Aversive attributes of ethanol can be attenuated by dyadic social interaction in the rat

Forty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were conditioned with either water or 4 g/kg ethanol in a standard drug place-learning task. In addition to the drug treatment, the opportunity for social interaction with either a sober or intoxicated conspecific was varied across groups (N = 8 rats/group). Ethanol produced a robust conditioned place aversion. The opportunity for dyadic social interaction with either a sober or intoxicated cohort attenuated the aversive attributes of ethanol. However, the initial preference scores did not significantly shift in water-conditioned rats in isolation or given access to either a sober or intoxicated cohort. These data are similar to clinical reports and suggest that social factors can influence the aversive affective properties of ethanol.