Do angry women choose alcohol?

Women's alcohol treatment usually includes anger management, predicated on the hypothesis that anger increases their drinking. Studies show strong association between anger and drinking but to date there is no laboratory support for this hypothesis. We examined effects of a "female-specific" anger provocation on young adult women's drinking behavior by randomly assigning 30 women (age 21-30) to one of two conditions: Provocation (n=15) or Non-Provocation (n=15). In the Provocation condition, a female confederate was both annoying and condescending to the participant for 8min. A manipulation check showed heightened anger and hostility (but not anxiety or depression) in the Provocation participants. In a subsequent taste-task, all participants could drink placebo "beer" and ginger ale. When the data analysis controlled for participants' baseline negative emotions, Provocation participants consumed more "beer" (M=172.33ml, SD=78.90) than did Non-Provocation participants (M=118.60ml, SD=75.74) (p<.04), with no differences in ginger ale consumption. Results support a causal relationship between young women's anger and their specific choice to drink alcohol.