A new study published in Brain Communications has shed light on the complex relationship between stress, coping mechanisms, and the development of alcohol use disorder (AUD).
The research, led by Professor David Belin of the University of Cambridge, highlights the importance of individual differences in how people use alcohol to cope with negative emotions.
“The fact that not everyone who drinks recreationally develops an addiction is something the public may not grasp,” says Belin, head of the Cambridge Laboratory for Research on Impulsive and Compulsive Disorders.
“Our study aimed to understand the psychological and neural basis of why some individuals are more vulnerable than others.”
Mimicking the human experience
Previous preclinical models of AUD haven’t adequately captured the role of self-medication in alcohol dependence. This new study uses an innovative procedure called schedule-induced polydipsia (SIP) to create a situation where rats develop excessive drinking behaviour in response to stress.
The SIP procedure involves restricting food access for rats while giving them free access to water or alcohol. Researchers observed that some rats drank excessively as a way to cope with the stress of intermittent food availability.
The study then categorized the rats based on their drinking behaviours. They identified “water copers” who used water to manage stress, and “alcohol copers” who only resorted to excessive drinking when alcohol was available.
A crucial finding was the persistence of drinking behaviour in “alcohol copers” even when the alcohol was made intentionally unpleasant with quinine. This mirrors the compulsive alcohol consumption seen in humans with AUD.
Implications for treatment
The study underscores the importance of stress management in preventing AUD. It also suggests that individual differences in coping styles significantly influence vulnerability to addiction. This new model can be used to explore the underlying neural mechanisms and develop potential treatments for AUD.
“Our findings highlight that self-medication with alcohol is never the answer,” says Belin. “In the future, we hope to develop a machine learning tool to identify individuals at risk more objectively.”
This research provides valuable insights into the complex relationship between stress, coping mechanisms, and AUD. By understanding the factors that make some people more vulnerable, researchers can develop more effective strategies for prevention and treatment.