Our group has worked extensively with another genetically influenced characteristic that increases AUD risk but not the vulnerability for other SUDs or other psychiatric disorders: namely, the low level of response, or low LR, to alcohol, which is most prominent at peak and falling blood alcohol levels (BACs) (Heath et al., 1999; Lai et al., 2020; Schuckit, 2018; Schuckit & Smith, 1996; Vicken et al., 2003). The rationale for the effect of a low LR on heavier drinking relates to a social information processing model in which individuals are likely to consume as many drinks as are needed to achieve the effects they desire (Schuckit et al., 2005b). Thus, the major impact of the low LR is likely to be on drinking quantities, which then increases the risk for alcohol problems, but LR has a less robust relationship to drinking frequencies (Ray & Hutchison, 2009; Schuckit, 2018; Schuckit et al., 2005b; Schuckit et al., 2011a, 2011b, 2016, 2017).
