This experiment was designed to discriminate among two diametrically opposed states, arousal and relaxation, which have been attributed to alcohol ingestion. Male social drinker subjects were assigned to form two independent groups of ten subjects each. Baseline measure of heart rate, skin conductance level (SCL), pulse wave amplitude and ear lobe temperature were recorded. Group I then received .3 ml/lb of body weight pure ethanol in orange juice over a five-minute period. Group II received 1 ml of ethanol floated on top of juice, and both groups' physiological measures were continuously recorded over the next 40 minutes. Results showed that reliable effects were not obtained with the SCL measure, and that heart rate increased reliably but nondifferentially for both groups. Ear lob temperature increased for the alcohol and decreased for the placebo group. It was concluded that, in the dose used, alcohol acted as a relaxant, and that previous experiments found equivocal and conflicting results because they did not utilize a placebo control group but drew inferences from within subject baseline to post-drink comparisons. (Author/PC)