Neuroendocrine Responses in Alcoholics to the Presentation and Consumption of a Perceived Alcoholic Beverage

Eight male alcoholic inpatients in their 2nd week of treatment were presented with, and instructed to consume, a beverage described at one session as containing alcohol and at another as not containing alcohol. The beverage on each occasion did not, in fact, contain alcohol. The results indicated that when subjects believed they had consumed alcohol, the change in insulin from baseline was significantly greater at 10, 20, and 30 min following consumption. The findings suggest that the insulin response of alcoholics following ingestion of a carbohydrate-containing beverage is enhanced by the anticipation of ethanol.