In the past, effectively measuring subjective response to alcohol has been difficult due in part to a lack of both psychometrically sound measures of positive response and paradigms that reliably ascertain subjective effects without confounds of invasive measures. Because of this, objective measures were often viewed as more desirable and robust than subjective measures. However, the subjective responses obtained in the current study were highly reproducible between cohorts and demonstrate a biphasic alcohol response in HD, which also conceptually support the results of others (Quinn and Fromme, 2011; Ray et al., 2009; Thomas et al., 2004). We believe that these results are due to employing reliable and valid scales to ascertain both positive (stimulating, liking, wanting) and negative (sedation) responses across the rising and declining limbs of the BAC curve (Martin et al., 1993; Morean et al., 2013). Importantly, because HD’s sensitivity to the stimulating and hedonically rewarding effects of alcohol predict future alcohol problems (King et al., 2011a; King et al., 2013 in press), these results suggest that subjective response to alcohol challenge may be a sensitive, cost-effective, and non-invasive method of identifying individuals at risk for the development of AUD.
