Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on July 18, 2011
The relationship between stress and alcohol is complex and a subject of detailed investigation. For example, acute stress is thought to lead to alcohol consumption, yet the ways that acute stress can increase drinking are unclear.
A new study investigated whether an acute stressor can alter the subjective effects of alcohol.
“Anecdotal reports suggest that alcohol dampens the physiological or negative emotional effects of stress, but this has been hard to demonstrate in the lab,†said Emma Childs, Ph.D., research associate at the University of Chicago.
“Another way that stress could increase drinking is by altering alcohol’s effects. For example, if stress reduces the intoxicating effects of alcohol, individuals may drink more alcohol to produce the same effect.”
Childs explained that the body’s reaction to stress involves separate physiological and emotional consequences that occur at different times after the stress.
“For example,†she said, “the increase in heart rate and blood pressure, the release of cortisol, and also the increased feelings of tension and negative mood each reach a climax and dissipate at a different rate. Therefore, drinking more alcohol might have different effects, depending on how long after the stress a person drinks.”
Results of the study are available at Early View of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
Read in Full:
http://psychcentral.com/news/2011/07/18/stress-influences-response-to-alcohol/27824.html
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