Alcohol beverage cues impair memory in high social drinkers.

Abstract: 

This study examined the influence of an alcohol beverage cue on memory processes in social drinkers. High and low drinking college students viewed a series of 15 pictures of common objects with the eighth picture either of an alcohol beverage or a soda. For high drinkers, free recall of the alcohol picture was enhanced, and memory for the pictures immediately following the cue was suppressed, relative to the series containing the soda picture. No such effects were observed for light drinkers. Apparently, alcohol cues affect attention and memory in heavy social drinkers. These results have important implications for theories of memory and attention, for explanations of addictive behaviour, and for effective prevention and treatment of alcoholism.