Lifetime psychiatric diagnoses in all participants were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV [28]. Participants in the alcohol group had current DSM-IV-defined Alcohol Dependence and had undergone a 2-week monitored abstinence. Outpatient monitored abstinence from alcohol and other recreational drugs were confirmed with ethyl glucuronide/ethylsulfate (ETG/ETS) and urine drug screens performed three times/week for two consecutive weeks before assessment. During this monitoring period, participants were paid $75 for each negative ETG/ETS urine to promote abstinence from alcohol. All alcohol dependent subjects were monitored for alcohol withdrawal during the first week of abstinence using the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment of Alcohol Scale (CIWA-Ar). Individuals who scored greater than 19 on the CIWA-Ar during the initial intake evaluation (n = 0 for the current study) and/or with a prior history of alcohol withdrawal seizures or delirium tremens were excluded from the research protocol. Participants in the comparison group were free of lifetime psychiatric disorders. All participants were in good medical health and underwent a physical exam and bloodwork prior to entering the study.
