An overall conceptual theme argued here is that drug addiction represents a break with homeostatic brain regulatory mechanisms that regulate the emotional state of the animal. The dysregulation of emotion begins with the binge and subsequent acute withdrawal, but leaves a residual neuroadaptive trace that allows rapid “re-addiction” even months and years after detoxification and abstinence. Thus, the emotional dysregulation of alcohol addiction represents more than simply a homeostatic dysregulation of hedonic function—it also represents a dynamic break with homeostasis of this system that has been termed allostasis (Koob 2003).
