Sensation seeking, the tendency to prefer and engage in intense, novel, and rewarding activities and experiences, 1 is associated with quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption, 2 , 3 often more so than the negative alcohol‐related consequences characteristic of alcohol use disorder (AUD). Further, the association between sensation seeking and alcohol consumption appears to be both developmentally relevant and bidirectional. Specifically, higher sensation seeking in adolescence is associated with earlier alcohol use initiation and greater increases in prospective heavy drinking. 4 , 5 In turn, higher levels of consumption predict subsequently higher levels of sensation seeking, potentially exacerbated by neurobiological changes resulting from heavy alcohol use in adolescence. 6 , 7
