Chapter 9. Alcohol Expectancies

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Alcohol’s behavioral effects stem not only from its impact on brain functioning, but also from the drinker’s expectations. To gain some insight into your alcohol expectancies, complete the Anticipated Effects of Alcohol scale. The scale captures both how you expect alcohol to affect your emotions and how you expect alcohol to affect your level of arousal for example your level of relaxation or energy

The following is a list of feelings that people may experience after drinking alcohol. People often report different experiences during a drinking episode and after stopping drinking for the night. Therefore, you will be asked to indicate (1) how you expect to feel immediately after drinking 4 or 5 drinks within a 2-hour period and (2) how you expect to feel an hour and half (90 minutes) after finishing your final 4th (female) or 5th (male) drink. If you have never consumed that many drinks in a 2-hour period, please indicate how you think you would feel in this situation.

Did your alcohol expectancies score surprise you? An individual’s beliefs about the effects of alcohol affect not only their behavior when they consume alcohol but also their behavior when they believe they have consumed alcohol even if they haven’t. In addition, a person’s beliefs about the effects of alcohol can affect the amount they drink. As you have read in your textbook heavy drinking can have hazardous effects on a person physically and psychologically. Drinking in moderation is best.