Alcohol and pain interactions

The prevalence of using alcohol to manage pain and potential risk of alcohol use disorder are high and there is a great deal of comorbidity for these conditions. While moderate doses of acute alcohol can alleviate certain types of pain, research has shown that pathological and/or chronic pain can increase alcohol consumption to levels that are risky or harmful. Furthermore, high alcohol consumption can lead to the sensitization of pain pathways causing transition to a chronic pain state. Further work demonstrates the clinical importance of alcohol and pain interactions in disease and has led to an increased interest in gaining a better understanding of the sensory, cognitive, and affective aspects of pain and their relationships to alcohol consumption. Nonopioid translational targets show promise for development of new therapeutics to reduce the negative interactions of pain and risky alcohol use.