Self-medication of pain with alcohol is a common, yet risky, behavior. Evidence suggests family history of alcoholism may affect the degree to which alcohol use relieves pain, but the independent contributions of expectation and conditioning have not been previously studied. Interactive effects of sex and family history are also currently unclear. This project addresses this gap in knowledge and will inform further research and clinical/translational efforts for reducing risk associated with these behaviors.
CHP Assistant Professor, Jeff Boisseneault, PhD and co-investigators, Mike Robinson, PhD (CHP), Sara Jo Nixon, PhD (Psychiatry), Song Lai, PhD (Radiation Oncology) have been funded $2.5M by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) to conduct the study.