An alternative to the low response model, called the differentiator model (Newlin and Thomson 1990), has also been proposed. The differentiator model suggests that those at greatest risk of alcohol-related problems experience enhanced reinforcing, stimulant effects on the ascending limb of the blood alcohol curve and muted adverse, sedative effects on the descending limb. The aforementioned meta-analysis offered support for the differentiator model with regard to heavy compared to light drinking, but not with respect to family history status (Quinn and Fromme 2011). This result highlights the unique contribution of level of alcohol use and familial vulnerability to alcohol-related outcomes. Based on their findings, King et al. (2011) have proposed a modified version of the differentiator model, which posits elevated stimulant and dampened sedative effects among higher risk drinkers across limbs of the blood alcohol curve.
