The Correlation Between Stress and Alcohol Abuse

Alcohol abuse affects millions of adults every year, with some studies showing that as much as 29% of the population binge drinks regularly. This is further compounded by the fact that alcohol abuse and addiction costs the U.S. more than $200 billion annually, through alcohol related accidents, injuries, and errors.

Stress is widely recognized as one of the leading contributors to addiction and substance abuse. In fact, many rehab programs use stress management techniques to build coping mechanisms – often because persons who abuse alcohol tend to do so because they are ‘self-medicating’ to reduce stress. But, how much does stress actually contribute to alcohol or other substance abuse?

Data shows that this depends on the person, their ‘type’ of addiction, and how they drink.

What is Alcohol Abuse?

While many people hear “alcohol abuse” and think “Addiction”, alcohol abuse is any overuse of alcohol even without chemical dependence. For example, binge drinkers, who consume large amounts of alcohol with the intent of becoming intoxicated. According to a study by the CDC, 1 in 6 U.S. adults binge drinks at least 4 times per month, consuming an average of 8 alcoholic beverages over the course of 2-4 hours. This is often social drinking, done in groups – but when repeated weekly, does qualify as ‘abuse’, because it causes direct harm to the body, including the urinary system and cardiovascular system.

About 6% of people who binge drink fall under the ‘likely to have AUD’ (Alcohol Use Disorder) category, which is a more serious form of alcohol abuse. Here, the user is chemically dependent and likely using alcohol to either self-medicate or has no control over their usage.

In short, alcohol abuse includes a wide spectrum of drinkers, ranging from those who drink too much socially to those who are chemically dependent and heavily addicted.

Stress as a Leading Contributor to Addiction

Stress is one of the leading contributors to medical problems in the United States, with a significant portion of the population reporting mid to high levels of consistent stress. This in turn contributes to weight gain, high blood pressure, heart disease, asthma, diabetes, and gastrointestinal problems. Research is also highly indicative of stress being a major contributor to addiction.

Self-Medication – Self-medication is the process of using a substance as a coping mechanism. For example, 31% of men and 32% of women reported going online to cope with stress in a study by the American Psychology Assocation. Internet usage doesn’t necessarily reduce stress, but people use it as a coping mechanism. Similarly, many people use alcohol to cope with stress, by reducing their current symptoms so that they don’t have to deal with them then. This can lead to alcohol abuse over time, because consistent use builds tolerance, leading to heavier usage over time. For example, people who use alcohol to unwind after work eventually drink very regularly. In one study, 27% of women and 49% of men who drank regularly after work eventually drank more than 2 alcoholic drinks per day between the ages of 75 and 85.

Sensation Seeking – Stress also builds sensation-seeking, by making stressed individuals more prone to reckless behavior. A very stressed person is more likely to do things without thinking them through, such as reckless driving, thrill seeking, and binge drinking. This can eventually result in alcohol or other substance abuse, simply because the stressed person frequently indulges and makes reckless decisions.

What is the Stress Response?

The stress response happens when the body prepares for stress, where the body creates psychological and behavioral changes with the goal of maintaining homeostasis in the body. For example, when presented with stress or perceived stress, the hypothalamus gland initiates a response by secreting hormones, creating changes in the central nervous system, adrenal system, and the cardiovascular system. However, the end result varies significantly per person, with some people having extreme responses and others having very mild responses.

The response plays a part in a very complex range of human behavior and functions, affecting muscle fat, the gastrointestinal tract, the kidneys, and other organs. This goes on to impact body temperature, appetite, attention, mood, vigilance, pleasure seeking, and arousal – typically either shifting people into a depressed or ‘down’ mood that they want to get out of. This in turn results in stress eating, stress drinking, and so on.

How Stress Correlates to Alcohol Abuse

Most existing medical studies show that individuals increase their drinking in response to any kind of stress. However, this is greatly influenced by their previous drinking habits and lifestyle. A person who does not drink when not stressed is not likely to start drinking just because they are stressed. Instead, persons who already drink and who believe that alcohol will reduce their stress or help them to cope will drink either in response or in anticipation of stress.

So, only persons who already drink are at risk of using alcohol to cope with stress and therefore developing an alcohol use disorder.

Long-term Effects of Alcohol on the Body

While many people use alcohol to cope with stress, long-term binging contributes to it. For example, chronic binging or even chronic drinking contributes to depressed mood, fatigue, lethargy, and other factors that actually increase stress. A person who drinks one day to cope with stress may have less qualitative sleep, may wake up dehydrated with a headache, and have a bad start to their day, which contributes to not only chronic stress, but also how stress is handled and perceived throughout the day.

In this sense, using alcohol to cope with stress can be a vicious cycle, where the drinker uses stress as an excuse to drink, which then causes more stress, causing them to drink again.

Two Types of Alcohol Abuse

Studies show that there are two primary types of alcohol abuse. The first is anti-social and pleasure seeking, using alcohol to reduce stress at home or alone. The second is people who are stressed or anxious, often high-functioning, and who can quit for long periods of time – but who binge drink and cannot control themselves once they start. However, both are typically triggered by different things.

For example, the first group are highly likely to drink because of stress, often drinking for pleasure, but also drinking to ‘unwind’ from work or otherwise to cope with their problems or life. The second set are less likely to allow stress to contribute to binge drinking, largely because they remain in control – until a trigger pushes them into drinking again. This trigger can be a large stress point, such as losing a job or a loved one, but is unlikely to be because of chronic stress such as a difficult job or commute.

Stress is extremely complex, and therefore it’s natural that its reaction on the body is also very complex. However, studies clearly show that anyone who drinks is highly likely to increase their alcohol consumption when stressed, and that chronic stress can result in alcohol abuse and dependence.

Studies also show a significant correlation between stress and relapse. Individuals who are suffering from significant or chronic stress after going through detox or rehab are more likely to start drinking again than those who learn stress management techniques or who have relatively low-stress lifestyles. While stress has a significant impact on alcohol abuse, those same studies also show that learning to cope with it and manage it better greatly reduces stress-related drinking.

If you or a loved one is suffering from an alcohol use disorder, there is help. A modern rehabilitation facility offers the tools and psychological support to help addicts to recover and stay sober by building coping mechanisms using cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and other stress management tools.

Beginnings Treatment Centers is located in beautiful and sunny Southern California in Orange County, which has one of the strongest and most active recovery communities in the United States. If you or your loved one is struggling with alcoholism, call us today and speak with one of our experienced and professional intake advisors, we’re here to help.