According to the abstinence violation effect, highly controlled drinkers tend to overindulge following an initial slip. To investigate this relapse model, 47 male college students, ranging in age from 21 to 46, were assigned either to an unrestrained or a restrained drinker group according to their scores on the Restrained Drinking Scale. Subjects were given a choice of rating either wine or soda after one half of the group received an alcohol preload. An analysis of the results showed that, contrary to the abstinence violation effect, an initial slip in the control of restrained drinkers did not lead to overindulgence. Restrained drinkers who had an alcohol preload were less likely to select alcohol in preference to soda. Compared to unrestrained drinkers, however, restrained drinkers were more likely to select alcohol in the no-preload condition. The preload increased the self-control exhibited by the restrained drinkers. (BL)