Little is known about the association of binge drinking with impulsivity related to trait- or state-like aspects of behavior. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate whether binge drinkers show an impairment of inhibitory control in comparison to non-binge drinkers when confronted with alcohol-associated or control stimuli, and whether this is reflected in self-reported impulsivity. A go/no-go task with pictures of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages as well as control stimuli was administered to binge drinkers and a gender-matched group of non-binge drinkers. All participants also completed the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11). We found an alcohol-specific impairment of response inhibition for binge drinkers only, while the groups did not differ with regard to overall response inhibition to the experimental stimuli or self-reported impulsiveness (BIS-11). In addition, the number of commission errors in response to alcohol-associated stimuli was the only significant predictor of binge drinking.
The findings of the present study suggest that when young adults have established binge drinking as a common drinking pattern, impairment of inhibition in response to alcoholic stimuli is the only significant predictor of binge drinking, but not general impulsive behavior.
Is binge drinking in young adults associated with an alcohol-specific impairment of response inhibition?