Development of tolerance to and physical dependence on ethanol: daily versus repeated cycles treatment with ethanol

We examined the effect of various treatment schedules with ethanol on the development of tolerance and the severity of withdrawal in rats. Tolerance to ethanol was examined after a challenge dose of ethanol using rectal temperature, dowel performance, and tail flick response; open field activity and the startle response were determined during withdrawal. Animals treated daily with ethanol developed greater tolerance, and also lost it faster, compared with animals subjected to repeated cycles of 3 days of ethanol treatment followed by 3 drug-free days. Also, the severity of withdrawal was greater in animals treated daily with ethanol. In the second study, we examined the development of tolerance and withdrawal severity of animals subjected to three different schedules of daily ethanol administration. Overall, the animals receiving continuous infusion of ethanol showed the most severe withdrawal and had, except for dowel performance, the fastest loss of tolerance to ethanol.