Effects of Acute Alcohol Intoxication on Mind-Wandering and Related Attentional States During Working-Memory Tasks

Key Points

• Acute alcohol intoxication significantly impairs attentional states during working-memory tasks, leading to reduced cognitive performance.
• Participants exhibited a pronounced increase in mind-wandering when under the influence, adversely affecting task completion.
• Observational analysis assessed the impact of alcohol on cognitive tasks in a controlled setting, with emphasis on attentional states.
• These findings call for strategies to address cognitive deficits associated with acute alcohol use, particularly in high-stakes environments.

Abstract