How Does Stress Lead to Risk of Alcohol Relapse?

Empirical findings from human laboratory and brain-imaging studies are consistent with clinical observations and indicate that chronic alcohol-related dysfunction in emotional and stress responses plays a role in motivation to consume alcohol in people with alcohol use disorders. Recent findings on differences in stress responsivity in alcohol-dependent versus nondependent social drinkers demonstrate alterations in stress pathways that partially may explain the significant contribution of stress-related mechanisms on craving and relapse susceptibility. These findings have significant implications for clinical practice, including (1) the development of novel brain and stress biology–related measures of relapse risk that could serve as biomarkers to identify those most at risk of alcohol relapse during early recovery from alcoholism; and (2) the development of novel interventions that target stress-related effects on the motivation to drink alcohol and on relapse outcomese