Acute alcohol intoxication in socially drinking female and male offspring of alcoholic fathers

Abstract

Alcohol pharmacokinetics, mood-state alterations and psychomotor performance were investigated in women and men at risk for developing alcoholism. Estimated body water was used to calculate the alcohol dose in an effort to eliminate differences in alcohol pharmacokinetics between women and men due to differences in body composition. Differences were not detected between women and men or family history groups (family history positive, FH +, and family history negative, FH-) on absorption time, peak blood alcohol level (BAL), elimination time, or area under the blood alcohol curve (AUC). FH + men reported no central stimulant effects at peak BAL on the Sensation Scale, whereas FH- men and women all reported central stimulant effects. Further, FH + men reported a decrease in anxiety after the ingestion of alcohol. Acute intoxication did not affect performance in the FH + group on a finger-tapping task. In the FH - group, the dominant hand was significantly impaired during the ascending limb of the blood alcohol curve and recovered during the descending limb. Differences between family history groups or sex were not detected on a grooved-pegboard task. Results indicated that FH + men may experience alcohol differently from the FH - group and FH + women. FH + women also showed different reactions to acute alcohol than the FH - group. However, these differences were not as consistent across tasks.