Participants were recruited from advertisement and screened for these eligibility criteria: aged 21 to 35 years, weight 110 to 210 pounds, meeting heavy drinking criteria, and good general health with no current or past major medical or Axis I psychiatric disorders, including alcohol and drug dependence (excluding nicotine). Screening measures included Alcohol Quantity—Frequency (27), Timeline Follow-Back (28), the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) (29), and a modified Structured Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) (30) with the screening modules for major psychiatric disorders and the full lifetime modules for AA and AD. Standard cutoff thresholds were used to rule out persons with psychiatric comorbidities, and candidates could not be taking centrally acting medications. Screening also included a brief physical examination, urine toxicology, and a blood sample for complete blood count and liver function panels. Candidates with a positive breathalyzer or urine toxicology screen (cocaine, opiates, benzodiazepines, amphetamines, barbiturates, and phencyclidine), a positive pregnancy test (women), or an abnormal blood chemistry or hepatic panel result (≥2 SD above mean) were excluded. Biological family history of AUD, a risk factor in development
