Throughout history and across cultures, alcohol use has been very common. Alcohol use increases social behaviors among animals and humans, including friendly, as well as impulsive and aggressive, behaviors. Thus, while alcohol use helps facilitate social relationships with others, frequent heavy epsodic drinking is a serious problem that is associated with preventable morbidity and mortality, violence and violent criminal offending, and mental health conditions.

My research has evolved to better understand how, when, and for whom this normative alcohol use behavior develops into maladaptive patterns in the lifespan. This etiological research has informed, and been informed by, alcohol intervention research for adolescents and college students. My current research focuses on three related topics: (1) emotion dysregulation, heart rate variability, and alcohol use, (2) processes of change following a brief alcohol intervention for college students, and (3) longitudinal and person-oriented research methods.

Rethinking Drinking: Alcohol and Your Health (NIAAA)
Alcohol and Public Health (CDC)