Anisman H, Merali Z
Institute of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.
Alcohol Res Health. 1999;23(4):241-9.
Exposure to stressful situations is among the most common human experiences. These types of situations can range from unexpected calamities to routine daily annoyances. In response to stressors, a series of behavioral, neurochemical, and immunological changes occur that ought to serve in an adaptive capacity. However, if those systems become overly taxed, the organism may become vulnerable to pathology. Likewise, the biological changes, if sufficiently sustained, may themselves adversely affect the organism's well-being. Several factors may dictate an individual's response to environmental stressors, including characteristics of the stressor (i.e., type of stressor and its controllability, predictability, and chronicity); biological factors (i.e., age, gender, and genetics); and the subject's previous stressor history and early life experiences. Research on the physiological and psychological responses to different types of stressful stimuli is presented, focusing particularly on processes that may be relevant to the development of alcohol use disorders. Stressful events may profoundly influence the use of alcohol or other drugs (AODs). For example, the resumption of AOD use after a lengthy period of abstinence may reflect a person's attempt to self-medicate to attenuate the adverse psychological consequences of stressors (e.g., anxiety). Alternatively, stress may increase the reinforcing effects of AODs.
暴露于压力情境是人类最常见的经历之一。这类情境范围广泛，从意外灾难到日常琐事。作为对压力源的反应，会发生一系列行为、神经化学和免疫变化，这些变化本应具有适应能力。然而，如果这些系统负担过重，机体可能易患疾病。同样，如果生物变化持续时间足够长，它们本身可能会对机体健康产生不利影响。几个因素可能决定个体对环境压力源的反应，包括压力源的特征（即压力源的类型及其可控性、可预测性和持续性）；生物因素（即年龄、性别和遗传因素）；以及个体先前的压力源经历和早期生活经历。本文介绍了对不同类型压力刺激的生理和心理反应的研究，特别关注可能与酒精使用障碍发展相关的过程。压力事件可能会深刻影响酒精或其他药物（AODs）的使用。例如，在长时间戒酒之后恢复使用AODs，可能反映出一个人试图通过自我用药来减轻压力源带来的不良心理后果（如焦虑）。或者，压力可能会增强AODs的强化作用。
