ABSTRACT
Research data in the biomedical field are controversial per se. There are many reasons for this, however; it is the living organism who offers such a heterogenity and sometimes it is the researcher by him/herself who is driven by expectations fitting into dogmatic and mainstream thinking and thus accepts false negative or false positive results. Our scientific apparatus and framework lead to dogmas and mainstream thinking in the biomedical field. This chapter presents some examples that demonstrate that dogmatism also takes place in biomedical research on alcohol and alcoholism. For example, a close link between dopamine and alcohol reward, craving and relapse, or anxiety and alcoholism has been postulated; however, a closer analysis of recent studies reveals controversial findings that imply that these hypotheses should be modified.
