These prospective results are consistent with our theory that individuals high in sensation seeking may be inclined to pursue the stimulation of alcohol consumption and to expose themselves to drinking contexts more often, and, thus, be more likely to increase the frequency with which they drink during the first year of college. The results were also consistent with our theory that those high in positive urgency are more likely to increase their quantity of alcohol consumed and their problems associated with alcohol use due to (a) an emotion-based focus on short-term, rather than long-term considerations, and (b) the effect of emotion on self-regulatory skills. Also consistent with our theory, negative urgency was not a significant predictor of increases in alcohol use or problems during the first year of college; our hypothesis that drinking is more of a positive mood-based action than a negative mood-based action for U.S. college freshmen was thus supported. It is important to note, however, that the respective influence of positive and negative mood-based rash action may differ based on population of interest, context, and drug of choice. This should be examined in future studies.
