
A new study from the University of Chicago Medicine has found that people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and depression experience just as much pleasure and excitement from drinking alcohol as those without depression.
This challenges the long-standing belief that people with AUD drink mainly to reduce negative emotions and self-medicate.
The study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, suggests that treatment for AUD should focus more on how alcohol affects the brain’s pleasure and reward system rather than just addressing stress and depression.
The Traditional View on Alcohol and Depression
For years, many believed that people with AUD—especially those with depression—drank mainly to numb their sadness or relieve stress. The common theory was that the more they drank, the less pleasure they got from alcohol over time, leading them to drink just to avoid withdrawal symptoms or negative emotions.
However, this study suggests otherwise. It found that people with AUD, including those with depression, still experience strong positive effects from alcohol, such as feeling happy, energized, and rewarded.
Lead researcher Dr. Andrea King explained, “There’s a common belief that people with AUD drink just to escape sadness. But in our study, they reported feeling very high levels of pleasure and excitement from drinking—just like those without depression.”
How the Study Was Conducted
The research followed 232 adults from across the U.S. between the ages of 21 and 35. This age group was chosen because it is when most heavy drinking occurs.
Half of the participants had AUD, and within this group, half had also experienced major depression in the past year. The study did not include people with severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms or those who had suicidal thoughts, for safety reasons.
Participants used their smartphones to report their emotions and alcohol effects in real time. They answered questions every 30 minutes during one drinking episode and during a separate period when they were sober.
Key Findings
The results showed that:
- Alcohol slightly reduced negative emotions for all drinkers, but this effect was small.
- People with AUD felt stronger positive effects from alcohol than those without AUD.
- People with both AUD and depression felt just as much pleasure from drinking as those with only AUD.
Dr. Daniel Fridberg, co-author of the study, said, “For nearly a decade, we’ve been using mobile technology to track drinking behavior in real time. These methods help us understand how alcohol affects people in real life, not just in a lab setting.”
Why These Findings Matter
The study challenges the popular theory that alcohol addiction happens because the brain adapts to drinking and eventually stops feeling pleasure from it. This theory suggests that over time, people with AUD drink mainly to avoid withdrawal or stress, not because they enjoy alcohol.
However, Dr. King says this does not explain the high levels of enjoyment reported in this study. She compared the effect of alcohol to pressing an accelerator pedal, where pleasure continues to fuel addiction.
“As treatment providers, we often think people with AUD drink just to feel better,” King said. “But what exactly are they feeling? According to our study, they experience strong stimulation and pleasure, with only a modest decrease in negative emotions.”
What’s Next?
Dr. King’s next study will examine whether older adults (ages 40–65) who have had AUD for many years also experience high levels of pleasure when drinking. According to the traditional theory, long-term drinkers should have built up a tolerance, meaning they should feel less pleasure from alcohol.
However, if these older adults show the same strong pleasurable responses as the younger participants in this study, it could further challenge current beliefs about alcohol addiction and lead to new treatment approaches.
Final Thoughts
This study suggests that pleasure and reward—rather than just stress relief—play a major role in alcohol addiction, even among depressed drinkers. It highlights the need to rethink how AUD is treated and calls for a stronger focus on how alcohol stimulates the brain’s reward system.
For people struggling with AUD, this research reinforces the idea that addiction is complex and deeply tied to how the brain processes pleasure—not just an attempt to escape sadness. Understanding these effects could help improve treatments and support for those dealing with alcohol addiction.
If you care about alcoholism, please read studies that your age may decide whether alcohol is good or bad for you, and people over 40 need to prevent dangerous alcohol/drug interactions.
For more information about alcohol, please see recent studies about moderate alcohol drinking linked to high blood pressure, and results showing this drug combo shows promise for treating alcoholism.
The research findings can be found in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
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