Regret Me Not: Examining the Relationship between Alcohol Consumption and Regrettable Experiences

Alcohol use is a considerable public health concern, leading to negative health and adverse social consequences. Despite widespread knowledge and acceptance of these consequences many individuals continue to drink excessively. Lack of regret for these consequences may partially explain this. Objecti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Substance use & misuse 2020-09, Vol.55 (14), p.2379-2388
Main Authors: Jones, Andrew, Crawford, Joel, Rose, Abi, Christiansen, Paul, Cooke, Richard
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alcohol
Alcohol use
Consumption
Cross-sectional studies
Drinking behavior
Driving under the influence
DUI
hangover
intentions
Predictions
Psychological intervention
Public health
Regret
Risk taking
risky behaviors
Social acceptance
Substance abuse
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Summary:Alcohol use is a considerable public health concern, leading to negative health and adverse social consequences. Despite widespread knowledge and acceptance of these consequences many individuals continue to drink excessively. Lack of regret for these consequences may partially explain this. Objectives: To examine the prevalence of regrettable experiences and their role in future intentions to drink. Methods: In two studies (Study 1: cross-sectional; Study 2: longitudinal) participants reported on 18 regrettable experiences; from common regrets (e.g. hangover), to risky behaviors (e.g. drug taking), and serious regrets (e.g. driving under the influence), over a two-week period. Results: Prevalence of regrettable experiences was high (e.g. 79.0% of individuals in study 1 and 66.9% of individuals in study 2 experienced a hangover). Prevalence was greater for common regrets compared to risky behaviors and serious regrets. In study one, alcohol consumed over the previous fortnight predicted the number of different regrettable experiences over the same period. In study two, units consumed on a day-to-day basis predicted the number of regrets on that same basis. Neither study demonstrated evidence for the predictive utility of regrets for intentions to consume alcohol in the future. Conclusions: These findings suggest high prevalence of regrettable experiences, that are predicted by increased alcohol consumption. However, there was little evidence that increased number of experiences predicted future drinking intentions. Regrettable experiences are prevalent following consumption, however a focus on these regrets to deter future alcohol consumption may not be an effective psychological intervention.
ISSN:1082-6084
1532-2491
DOI:10.1080/10826084.2020.1817084