Alcohol dependence and the priming effect.

The concepts of loss of control and craving are reviewed and relevant experimental findings are discussed. Speed of drinking is proposed as a behavioural measure of craving and an experiment is described to test the hypothesis that craving is primed by a moderate dose of alcohol (45 gm). The hypothesis was confirmed, but only for the severely dependent alcoholics. The results indicated that the behavioural measure of craving and the assessment of severity of dependence were crucial. Failure to measure either of them would have resulted in failure to identify a priming effect.