Patterns of ethanol and water consumption as a function of restricted ethanol access and feeding condition

Sixteen male albino rats were divided into two groups of eight animals and maintained at either their free-feeding or at 80% of their free-feeding weight. For four animals, access to 8% ethanol was unrestricted, for the remaining four, access was restricted to eight 20-min access periods per day. Mean amounts of ethanol consumed per bout were greater during restricted access than during unrestricted access for food-deprived animals but not for free-feeding animals. Total daily ethanol consumption was greatest when animals were food deprived and access to ethanol unrestricted. Total fluid consumption and the within session distribution of water and ethanol responding were affected by feeding condition. For food-deprived animals, the amount of water consumed per session remained relatively constant. The increase in ethanol consumption over sessions resulted in an increase in total fluid consumption. For the free-feeding animals, increases in ethanol consumption resulted in decreases in water consumption so that total fluid consumption remained constant. In addition, food-deprived animals consumed all their daily water intake at the beginning of each session when food was present. Free-feeding animals consumed water throughout the session.