The naturalistic oscillating patterns of alcohol consumption in alcoholic methadone patients.

The present study examined the temporal patterns of ethanol self-administration in alcoholics. Blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) for 12 methadone maintenance patients were assessed five times per week for 2 to 8 weeks and for two additional subjects for approximately 1 year. BACs indicated periods of high consumption alternating with brief periods of abstinence. This oscillating temporal pattern was stable over time. This result is consistent with self-administration found in laboratory studies of human and non-human alcohol self-administration.