title: Alcohol consumption in young adults: the role of multisensory imagery.
abstract: Little is known about the subjective experience of alcohol desire and craving in young people. Descriptions of alcohol urges continue to be extensively used in the everyday lexicon of young, non-dependent drinkers. Elaborated Intrusion (EI) Theory contends that imagery is central to craving and desires, and predicts that alcohol-related imagery will be associated with greater frequency and amount of drinking. This study involved 1535 age stratified 18-25 year olds who completed an alcohol-related survey that included the Imagery scale of the Alcohol Craving Experience (ACE) questionnaire. Imagery items predicted 12-16% of the variance in concurrent alcohol consumption. Higher total Imagery subscale scores were linearly associated with greater drinking frequency and lower self-efficacy for moderate drinking. Interference with alcohol imagery may have promise as a preventive or early intervention target in young people.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research, The University of Queensland, Australia; Discipline of Psychiatry, The University of Queensland, Australia; Alcohol and Drug Assessment Unit, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Australia. Electronic address: Jason.Connor@uq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Jason P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Connor
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Australia.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Kavanagh
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Plymouth University, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jackie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Plymouth University, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: May
authors.affiliation: Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research, The University of Queensland, Australia; Alcohol and Drug Assessment Unit, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Australia.
authors.forename: Gerald F X
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Feeney
authors.affiliation: Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research, The University of Queensland, Australia; Alcohol and Drug Assessment Unit, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Australia.
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Gullo
authors.affiliation: Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research, The University of Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Angela M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: White
authors.affiliation: Department of Marketing, Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Australia.
authors.forename: Marie-Louise
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Fry
authors.affiliation: QUT Business School, Queensland University of Technology, Australia.
authors.forename: Judy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Drennan
authors.affiliation: UQ Business School, The University of Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Josephine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Previte
authors.affiliation: Science and Engineering Faculty, Queensland University of Technology, Australia.
authors.forename: Dian
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tjondronegoro
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D016014:Linear Models; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D055696:Olfactory Perception; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055697:Taste Perception; D014796:Visual Perception; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol
keywords: Alcohol; Craving; Imagery; Young adults