How personality shapes the risk of problematic alcohol use with Igor Marchetti

About this episode

Dr Tsen Vei Lim interviews Igor Marchetti about how personality traits influence the risk of problematic alcohol use based on a longitudinal study.

In this episode, Dr Tsen Vei Lim talks to Igor Marchetti, an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of Florence, Italy. The interview covers Igor’s research article that tests which personality traits are necessary conditions for problematic alcohol use, with insights from a 23-year longitudinal study. Why is understanding personality important for alcohol use? [01:18] The personality traits that are associated with problematic alcohol use [02:06] Why Igor and colleagues are looking at the necessary personality traits [03:16] The dataset used in the study [05:15] The key findings from the study [06:29] Low conscientiousness and problematic alcohol use [08:03] The link between impulsivity and conscientiousness [09:31] The necessary conditions to develop problematic alcohol use [11:29] Whether we can change parts of our personalities [13:42] The implications of the findings for policy and practice [15:01] The next steps for Igor and his team [17:00] About Tsen Vei Lim: Tsen Vei is an academic fellow supported by the Society for the Study of Addiction, currently based at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge. His research…

People in this episode

Host: Dr Tsen Vei Lim

Guest: Igor Marchetti

Topics covered

• personality traits
• problematic alcohol use
• longitudinal study
• impulsivity
• conscientiousness
• policy implications

Keywords

• alcohol use
• personality traits
• impulsivity
• conscientiousness
• longitudinal study
• addiction research

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Florence, Society for the Study of Addiction, University of Cambridge, University of Bath

More episodes of Addiction Audio

• Use and harms of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) with Amy Peacock and Krista Siefried · June 12, 2026 · 23 min
• Swapping smoking for vaping in England with Vera Buss and Leonie Brose · June 5, 2026 · 12 min
• Economic effects of reducing consumption of unhealthy commodities with Damon Morris · May 29, 2026 · 18 min
• Deceptive design features of online gambling platforms with Philip Newall · May 22, 2026 · 25 min
• Tracking the supply of nitazenes on online drug markets with Amy Peacock and Monica Barratt · May 8, 2026 · 19 min
• The use of AI to detect alcohol with Samatha Salim and Benjamin Riordan · May 1, 2026 · 21 min