Self-reported wanting and drinking motives in relation to alcohol use

Although the cognitive underpinnings of alcohol use have been widely studied, far less is known about how these processes relate to higher-order motivational factors. This study offers an initial exploratory step toward examining how self-reported wanting, liking, and situation-specific imagery relate to drinking motivations and intentions to reduce alcohol use. Survey data from 446 adults (187 men; M age = 44.38, SD = 17.76) were analyzed using proxy measures of wanting and liking, situation-specific imagery, drinking motives and intentions to reduce alcohol use. Consistent with our hypotheses, wanting was more strongly associated with drinking motivations than liking. This association was more pronounced for internal motivations and situation-specific wanting and liking likewise corresponded more closely with these motives. Also wanting was associated with intentions to reduce alcohol use. These findings suggest that self-reported wanting may be more closely linked to internal drinking motivations, both of which are associated with higher levels of problematic alcohol use. As a primary exploratory cross-sectional investigation, these results highlight the need for longitudinal research to clarify temporal and causal pathways.