Alcohol dependence
The process of development of alcohol dependence is quite complex and immensely dynamic. There are several neurobiological and environmental factors which are found to intervene and influence the motivation to drink alcohol. During a given time, an individual’s predisposition to imbibe the need of alcohol is thought to reflect a balance between that of alcohol’s positive reinforcing that is its rewarding effects, which might include the euphoria and reduction of anxiety that is known as anxiolysis, and the aversive effects of the drug, this is typically found to be associated with negative consequences of alcohol consumption, which for example might include the hangover and/or the withdrawal symptoms. The memories associated with these are rewarding and aversive qualities of alcohol, which includes the learned associations between these internal states and the related environmental stimuli or the environmental contexts, influencing both the initiation as well as the regulation of the intake.