As per our standard laboratory practice (e.g., Pfefferbaum et al. 2007), men and women with alcoholism were recruited by referral from San Francisco Bay Area outpatient substance abuse treatment centers. Control subjects were recruited by referral from patient participants, by Internet posting, newspaper advertisements, flyers, and word of mouth. Referrals and inquiries were followed-up with a brief screening interview designed to identify subjects who would be ineligible for the study by virtue of a diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, neurological disease not related to alcohol use, or inability to undergo MRI. Those who met initial criteria were invited for a detailed assessment in our laboratory, where they also provided written informed consent for study.
