Cognitive Failures Among Young Male Alcoholics Compared Across Levels of Alcoholism

Alcoholism is a common addictive behavior among males, which is quite prevalent among young adults. Men are more likely to consume alcohol than women, and that too in higher amounts than women. Cognitive dysfunction/impairment is a common symptom of chronic alcohol usage which may range in its impact on daily functioning. Brief attention lapses and other minor failures of cognition are quite common among individuals. Alcohol may impact such cognitive failures which may get worsened with chronic or heavy alcohol use. It is worthwhile to see if cognitive failures increase due to higher level of alcoholism. The present study was designed to investigate the differences in everyday cognitive failures across three different levels/groups of alcoholism measured though Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST). Cognitive failures were measured with Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ). The results of t-test indicated that male alcoholics (n=100, 18-25 years) with no problems due to alcohol usage scored significantly lower on CFQ as compared to mild problematic and problem drinkers. The groups of early/mild problem drinkers did not differ from problem drinkers (alcoholics) on scores of CFQ. The study concludes that higher levels of alcohol dependence lead to more cognitive failures. The implications and future recommendations are discussed.