Acute effects of alcohol and other drugs on automatic and intentional control

Research in substance abuse has witnessed increased application of cognitive theories and methodologies and there is growing interest in the role of automatic (i.e., implicit) processes. This chapter explains how process-dissociation models distinguish between automatic and controlled processes and considers how drugs alter the degree to which behavior is influenced by automatic processes. The chapter reviews findings from studies that used process-dissociation models to examine acute effects of alcohol, and other drugs. It is argued that the ability of drugs to promote a reliance on automatic influences could explain a broad range of behavioral effects observed in the drugged state, and provide new insights into factors that contribute to drug-taking and drug abuse.