POMC and alcohol drinking: Alcohol-dependent patients, compared with the control group, were more likely to have significant HPA axis dysregulation, marked by higher basal ACTH and higher basal salivary cortisol, lack of stress- and cue-induced ACTH and cortisol responses, higher anxiety after exposure to neutral relaxed and to alcohol cues, and greater stress- and cue-induced alcohol craving (Sinha et al. 2009, 2011a).