All animals were habituated to alcohol consumption using the two‐bottle free/limited–access paradigm as previously described.22 In brief, rats were exposed to gradually elevating alcohol concentrations (2%‐12% v/v) in the home cage for a total of 5 weeks. During the first 3 weeks of habituation in the home cage, alcohol was allowed for 24 hours, followed by an alcohol‐free day before the next concentration increment. During the last 2 weeks, alcohol availability was limited to 1 h/d to prime rats to the subsequent 1‐hour SA sessions. Water bottles were presented in parallel with alcohol and were used to estimate alcohol preference vs total liquid consumption. The position of alcohol and water bottles was alternated between days/sessions to avoid development of preference.
