Recent research into mood and alcohol use has produced a surprising finding: Contrary to popular belief that people drink too much to “drown out” their worries, data from 69 studies showed that on days when they were fine, people tend to consume more alcohol mood.
Conducted in the US, Canada, France and Australia, the studies involved more than 12,000 participants and used surveys to assess mood and drinking behavior.
Contrary to expectations, no evidence was found that people drink more when they are unwell. Instead, the results showed that people were significantly more likely to drink on days when they were in a good mood.
Happy people are more likely to consume alcohol
Related to the above results, the researchers found that participants were 6% to 28% more likely to consume alcohol on days when they were happy.
On the same days, there was also a 17% to 23% increase in the likelihood of binge drinking, ie drinking more than four or five drinks in a short period of time.
Before we consume alcohol, we often create positive expectations based on past experiences with alcohol use.
This can be memories of the pleasant taste of the drink or a feeling of being drunk with the intention of relaxing the body and mind. These positive memories and expectations can influence our motivation to drink.
The same research found that people have positive metacognitive beliefs related to alcoholrelated cravings. These metacognitive beliefs are thoughts or perceptions about our own thought processes.
When we experience craving thoughts that make us crave alcohol, it’s common to rely on those positive beliefs and see the craving thoughts as something useful. That’s because we associate addictive thinking with the pleasurable, positive experiences that come with drinking alcohol.
The positive beliefs that accompany alcoholrelated cravings can trigger a feeling of lack of control over who we are.
This feeling of lack of control can make it harder to resist the urge to drink, especially when we’re in a positive mood and are likely to associate alcohol with pleasurable experiences.
It is important to find a healthy and conscious balance when consuming alcohol, considering not only the positive associations but also the potential negative effects on health and wellbeing.