Why Do People Drink Alcohol?

Why do people drink alcohol? People have various reasons for why they consume alcoholic.

The majority of those who are asked the question “Why do people drink alcohol?” would probably give you an answer related to socializing. Alcohol is often part of social gatherings. A lot of people believe that alcohol gives confidence, helping them relax in the presence of others. They usually think that alcohol has the ability to open one’s mind and loosen the tongue. Consuming alcohol while socializing helps a person shake off anxieties and feel more comfortable about himself and in conversations.

There are others who rely on alcohol to relieve stress. If the question “Why do people drink alcohol?” is thrown at them, their answer will be simple: alcohol is a way to alleviate stress. Several studies have reported that exposure to low doses of alcohol may help in reducing the response to stressors to both animals and humans. When low doses of alcohol were given to rats that were subjected to exhausting activities like being in a running wheel, their stress response was reduced. People in the studies who were given a low dose of alcohol exhibited an improvement in performing a complex mental problem-solving task under stressful conditions. However, it should be noted that alcohol has different effects on individuals. In some people, at certain doses, alcohol may in fact, induce rather than reduce stress response.

There is a big difference between social drinking and abusive drinking. Going to a restaurant or a bar with family members, friends or workmates and indulging in a few glasses of alcohol is considered social drinking. Compared to chronic drinking or alcoholism, social drinking isn’t as addictive and has less lasting disadvantages.

Abusive drinking, on the other hand, differs from social drinking in the sense that the person makes alcohol his prime point of focus. Alcohol turns into his life and it becomes more important than his family, friends, work, and all his other much-loved possessions.

This usually starts when he couldn’t handle all the pressures in his life and turns to alcohol to feel better. He drinks to change his psychological state and to have a sense of relief and disassociation from the world. Abusive drinkers can survive without food but simply could not live without alcohol. Social gatherings, meetings, family bonding, playing with children and other important things that helped relieve stress in the past just seem useless. He then becomes physically and emotionally dependent on alcohol and loses his total control over the amount he consumes.

How about you? What will be your answer if you were asked, “Why do people drink alcohol?”