The reviewed research suggests that both the LLRM and the DM may be useful in understanding subjective responses. Thirty years of research have provided considerable evidence that FH+ men respond less strongly to the effects of alcohol, perhaps particularly on the descending limb of the BAC curve, and some prospective evidence suggests that this risk factor may predict eventual AUD diagnosis. These findings are consistent with a low level of response as an intermediate phenotype for the development of AUDs. In contrast, heavier drinkers showed distinctly more subjective stimulation and distinctly less sedation. Whether these effects reflect inborn, inherited factors and whether they prospectively predict increased risk for AUDs remains to be determined. Although previous efforts have treated the LLRM and DM as competing theoretical approaches, the results of this quantitative review suggest that they may describe two separate subjective response risk factors, each with its own etiological pathway toward AUDs.
