Chronic pain and problematic alcohol use are deeply intertwined with complex, bidirectional interactions at the molecular, physiological and psychological levels. Individuals with chronic pain are significantly more likely to have problematic alcohol use and those with alcohol use disorder are more likely to suffer from chronic pain. Treatment of chronic pain in patients with alcohol use disorder and of problematic alcohol use in patients with chronic pain is highly challenging. Despite their significant public health impact, the complex mechanisms and interactions between pain and alcohol remain largely understudied.
The Minnesota Pain and Alcohol Research Consortium (MNPARC) brings together basic scientists, human laboratory researchers and clinicians from across the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center. Our mission is to advance a comprehensive understanding of how alcohol affects pain and how pain shapes alcohol use, with the goal of accelerating discovery to improve outcomes. We aim to build a critical mass of expertise in pain and alcohol research at the University of Minnesota by fostering communication and collaboration between investigators at the departmental and college level. Our goals are to promote bidirectional translation, integrate clinical perspectives with preclinical research, and foster innovative ideas to better understand the complex interactions between pain and alcohol to improve quality of life.