Notably, other models suggest that personality traits may influence the use of alcohol to regulate affect. For example, according to the self-awareness model of alcohol (Hull, 1987), painful affective states are mediated by a state of self-awareness. Thus, by interrupting psychological mechanisms that relate to self-awareness, alcohol is thought to reduce distress. Individuals with high private self-consciousness (i.e., the corresponding trait of the state of self-awareness) are considered to be particularly susceptible to experience negative affect when exposed to negative information about the self and thus may be more likely to seek relief through substances (e.g., alcohol) that attenuate negative affect produced by self-awareness processes. Consistent with this notion, Park, Sher, & Krull (2006) found that sorority members (who may experience higher levels of emotional distress and engage in heavy drinking as a coping strategy; see Park et al., 2006) increased their drinking as private self-consciousness increased.
