Drinking Macaques?

Apparantly, we are not the only species that drink hard alcohol to feel good. Surprisingly, you would never expect a monkey to display similar drinking patterns and behavior as humans. In a study done by a researcher, Scott Chen from the National Institutes of Health Animal Center, 10 female rhesus macaques were given free acces to a sweetened ethanol concoction. In a follow-up experiment, Chen and his team separated 10 monkeys into individual cells. The monkeys in the cells ended up drinking less than their "social" counterparts. Lower level members and males were recorded as having consumed the most alcohol. In simal experiments, it was noted that monkeys were more likely to drink during stressful periods, just like humans!

Perhaps the reasons for drinking were most interesting. When the working hours in the facility increased, lets say an increased amount of testing or after a longer period of testing than usual, the monkeys responded by drinking a great deal more than usual. Most amazingly is that Chen reported that some monkeys even have preferences for alcoholic behverages and that alcohol affects different monkeys depending on their genetic background. Monkeys even had withdrawal symptoms after losing access to alcoholic beverages.

Using studies like these, Chan hopes to create a drug that lessens the intensity of withdrwal symptoms. It is hard to believe how closely related alcohol tendencies are between humans and monkeys. Perhaps alcohol can be so addicting that even monkeys show the same symtoms of alcoholism as we do.

posted by AMG (14)