The journey from responsible alcohol drinking to alcoholism

Table 1: The journey from responsible alcohol drinking to alcoholism - stahes and possible mechanisms [22,195,196].

Stages of alcohol addiction	Possible mechanisms discussed in the review
1. Acute phase Positive reinforcement Negative reinforcement	Rising BAC, dopamine, opioid, GABA and serotonin receptors Falling BAC, glutamate, NMDA and GABA receptors, and receptor/voltage gated Na+ channels.
2. Hangover/Tolerance craving	Alcohol metabolism, acetaldehyde accumulation, excitatory neurotransmitters, inflammatory signaling, serotonin receptors
3. Alcohol addiction	Adenosine, dopamine, serotonin, GABA and glutamate receptors.
4. Withdrawal symptoms	NMDA/Glutamate receptors, GABA, hyper-excitation, seizures.