Our group has been interested in whether enhancing knowledge of Low LR in the usual student entering college might help decrease future heavy drinking. We were guided by a literature indicating that such prevention programs are more effective if lessons are personalized to relate to an individual's attributes, usually focusing on a person's demography and recent drinking patterns (Carey et al., 2007; Conrod et al., 2011; Larimer and Cronce, 2007). Several recent studies also evaluated the effectiveness of tailoring prevention messages to address preexisting phenotypes, including feelings of hopelessness, anxiety sensitivity, impulsivity, or sensation seeking, demonstrating that such personalized interventions were associated with long term lower levels of alcohol and drug involvement (Conrod et al., 2010, 2011, 2013). As suggested by Chinn and Brewer (1993), organizing information around a principle (e.g., how a Low LR impacts on future drinking) with which a person with Low LR identifies might increase the likelihood that the information will be remembered and acted upon.
