects subjects anticipated experiencing if they were on the ascending or descending limb of the blood alcohol curve after consuming two or four standard drinks. One hundred sixty-six undergraduates reported anticipating greater stimulant effects than sedative effects on the ascending limb of the blood alcohol curve, and greater sedative effects than stimulant effects on the descending limb. Subjects also reported anticipating larger effects with larger doses. Men tended to anticipate smaller effects than women. These results support the notion that specific anticipated effects vary with dosage and the limb of blood alcohol curve, suggesting that the study of anticipated effects of alcohol should employ these variables.