title: Ecological evidence that affect and perceptions of drink effects depend on alcohol expectancies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  (1) To compare affective changes over drinking and non-drinking days among frequent drinkers and (2) to evaluate whether drinkers' expectations influence affective changes and perceived pleasure and relief from drinking.
  
  
  METHODS
  Observational study involving ecological momentary assessments collected via electronic diaries during the course of 3 weeks.
  
  
  METHODS
  Drinkers' usual settings in Columbia, MO, USA.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 400 adult, frequent drinkers, aged 18-70 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ecological assessments included morning reports, pre-drinking random prompts, user-initiated first-drink reports and device-prompted follow-ups over drinking episodes. Participants rated positive (enthusiastic, excited, happy) and negative (distressed, sad) affect and perceived pleasure and relief from drinking in real time. A self-report questionnaire completed at baseline evaluated expectancies for enhanced sociability and tension reduction from drinking.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Relative to affective changes over non-drinking days, positive affect increased prior to drinking [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.004, 0.023], and at first drink (95% CI = 0.238, 0.317), whereas negative affect decreased prior to drinking (95% CI = - 0.007, 0.000) and at first drink (95% CI = - 0.154, - 0.098). Sociability expectancies augmented increases in positive affect prior to drinking (95% CI = 0.009, 0.027) and at first drink (95% CI = 0.017, 0.169). Sociability expectancies also enhanced perceived pleasure from first drinks (95% CI = 0.046, 0.318). Tension-reduction expectancies attenuated decreases in negative affect at first drink (95% CI = - 0.133, - 0.029), but augmented perceived relief from first drinks (95% CI = 0.001, 0.304).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although theoretical models tend to focus on negative affective outcomes of drinking, changes in positive affect prior to drinking and early in drinking episodes are important for maintaining drinking behavior. Frequent drinkers' expectations for enhanced sociability or tension reduction from drinking influence their affective experiences over drinking days and perceptions of pleasure and relief from drinking.
authors.affiliation: Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
authors.forename: Hayley
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Treloar
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.|Midwest Alcoholism Research Center, St Louis and Columbia, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Piasecki
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.|Midwest Alcoholism Research Center, St Louis and Columbia, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Denis M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.|Midwest Alcoholism Research Center, St Louis and Columbia, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Kenneth J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Sher
authors.affiliation: Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA.|Midwest Alcoholism Research Center, St Louis and Columbia, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Heath
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008923:Missouri; D009042:Motivation; D010465:Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Alcohol; drink appraisals; ecological momentary assessment; expectancies; negative affect; piecewise growth model; positive affect; sociability; tension reduction