In light of the literature on endophenotypes for alcoholism and their potential to advance etiological and treatment approaches to this disorder, we have developed a conceptual model that ties together alcohol endophenotypes to genetic and pharmacological treatments of alcoholism. To that end, we propose that focusing on alcohol endophenotypes, such as subjective responses to alcohol, and genetic variants subserving those endophenotypes represent important steps towards parsing out the effects of medications on drinking outcomes. More specifically, we posit that alcohol endophenotypes and genetic factors can be used to improve our understanding of pharmacotherapies for alcoholism in several ways (see Figure 1). First, endophenotypes for alcoholism, such as alcohol craving and subjective responses to alcohol, have been shown to predict drinking behavior and the risk for developing alcohol use disorders (e.g, Hines, Ray, Hutchison, and Tabakoff, 2006; Hutchison et al., 2002; Ray, Hutchison, and Bryan, 2006; Schuckit & Smith, 1996; Tidey et al., 2008). Second, medications found to operate at the level of endophenotypes, such as craving and subjective responses to alcohol (e.g., Monti & MacKillop, 2007; Monti et al., 2001;
