Rate control is the first human laboratory paradigm where participants had explicit, reproducible control over their rate of change of alcohol exposure. The results support our primary hypothesis—that people who report risky drinking self‐administered alcohol to a binge level faster. This behaviour suggests that they may consume alcohol to raise their BrAC quickly versus simply achieving a higher level, potentially a pharmacodynamic mechanism underlying risky drinking. Clinically, this observation provides evidence of the importance of counselling people on not only how much and how often but also how quickly they drink, urging extra precaution for those with greater FHD. The results support FHD as a risk factor for elevated drinking intensity; it is also associated with subjective response, although in an indirect and complex manner. The findings also build upon previous studies that used retrospective evaluation of a free‐access IV alcohol‐self‐administration paradigm to demonstrate that time to achieve binge levels during a drinking episode reflected risk factors for AUD such as gender, family history of AUD, impulsivity, and level of response. 35 , 36 , 38
