Understanding factors that contribute to the escalation of alcohol consumption are key to understanding how an individual transitions from non/social drinking to AUD and to providing better treatment. In this review, we discuss how the way ethanol is consumed as well as individual and environmental factors contribute to the escalation of ethanol consumption from intermittent low levels to consistently high levels. Moreover, we discuss how these factors are modelled in animals. It is clear a vast array of complex, interacting factors influence escalation of alcohol consumption. Some of these factors act early in the acquisition of ethanol consumption and initial escalation, while others contribute to escalation of ethanol consumption at a later stage and are involved in the development of alcohol dependence. It is apparent from our review that much of the literature examines factors contributing to the acquisition of ethanol consumption and on initial escalation from low levels to pharmacologically relevant levels of consumption. Some models capture escalation associated with the formation of dependence; however, neurobiological studies in these models usually focus on comparisons between the AUD model animals and alcohol naïve animals (or animals from other models), making it difficult to distinguish factors associated with the escalation of interest from those associated with consumption in the model per se. There is thus considerable need for more studies examining escalation associated with the formation of dependence as it is of considerable relevance to understanding and treating AUD.
