Relationship Between Nicotine and Alcohol Expectancies and Substance Dependence

The relation between nicotine and alcohol expectancies and lifetime nicotine and alcohol dependence was examined. Higher expectancies for nicotine and alcohol were found for nicotine and alcohol-dependent groups, respectively, compared with asymptomatic and nonusing groups. These data extend work showing a positive relation between level of smoking and expectancy by showing that, with level of use controlled statistically, enhanced expectancies are characteristic of persons meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed., rev.; American Psychiatric Association, 1987) criteria for nicotine dependence. A similar relation was found between alcohol expectancies and alcohol dependence. Implications for understanding the role of cognitive factors in drug dependence are discussed.