Understanding The Psychobiological Mechanisms That Influence Binge Drinking Behaviour

The European Union has the highest alcohol consumption of any region in the world, with average daily consumption double the global average (WHO, 2012) which brings a number of serious health risks including liver cirrhosis, cancers and cardiovascular disease. In England alone, during 2013-4 there were over one million hospital admissions due to alcohol related problems; an amount that is rising steadily, in addition to the number of deaths associated to alcohol (HSCIC 2015). One particularly hazardous aspect of alcohol consumption is binge drinking, where large volumes of alcohol1 are consumed in a very short period of time, which increases the health and safety risks to the individual and costs to society. Understanding more about the mechanisms influencing this behaviour and the effectiveness of strategies to reduce binge drinking are the focus of this PhD programme. This project will use an experimental approach to examine the differences in individuals’ capacity to detect the sensory (including alcohol taste), behavioural (intoxicating) and cognitive (attention and memory) changes that occur during alcohol consumption. It will further reveal whether the speed of alcohol consumption differs as a function of alcohol sensitivity, which is important since the same quantity of alcohol drunk in a short versus longer period of time will have dramatically different effects on behaviour and cognition. The research will then test the effectiveness of using strong2 health warning labels in reducing binge drinking in both an experimental and field study. Finally, the data from these studies will help develop a screening test for individuals less sensitive to alcohol, thereby helping to identify those at an elevated risk. The project will therefore have significant theoretical and practical benefits. In terms of the latter, a central focus of the UK government’s alcohol strategy is to reduce binge drinking; this project will provide the science and the evidence to help achieve that aim.