The comorbidity of anxiety and alcohol use disorders (AUD) is an important criterion to consider for the propensity of an individual to become an alcoholic (Kushner, Abrams, & Borchardt, 2000). Individuals with anxiety disorders have the tendency to transition from occasional drinking to alcohol dependence more rapidly than individuals who have no comorbid anxiety (Kushner, Maurer, Menary, & Thuras, 2011). Short-term consumption of alcohol to relieve anxiety escalates to chronic intake and withdrawal, leading to an exacerbation of anxiety symptoms at which point the individual drinks to “self-medicate” to counter the heightened anxiety (Robinson, Sareen, Cox, & Bolton, 2009). Interestingly, when the negative state is augmented by the presence of comorbid stress-related psychiatric disorders, including mood and anxiety disorders, the risk of becoming an alcoholic is increased (Grant et al., 2004; Schuckit & Hesselbrock, 1994).
