Alcohol and Anxiety: The Role of Drinking Context, Expectancy, and Sex of Subject

Abstract

Contrary to traditional models of the emotional effects of alcohol (e.g., Conger, 1956), recent evidence has not supported the notion that alcohol's pharmacological action consistently reduces anxiety in all persons across all drinking situations (see reviews by Cappell, 1975; Freed, 1978; Higgins, 1976; Marlatt, 1976). Instead, emotional responses to alcohol, including changes in anxiety, appear to be critically determined by the drinking context characteristics (e.g., Kalin, 1972; Pliner & Cappell, 1974) and the drinker's expectations of alcohol's effects (e.g., Polivy, Schueneman, & Carlson, 1976; Wilson & Abrams, 1977).