Clinical laboratory stressors used to study alcohol-stress relationships

• Published in: Alcohol research Vol. 34; no. 4; pp. 459 - 467
• Main Authors: Thomas, Suzanne, Bacon, Amy K, Sinha, Rajita, Uhart, Magdalena, Adinoff, Bryon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States U.S. Government Printing Office 22.12.2012; Superintendent of Documents; National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
• Subjects: Alcohol use; Alcoholism; Alcoholism - psychology; Drinking (Alcoholic beverages); Drinking of alcoholic beverages; Humans; Hypoglycemic Agents; Narcotic Antagonists; Psychology - methods; Serotonin Receptor Agonists; Social aspects; Stress; Stress, Physiological; Stress, Psychological - chemically induced; Stress, Psychological - etiology; Stress, Psychological - psychology; Studies; California
• ISSN: 2168-3492; 2169-4796

Understanding the biologic systems that underlie the relationship between stress and alcohol consumption may lead to better prevention efforts and more effective treatments for alcoholism. Clinical laboratory studies offer a unique opportunity to examine these relationships by using a controlled environment to study how an acute stressor affects alcohol drinking and alcohol craving, how individuals in recovery or those at risk for alcoholism may respond differently to stressors relative to control subjects, and how alcohol differentially affects stress reactivity in these groups. This article reviews some of the most common physical, psychological, and pharmacological stressors used in stress-induction studies designed to reveal details about the relationship between stress reactivity and alcohol use and abuse.