Self-Control and Adverse “Drinking” Consequences

Abstract

Most research on adverse alcohol consequences such as problems with health, work, and relationships focuses only on alcohol use itself as a cause of these outcomes. However, Gottfredson and Hirschi’s (1990) self-control theory holds that alcohol use and these negative outcomes are likely to have a common cause–low self-control. Tests of hypotheses derived from self-control theory show that self-control predicts negative drinking consequences better than combined measures of alcohol dependence and frequency and quantity of drinking. This suggests that various forms of risk–taking behavior and negative outcomes can be conceptualized as indicators of underlying levels of self-control.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Barbara J. Costello

BARBARA J. COSTELLO is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Rhode Island. Her research is focused on the development and testing of control theories of crime, the application of control theory to dependent variables outside of the traditional realm of criminology, and on the mechanisms of peer influence on behavior.

Bradley J. Anderson

BRADLEY J. ANDERSON, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Methodologist in the General Medicine Research Unit at Butler Hospital in Providence, RI. His interests include substance abuse and harm reduction in high risk populations. Current projects include randomized clinical trials involving substance abuse and sexual risk taking in emerging adults, smoking reduction in methadone patients, and linking hospitalized opioid dependent patients to treatment.

Michael D. Stein

MICHAEL D. STEIN, M.D., is Professor of Medicine, Health Services, Policy & Practice at Brown University. An internist based at Butler Hospital in Providence, he is an internationally known HIV and substance abuse researcher, having served as PI of more than 20 NIH-funded projects. Dr. Stein’s interests span populations, substances (opioids, marijuana, alcohol, cigarettes), and outcomes (relapse prevention, medication adherence, medical and substance use complications, sleep, HIV/STI risk). His work with incarcerated women dates back a decade.