Drinking Restraint and Risk for Alcohol Abuse

Drinking restraint is receiving increased attention as a possible risk factor for alcohol abuse. Although in its relative infancy, survey and laboratory research have delineated relationships between restraint and heavy drinking, as well as other drinking-related variables (cyclical drinking, negative consequences). However, a host of conceptual and methodological issues remain to be addressed. This review presents an overview of the research to date, with emphasis on the research conducted by R.L. Collins and colleagues. Issues concerning the conceptualization of drinking restraint and its measurement, as well as its relationship to the abstinence violation effect are discussed. Although many issues remain to be resolved, drinking restraint offers promise for elucidating processes involved in the move from social drinking to problem drinking.