Alcohol impairs the functioning of a variety of domains, including memory, judgment, and behavior (Nelson et al., 1998; Sayette, 1999). It diminishes eye movements (Blekher et al., 2002; Holdstock & de Wit, 1999; Moser, Heide, & Kömpf, 1998), short-term memory (Chait & Perry, 1994; Heishman, Arasteh, & Stitzer, 1997; Mattila et al., 1996), and motor performance (Fogarty & Vogel-Sprott, 2002). These direct influences of alcohol consumption, however, vary in magnitude as a function of amount ingested and individual differences in alcohol expectancies. A study of 302 undergraduates found that mood was affected by alcohol intake: Men more often reported social-situational enhancements (e.g., meeting people), whereas women often reported physical (e.g., falling asleep) effects (Goldstein, Wall, McKee, & Hinson, 2004). Alcohol-related memories can account for as much as 50% of the variance in predicting concurrent and prospective drinking (Wiers et al., 2002), and expectances can predict as well as demographic variables, such as social and problem drinking (Christiansen & Goldman, 1983).
