Each subject participated in two single-blind, counterbalanced-order study days. Each subject received an infusion of 6% ethanol in half-normal saline during one session and a placebo infusion of half-normal saline at a comparable infusion rate profile during the other. Subjects were advised that they would receive alcohol during one or both visits but they were not told which study day was an alcohol day. On each study day, the subject arrived at the laboratory by 7:00 AM, and underwent a brief physical exam, as well as breathalyzer and urine testing. Then the subject was offered a 550 calorie breakfast, after which a 20 gauge indwelling venous catheter was placed in an antecubital vein of each arm, flushed with saline and capped with a heparin lock. Subjects were also fitted with a scalp electroencephalography cap and heart rate leads (data not presented here). The infusion session began at approximately 10:15 AM.
