Increased alcohol selection in rats after alcohol drinking paired with recovery from thiamine deficiency

Repeated pairings of novel alcohol solutions (5% or 7.5% w/v) with IP injections of 267 microgram/kg thiamine in thiamine-deficient male Sprague-Dawley rats resulted in the ingestion of pharmacologically active doses of alcohol in association with recovery. Mean alcohol intake in a postrecovery fluid choice situation exceeded metabolic capacity for 7--10 days; such intake was not observed in nondeficient pair-fed rats or in formely deficient rats whose recovery was not paired with alcohol drinking. Alcohol was self-selected in the presence of water under conditions where the rats had no experience with water while deficient, but the presence of 0.1% saccharin as a postrecovery alternative to alcohol was sufficient to abolish the elevated intake. Absolute alcohol intake and blood alcohol levels on recovery days and during self-selection were comparable with 5% and 7.5% alcohol solutions.