How drinking speed affects binge and high‑intensity drinking
Binge & High-Intensity Drinking: Rate, Acute Tolerance, and Salience
['FUNDING_OTHER'] · INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS · NIH-11238457
This project looks at how the speed of drinking affects adults' feelings, brain responses, and risk for binge or high‑intensity drinking.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_OTHER'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (INDIANAPOLIS, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11238457 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
If you join, you will come to the Indiana Alcohol Research Center and receive alcohol by IV to reach and hold a set blood alcohol level while the team times how quickly you hit the binge threshold (80 mg/dL). Staff will record how your subjective reward changes and whether you show acute tolerance, and they will use neuroimaging and electrophysiology to measure brain circuits linked to salience. The project compares people by sex, family history of alcohol use disorder, lifetime drinking history, and impulsivity to see who is more likely to 'front‑load' drinking. The controlled 'alcohol clamp' approach keeps everyone at the same alcohol level so the researchers can separate the effects of drinking speed from total alcohol amount.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults who drink alcohol and are medically able to receive controlled intravenous alcohol, including people with varied drinking histories, are the intended participants.
Not a fit: People who are pregnant, medically unstable, currently seeking treatment for severe alcohol dependence, or unwilling to receive IV alcohol would not be eligible or likely to benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify people at higher risk for dangerous binge drinking and inform better prevention or treatment strategies.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies using the alcohol clamp and neuroimaging have given useful insights into alcohol response, but applying drinking rate and front‑loading to binge/high‑intensity drinking is a relatively new focus.
Where this research is happening
INDIANAPOLIS, UNITED STATES
- INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS — INDIANAPOLIS, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: PLAWECKI, MARTIN H. — INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS
- Study coordinator: PLAWECKI, MARTIN H.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.