Animals are used to isolate and study, one by one, each of the myriad of effects of ethanol that make up the human condition of "alcoholism" in so far is possible with lower animals. Each aspect is then studied in detail, including the genes that are responsible for the behavioral, biochemical, or neurophysiological effects of ethanol. The end result is not an animal model of "alcoholism", but many animal models, when taken together, can mimic many of the aspects of human alcoholism.