This SDPS‐induced facilitation of operant alcohol intake has important clinical implications as it indicates that exposure to brief but severe social stress in combination with prolonged, subthreshold stressors, eg, social isolation, can render an individual vulnerable to alcohol intake, independently of its measurable depressiogenic effects. This is in agreement with clinical studies implicating stress coping styles, ie, an individual's response to perceived stress, in the development of alcohol dependence.26 It is noteworthy that although no significant difference between the two SDPS groups was observed during acquisition of SA, SDPS‐prone rats showed a considerable increase in responding for alcohol compared with their resilient counterparts. This surfaced in particular when more effort was required to obtain an alcohol reward, ie, during FR3, acting as prelude to PR performance.
