Could Alcohol Anticipation-Related Glucose Responses Contribute to a Physiological Drive to Consume Alcohol?
Saved in:
| Title: | Could Alcohol Anticipation-Related Glucose Responses Contribute to a Physiological Drive to Consume Alcohol? |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Hawkins, K. L. (AUTHOR), Roy, S. (AUTHOR), Hogervorst, E. (AUTHOR), Kingsnorth, A. (AUTHOR), Wilcockson, T. D. W. (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Substance Use & Misuse. 2026, Vol. 61 Issue 8, p1290-1294. 5p. |
| Subjects: | Blood sugar analysis, Data analysis, Statistical sampling, Universities & colleges, Questionnaires, Descriptive statistics, Desire, Blood sugar, Motivation (Psychology), One-way analysis of variance, Statistics, Alcohol drinking, Alcoholism, Thought & thinking |
| Geographic Terms: | United Kingdom |
| Abstract: | Background: Excessive alcohol drinkers have previously been observed to experience alcohol craving at the mere sight of alcohol alone. This is typically considered to be a result of maladaptive cognitive motivations. However, there may be physiological drivers affecting this craving also. Blood glucose levels have previously been found to be affected by anticipation of carbohydrate ingestion. Objectives: Therefore, this paper explored whether blood glucose levels of excessive alcohol drinkers was affected by alcohol anticipation. Participants were led to believe they would be drinking alcohol. A blood glucose reading was taken before and after this event so that a measure of blood glucose change could be recorded. Results: It was found that excessive alcohol drinkers demonstrated a decrease in blood glucose levels overall. These results demonstrate that alcohol anticipation in excessive drinkers is associated with a decrease in blood glucose as a result of an anticipation-related physiological response. Conclusions: These results may imply that excessive alcohol drinkers may have a physiological drive to consume alcohol in order to replenish blood glucose, which may exacerbate feelings of alcohol craving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Substance Use & Misuse is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
|
Full text is not displayed to guests.
Login for full access.
|
|
| Abstract: | Background: Excessive alcohol drinkers have previously been observed to experience alcohol craving at the mere sight of alcohol alone. This is typically considered to be a result of maladaptive cognitive motivations. However, there may be physiological drivers affecting this craving also. Blood glucose levels have previously been found to be affected by anticipation of carbohydrate ingestion. Objectives: Therefore, this paper explored whether blood glucose levels of excessive alcohol drinkers was affected by alcohol anticipation. Participants were led to believe they would be drinking alcohol. A blood glucose reading was taken before and after this event so that a measure of blood glucose change could be recorded. Results: It was found that excessive alcohol drinkers demonstrated a decrease in blood glucose levels overall. These results demonstrate that alcohol anticipation in excessive drinkers is associated with a decrease in blood glucose as a result of an anticipation-related physiological response. Conclusions: These results may imply that excessive alcohol drinkers may have a physiological drive to consume alcohol in order to replenish blood glucose, which may exacerbate feelings of alcohol craving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 10826084 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/10826084.2025.2604214 |
