Smell of alcohol contributes to craving, says study
Posted on: 19/Mar/2016 10:36:38 AM
A new study has said that the smell of alcohol makes its harder for people to control their craving. The study was conducted by researchers at the Edge Hill University in Britain and focused on the impact of substance abuse and addiction. The paper was published in the journal Psychopharmacology.
Says one of the researchers, This research is a first attempt to explore other triggers, such as smell, that may interfere with people`s ability to refrain from a particular behaviour.
Participants took part in a computer based study. They were asked wear a face mask that was either laced with a non alcoholic citrus solution or with alcohol. They were then told to press a button when either a picture of a beer bottle or the letter K appeared on their screen. The number of times the participants incorrectly pressed the button was measured. They termed this a false alarm. These alarms indicated a reduction in the participant`s power to inhibit their behaviour when they were expected to.
Say the researchers, The number of these false alarms was higher in participants who were wearing the alcohol treated mask. Our hope is that by increasing our understanding of how context shapes substance-use behaviours, we will be able to make interventions more sensitive to the different situations in which people consume substances.
