Additionally, one may argue that tension-reduction or stress-response dampening models (e.g., Greeley & Oei, 1999; Levenson et al., 1980; Sher & Levenson, 1982) may offer an alternative explanation to the current findings. Nevertheless, negative reinforcement assumes that the levels of negative mood have reached an unpleasant level and the relief from negative mood results in negative reinforcement. That may be especially true in the case in of comorbidity between alcohol use disorders and mood and anxiety disorders, for instance. Conversely, if the levels of negative mood are at a normative level but are then “lifted,” or improved, by alcohol intake then positive reinforcement is thought to occur. In other words, the current data does not allow us to determine how reinforcing these mood changes (i.e., vigor and negative mood) were to each individual. As reviewed by Sher and colleagues (2005), the relationship between negative affective states and alcohol intake or problems is not a strong one and laboratory-based studies have provided contradictory evidence on the effects of alcohol on negative affect. More specifically, the authors argue that negative affect regulation
