Effects of alcoholics' expectation of a drink.

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Abstract
Alcoholics (32) and 32 nonalcoholics participated in a 15-min taste-rating task; half were instructed that they were to drink tonic water (told-tonic group) and half were to drink a mixture of vodka and tonic water (told-vodka group). No vodka was given. They were tested in groups of 4 or singly. In the told-vodka group the alcoholics and social drinkers drank average totals of 15.6 and 11.9 oz, and 1.3 and 0.6 oz/sip. In the told-tonic group the alcoholics and social drinkers drank a total of 5.4 and 7.6 oz, and 0.4 and 0.4 oz/sip. There were no significant effects of setting (group or individual) on drinking behavior. In the told-tonic group the alcoholics and social drinkers estimated that the beverage contained 0.1 and 6.2% alcohol. In the told-vodka group the alcoholics and social drinkers estimated the alcohol content at 20.5 and 16.0%. A reward-expectation factor apparently operates when drinkers expect a beverage to contain alcohol, and alcoholics demonstrate a greater expectation of the reward.

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