Although as described previously the evidence from FH comparisons aligns more strongly with the LLRM than the DM, we found considerable support for predictions of the DM in studies of typical alcohol consumption. Specifically, heavier drinkers of both genders responded 0.4 standard deviations less than did lighter drinkers on measures of sedation but nearly half a standard deviation more on measures of stimulation. That is, heavier drinkers experienced the stimulant effects of alcohol to a greater extent than did lighter drinkers. Further, although sedation effect sizes were similar in magnitude and significance across the ascending and descending limbs of the BAC curve, the stimulation difference appeared more pronounced on the ascending limb. Whereas these findings are largely in line with the DM, they cannot be explained by the LLRM. In considering effect sizes for stimulation and sedation responses within limbs of the BAC curve, however, it is important to note that these analyses required that we divide the included samples into relatively small sets (see Table 4). Given the between-study variability observed here, we caution that there may be instability in these effect-size estimates.
