Health, crime and mortality statistics all bear out the negative consequences of excessive alcohol consumption. With the UK having one of Europe’s highest rates of both binge drinking and dangerous drinking levels, it is unsurprising that a number of preventive programmes have been developed there in recent years.

Many of these seek to change young people’s behavior by trying to make an impact upon the societal influences, social learning and behavioral problems that are known to be associated with excessive drinking. But there is also evidence that psychopathology plays a role and that an individual’s predisposition to depression, anxiety and antisocial behaviour is also important.

Four personality factors are likely to be significant – hopelessness, anxiety- tendency towards anxiety, impulsivity and sensation-seeking with the first of these especially so. If particular personality factors can be linked to high levels of drinking in adolescence, this will provide another opportunity to intervene early.

Psychologists in London and Montreal have devised a program that promotes the use of healthier, non-substance-related strategies for managing the problems such individuals are at risk of developing. They tested this on a large sample of young people living in London. In all, 2,530 adolescents – with an average age of 14 – were approached, 1,045 of whom met the criteria for inclusion. Consent was forthcoming for 364 of them and they were randomly allocated to control and intervention groups.

It was found that the intervention group showed significantly reduced alcohol consumption and binge drinking six months later. Two years on, individuals in the group continued to show less dangerous levels of drinking. Excessive alcohol consumption, and its use as a coping mechanism, was especially marked among young people affected by high levels of anxiety. Success in preventing consumption associated with self-enhancement was greatest among the sensation-seeking group.

Programmes targeted at particular personality groups appear to reduce drinking behaviour among adolescents in the short-term, and there is some indication of long-term benefits. Moreover, success in stemming the natural growth of drinking among those who adopt the habit in early adolescence is important as it delays the development of heavier, problematic drinking until a critical period of social and/or neurodevelopment has been passed and social skills that are not dependent on drinking have been developed.

It also allows for important brain activity, such as executive functions and the ability to respond to rewards, to mature naturally. These, in turn, have been linked to personality characteristics that are particularly susceptibility to addiction.

Reference:
Patricia J. Conrad, Natalie Castellanos-Ryan and Clare Mackie, “Long-term effects of a personality-targeted intervention to reduce alcohol use in adolescents”, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 79, 3, 296-306, 2011