Drug preference as a function of arousal and stimulus screening.

The sedating and arousing central nervous system effects of drugs have long been inferred to be a factor in their illicit use and abuse. The present study provides evidence to support this contention; specifically, preference for a particular drug is, in part, a function of arousal-seeking and stimulus-screening characteristics. In general, the results suggest that individuals who prefer central nervous system stimulants tend to have greater arousal-seeking tendencies and lower external stimulus screening ability than those who prefer central nervous system depressants. Opiate preferrers aligned more closely with stimulant preferrers than alcohol groups. Preferrers of hallucinogens were higher in internal stimulus screening than all other drug preference groups. Trait anxiety does not appear to be related to arousal seeking or to preference for arousing or sedating drugs.