To address this issue, we conducted the Chicago Social Drinking Project (CSDP), a prospective alcohol response re-examination study. The CSDP examined 190 non-alcohol dependent young adult heavy and light drinkers who were primarily in their 20s (mean age 25.6 ± 3.2 SD years) at enrollment. Our previously published results showed that compared with light drinkers, heavy drinkers exhibited both higher alcohol sensitivity, in terms of subjective stimulation and reward (liking and wanting)(29), as well as lower sensitivity, in terms of subjective sedation(29), and salivary cortisol reactivity(29, 32). These findings were replicated in a second independent heavy drinker cohort using identical procedures(33). Further, in heavy drinkers, greater alcohol stimulation and reward and lower sedation predicted binge drinking escalations at two-year follow-up(29), with greater stimulation and reward predicting more AUD symptoms experienced through six years(34).
