Drinking patterns during work-contingent and noncontingent alcohol acquisition.

Abstract

Drinking patterns of alcoholics were compared under conditions which allowed unrestricted access to alcohol (N = 18), and where it was necessary to perform a simple operant task in order to obtain both alcohol and cigarettes (N = 8). Work-contingent alcohol acquisition was characterized by alternations between drinking episodes of 3-6 days, and relatively abstinent work periods of 2-3 days which were usually associated with partial withdrawal signs and symptoms. Subjects given unrestricted access to alcohol (32 ounces/day) maintained stable levels of blood alcohol (between 150 and 200 mg/100 ml) over drinking periods of 8-15 days. No subject in either group drank all the alcohol available. Subjects showed little fluctuation in body weight, even though daily caloric intake from food and alcohol averaged between 4000 and 5000 calories per day. The role which the pattern of alcohol consumption plays in determining its behavioral and biologic effects is discussed.