Factors Affecting Alcohol Consumption in Primates

Abstract

The effects of avoidance conditioning, punishment and free-choice experience with etlianol (15%) on subsequent ethanol consumption were examined in primates (Macaco, mulatta). Punishment (intermittent presentation of a noxious, unavoidable electric shock) had no demonstrable effect on etlianol consumption. Avoidance conditioning did not increase the ethanol consumption of a monkey that refused ethanol in a free-choice situation. Avoidance conditioning was accompanied by a rapid increase in ethanol consumption by a monkey that freely selected some ethanol prior to conditioning. These data suggest that only an animal that freely selects ethanol in a nonstress condition will select more ethanol in a “stressful” situation. The increase in ethanol consumption associated with avoidance conditioning persisted for a period of 75 days following termination of conditioning. However, relative to pre-avoidance baselines, the over-all level of ethanol consumption achieved by this monkey did not differ from the level of consumption attained by 2 control monkeys as a function of free-choice experience with ethanol. However, avoidance conditioning produced a rapid and sustained increase in ethanol consumption, whereas 4–7 months of freechoice experience were required for the control animals to reach the same level of ethanol intake. Despite continued consumption of large amounts of ethanol, upon abrupt removal of ethanol, no monkey showed signs of withdrawal during a 96-hr, period of observation. Therefore, no monkey developed physiological dependency upon ethanol under the conditions of this experiment.