Daily loneliness and alcohol use in Alcohol Use Disorder: an 8-week EMA study of within-person associations

Background and Aims: Loneliness has been suggested as a risk factor for alcohol consumption (AC), potentially contributing to a cycle whereby loneliness increases drinking, which in turn exacerbates loneliness through alcohol-related consequences. However, longitudinal evidence is inconsistent, and little is known about short-term, within-person associations in individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD). We examined concurrent and lagged bidirectional associations between loneliness and AC in daily life and whether these associations varied according to social contact, mood, age, and gender.