Though men abuse alcohol at a higher rate than women, women are catching up. Women are also more likely to acquire alcohol-related issues than men as a result of stress.
According to a new study, stress alone might lead to excessive drinking among women. Men who suffered the same stress only drank excessively once they had begun to consume alcohol.
"Some people can intend to have one or two alcoholic beverages and stop drinking, but other people just keep going. This impaired control over drinking is one of the earliest indicators of alcohol use disorders, and we know stress contributes to both impaired control over drinking and dysregulated drinking," Julie Patock-Peckham, assistant research professor at ASU and lead author on the study, said.
"The role of stress in impaired control over drinking is understudied, especially in women."
Participants drank alcoholic beverages in a simulated bar while acting out stressful and non-stressful scenarios. Women, but not men, drank more than they meant as a result of stress, demonstrating the necessity of investigating gender differences in alcohol intake.
The research was conducted in a research laboratory that was constructed to resemble a bar, complete with a bartender, bar stools, and vibrant discussions. There were 105 males and 105 women among the contestants. They were randomly assigned to separate groups, with some experiencing a stressful circumstance and others experiencing a non-stressful situation.
Following that, half of the participants were given an alcoholic drink equal to three cocktails, while the other half were given three non-alcoholic drinks. Following that, all attendees got free access to alcoholic beverages from the bar for 90 minutes.
The setup allowed the research team to assess whether the amount of alcohol consumed was caused by stress, the initial drink, or a combination of the two. The crew counted the total number of drinks taken as well as the blood alcohol concentration of the breath (BAC).
All participants drank more heavily after being exposed to stress. Males who received an alcoholic first drink and experienced stress drank more than men who received a placebo.
It didn't matter whether the first drink was alcoholic or not for women: stress linked to binge drinking.
According to Patock-Peckham, the fact that women only needed the stress and males only needed the push of already having alcohol on board demonstrates the importance of this type of research.
The effects of alcohol on men and women are different, and we can't keep utilizing models that were established for males to treat women, according to the study.
The study was published in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.
