The current study had some important strengths worth noting. First, analyses across two independent samples of young adult heavy social drinkers with similar demographics and drinking patterns offer confidence in generalizability to other young adult samples. Second, the use of prospective analyses with intensive and multiple follow-ups over two years offered a unique and robust test of predictive validity. Third, the laboratory-based protocol with alcohol administration offered direct measurement of alcohol effects, which is highly desirable compared to retrospective self-report of alcohol effects. This type of prospective, lab-based experimental design is crucial to elucidate the mechanisms by which alcohol responses may relate to future risk for drinking exacerbations and problems (King et al., 2011b).
