title: Stress and consumption of alcohol in humans with a Type 1 family history of alcoholism in an experimental laboratory setting.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This paper investigates how stress interacts with alcohol consumption in subjects with a family history of alcoholism. One mechanism for increases in alcohol intake may be that stress alters the subjective effects produced by the drug.
  
  
  METHODS
  58 healthy volunteers, divided into two groups of family history positive (FHP) and two groups of family history negative (FHN) participated in two laboratory sessions, in which they performed in one out of two sessions a stress task. Then subjects were allowed to choose up to six additional drinks of ethanol or placebo depending on which session they were randomly assigned to start with.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was found that FHP subjects increased their consumption of alcohol after stress.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is possible that both stress and alcohol specifically exaggerate the feelings of the reward in the FHP individuals in such way that it may increase the likelihood of consuming more alcohol.
authors: Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Section of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, the Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Blå Stråket 15, SE-41345 Gothenburg, Sweden. anna.soderpalm@neuro.gu.se
authors: Anna H V Söderpalm
authors: AH
authors: Gordh
authors: Sejla
authors: S
authors: Brkic
authors: Bo
authors: B
authors: Söderpalm
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000235:genetics*; D001944:Breath Tests; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol; D006854:Hydrocortisone