• Education
    • Higher Education
    • Scholarships & Grants
    • Online Learning
    • School Reforms
    • Research & Innovation
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Home & Living
    • Relationships & Family
  • Technology & Startups
    • Software & Apps
    • Startup Success Stories
    • Startups & Innovations
    • Tech Regulations
    • Venture Capital
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cybersecurity
    • Emerging Technologies
    • Gadgets & Devices
    • Industry Analysis
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
Today Headline
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
Today Headline
No Result
View All Result
Home Science & Environment Medical Research

Does drinking alcohol really take away the blues? It’s not what you think

February 1, 2025
in Medical Research
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
0
alcohol
9
SHARES
19
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


alcohol
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A new study from the University of Chicago Medicine reveals that people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and depression experience high levels of stimulation and pleasure when intoxicated, similar to drinkers who do not have depression.

The findings counter the long-held belief that the pleasure people experience when drinking alcohol decreases with addiction and that drinking to intoxication is mainly to reduce negative feelings as a form of self-medication.

“We have this folklore that people drink excessively when they’re feeling depressed and that it’s really about self-medicating,” said Andrea King, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at UChicago and lead author of the study. “In this study of natural environment drinking and smart phone-based reports of the effects of alcohol in real-time, participants with AUD and a depressive disorder reported feeling acute, sustained positive and rewarding alcohol effects—just like their non-depressed counterparts.”

Published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, the research challenges conventional notions about alcohol’s effects on depressed people who drink excessively and could improve treatment approaches by focusing medication and behavioral approaches more on alcohol’s pleasure reward pathways and less on stress-responsive systems.

“Currently, the focus of treatment is often on resolving stress and symptoms of depression, but that is only addressing one side of the coin if we don’t also address the heightened stimulation, liking and wanting more alcohol that occur in both depressed and non-depressed people with AUD,” said King, who has been conducting human research for decades to test responses to alcohol that lead to addiction.

The effects of alcohol on the brain are complex, and improved understanding of the factors that affect an individual’s vulnerability to AUD and depression is critical to identify and initiate early, effective treatment. However, few studies have examined how people with AUD respond to alcohol either in controlled laboratory settings or the natural environment; including individuals with AUD and another co-morbid diagnosis adds to the complexity.

The research followed 232 individuals across the U.S. between the ages of 21 to 35, corresponding to the period when most heavy drinking occurs in a person’s lifetime. Half of the study group met the criteria for AUD in the most recent year and were evenly divided in terms of those who had or had not experienced a major depressive disorder in the past year. Individuals who had suicidal ideation were excluded for safety reasons, as were people who had severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Through their smartphones, participants answered questions every half hour for three hours during one typical alcohol drinking episode and a non-alcohol episode. The researchers found that alcohol consumption reduced negative feelings, although the reduction was small and nonspecific to their depression or AUD status. The positive effects of alcohol were much higher in individuals with AUD than those without AUD, and contrary to lore, similar in those with AUD and depression and those without depression.

“For nearly a decade, our group has been improving methods to use mobile technologies to measure real time clinically meaningful outcomes in people with AUD and those at risk for alcohol-related problems,” said study co-author Daniel Fridberg, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at UChicago. “These approaches allow us to bridge the gap between the lab and real life and have led to new insights that could one day result in better treatments.”

The study’s findings call into question the predominant theory that alcohol addiction arises from the brain’s attempt to maintain stability despite repeated heavy drinking. That theory describes a “dark side of addiction” where repeated heavy drinking over time leads to changes in the brain systems involved in stress and reward. As a result of those changes, it is hypothesized that individuals shift from drinking for pleasure to drinking to avoid withdrawal and stress.

King says this theory does not account for the high levels of stimulation and pleasure that she likens to an accelerator pedal fueling more dependency.

“As treatment providers, we’re taught people with AUD are drinking to self-medicate and feel better,” said King. “But what exactly are they feeling? From our study, it seems to be high levels of stimulation and pleasurable effects, with a modest decrease in negative states.”

King’s next study examines whether adults between 40 to 65 years old who have had AUD for decades also experience similar heightened feelings of pleasure when drinking versus older drinkers without AUD. The prevailing theory would suggest these individuals would show blunted positive responses and high levels of tolerance to alcohol. King will examine whether they show a long-term sensitivity to alcohol’s enjoyable effects, much like in this study of depressed drinkers.

More information:
Real-Time Assessment of Positive and Negative Alcohol Effects in Individuals With and Without Alcohol Use Disorder and Depressive Disorders, American Journal of Psychiatry (2025). DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20240069

Provided by
University of Chicago


Citation:
Does drinking alcohol really take away the blues? It’s not what you think (2025, February 1)
retrieved 1 February 2025
from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-alcohol-blues.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.



alcohol
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A new study from the University of Chicago Medicine reveals that people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and depression experience high levels of stimulation and pleasure when intoxicated, similar to drinkers who do not have depression.

The findings counter the long-held belief that the pleasure people experience when drinking alcohol decreases with addiction and that drinking to intoxication is mainly to reduce negative feelings as a form of self-medication.

“We have this folklore that people drink excessively when they’re feeling depressed and that it’s really about self-medicating,” said Andrea King, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at UChicago and lead author of the study. “In this study of natural environment drinking and smart phone-based reports of the effects of alcohol in real-time, participants with AUD and a depressive disorder reported feeling acute, sustained positive and rewarding alcohol effects—just like their non-depressed counterparts.”

Published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, the research challenges conventional notions about alcohol’s effects on depressed people who drink excessively and could improve treatment approaches by focusing medication and behavioral approaches more on alcohol’s pleasure reward pathways and less on stress-responsive systems.

“Currently, the focus of treatment is often on resolving stress and symptoms of depression, but that is only addressing one side of the coin if we don’t also address the heightened stimulation, liking and wanting more alcohol that occur in both depressed and non-depressed people with AUD,” said King, who has been conducting human research for decades to test responses to alcohol that lead to addiction.

The effects of alcohol on the brain are complex, and improved understanding of the factors that affect an individual’s vulnerability to AUD and depression is critical to identify and initiate early, effective treatment. However, few studies have examined how people with AUD respond to alcohol either in controlled laboratory settings or the natural environment; including individuals with AUD and another co-morbid diagnosis adds to the complexity.

The research followed 232 individuals across the U.S. between the ages of 21 to 35, corresponding to the period when most heavy drinking occurs in a person’s lifetime. Half of the study group met the criteria for AUD in the most recent year and were evenly divided in terms of those who had or had not experienced a major depressive disorder in the past year. Individuals who had suicidal ideation were excluded for safety reasons, as were people who had severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Through their smartphones, participants answered questions every half hour for three hours during one typical alcohol drinking episode and a non-alcohol episode. The researchers found that alcohol consumption reduced negative feelings, although the reduction was small and nonspecific to their depression or AUD status. The positive effects of alcohol were much higher in individuals with AUD than those without AUD, and contrary to lore, similar in those with AUD and depression and those without depression.

“For nearly a decade, our group has been improving methods to use mobile technologies to measure real time clinically meaningful outcomes in people with AUD and those at risk for alcohol-related problems,” said study co-author Daniel Fridberg, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at UChicago. “These approaches allow us to bridge the gap between the lab and real life and have led to new insights that could one day result in better treatments.”

The study’s findings call into question the predominant theory that alcohol addiction arises from the brain’s attempt to maintain stability despite repeated heavy drinking. That theory describes a “dark side of addiction” where repeated heavy drinking over time leads to changes in the brain systems involved in stress and reward. As a result of those changes, it is hypothesized that individuals shift from drinking for pleasure to drinking to avoid withdrawal and stress.

King says this theory does not account for the high levels of stimulation and pleasure that she likens to an accelerator pedal fueling more dependency.

“As treatment providers, we’re taught people with AUD are drinking to self-medicate and feel better,” said King. “But what exactly are they feeling? From our study, it seems to be high levels of stimulation and pleasurable effects, with a modest decrease in negative states.”

King’s next study examines whether adults between 40 to 65 years old who have had AUD for decades also experience similar heightened feelings of pleasure when drinking versus older drinkers without AUD. The prevailing theory would suggest these individuals would show blunted positive responses and high levels of tolerance to alcohol. King will examine whether they show a long-term sensitivity to alcohol’s enjoyable effects, much like in this study of depressed drinkers.

More information:
Real-Time Assessment of Positive and Negative Alcohol Effects in Individuals With and Without Alcohol Use Disorder and Depressive Disorders, American Journal of Psychiatry (2025). DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20240069

Provided by
University of Chicago


Citation:
Does drinking alcohol really take away the blues? It’s not what you think (2025, February 1)
retrieved 1 February 2025
from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-01-alcohol-blues.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.


Tags: Health ResearchHealth Research NewsHealth ScienceMedicine ResearchMedicine Research NewsMedicine Science
Previous Post

6 onboard during fiery crash near homes and mall

Next Post

Amazon Layoffs: Andy Jassy tells Amazon staff ‘Why i’m still here after all these years’ amid restructuring efforts todayheadline

Related Posts

Autism and ADHD have distinct brain connectivity signatures, study finds

Autism and ADHD have distinct brain connectivity signatures, study finds

May 31, 2025
8

Journalists Draw Link Between Internet Dead Zones, Threatened Medicaid Cuts, and Health

May 31, 2025
8
Next Post
Amazon Layoffs: Andy Jassy tells Amazon staff ‘Why i’m still here after all these years' amid restructuring efforts

Amazon Layoffs: Andy Jassy tells Amazon staff ‘Why i’m still here after all these years' amid restructuring efforts todayheadline

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

April 2, 2025
Pioneering 3D printing project shares successes

Product reduces TPH levels to non-hazardous status

November 27, 2024

Hospital Mergers Fail to Deliver Better Care or Lower Costs, Study Finds todayheadline

December 31, 2024

Police ID man who died after Corso Italia fight

December 23, 2024
Harris tells supporters 'never give up' and urges peaceful transfer of power

Harris tells supporters ‘never give up’ and urges peaceful transfer of power

0
Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend's Mother

Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend’s Mother

0

Trump ‘looks forward’ to White House meeting with Biden

0
Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

0
Dodgers rack up 21 hits and five homers in 18-2 beatdown of Yankees

Dodgers rack up 21 hits and five homers in 18-2 beatdown of Yankees

June 1, 2025
Tom Fletcher should not hold UN position over continued lies on Gaza

Tom Fletcher should not hold UN position over continued lies on Gaza

June 1, 2025
Trump pulls Musk ally's NASA nomination, will announce replacement

Trump pulls Musk ally's NASA nomination, will announce replacement todayheadline

June 1, 2025

Owaisi exposes Pakistan: ‘Terrorist Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi became a father sitting in Pak’s jail’ – The Economic Times Video todayheadline

June 1, 2025

Recent News

Dodgers rack up 21 hits and five homers in 18-2 beatdown of Yankees

Dodgers rack up 21 hits and five homers in 18-2 beatdown of Yankees

June 1, 2025
0
Tom Fletcher should not hold UN position over continued lies on Gaza

Tom Fletcher should not hold UN position over continued lies on Gaza

June 1, 2025
3
Trump pulls Musk ally's NASA nomination, will announce replacement

Trump pulls Musk ally's NASA nomination, will announce replacement todayheadline

June 1, 2025
1

Owaisi exposes Pakistan: ‘Terrorist Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi became a father sitting in Pak’s jail’ – The Economic Times Video todayheadline

June 1, 2025
3

TodayHeadline is a dynamic news website dedicated to delivering up-to-date and comprehensive news coverage from around the globe.

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Basketball
  • Business & Finance
  • Climate Change
  • Crime & Justice
  • Cybersecurity
  • Economic Policies
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Environmental Policies
  • Europe
  • Football
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Health
  • Medical Research
  • Mental Health
  • Middle East
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Politics
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Science & Environment
  • Software & Apps
  • Space Exploration
  • Sports
  • Stock Market
  • Technology & Startups
  • Tennis
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Us & Canada
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • World News

Recent News

Dodgers rack up 21 hits and five homers in 18-2 beatdown of Yankees

Dodgers rack up 21 hits and five homers in 18-2 beatdown of Yankees

June 1, 2025
Tom Fletcher should not hold UN position over continued lies on Gaza

Tom Fletcher should not hold UN position over continued lies on Gaza

June 1, 2025
  • Education
  • Lifestyle
  • Technology & Startups
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy

© 2024 Todayheadline.co

Welcome Back!

OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Business & Finance
  • Corporate News
  • Economic Policies
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Market Trends
  • Crime & Justice
  • Court Cases
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Cybercrime
  • Legal Reforms
  • Policing
  • Education
  • Higher Education
  • Online Learning
  • Entertainment
  • Awards & Festivals
  • Celebrity News
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Health
  • Fitness & Nutrition
  • Medical Breakthroughs
  • Mental Health
  • Pandemic Updates
  • Lifestyle
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Food & Drink
  • Home & Living
  • Politics
  • Elections
  • Government Policies
  • International Relations
  • Legislative News
  • Political Parties
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Middle East
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cybersecurity
  • Emerging Technologies
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Industry Analysis
  • Basketball
  • Football
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Climate Change
  • Environmental Policies
  • Medical Research
  • Science & Environment
  • Space Exploration
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • Sports
  • Tennis
  • Technology & Startups
  • Software & Apps
  • Startup Success Stories
  • Startups & Innovations
  • Tech Regulations
  • Venture Capital
  • Uncategorized
  • World News
  • Us & Canada
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Travel
  • Research & Innovation
  • Scholarships & Grants
  • School Reforms
  • Stock Market
  • TV & Streaming
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
  • About us
  • Contact

© 2024 Todayheadline.co