Why Do People Drink Alcohol?

April is Alcohol Awareness Month, making it the ideal time to delve into the question: why do people drink alcohol? This month prompts discussions about alcohol use, its mental health effects, addiction, and the journey to sobriety. 

Alcohol has a rich history in this country, and today remains the most socially accepted and publicly consumed addictive substance. A great deal of social acceptance makes problematic or excessive drinking very difficult to name for us in ourselves, and sometimes, impossible to share with others as something we are experiencing. The stress of secrets and shame can often reinforce the negative emotions we feel because of extended, problematic alcohol use; and as a result, a person who abuses alcohol is more likely to have to increase their use, to counteract their escalated emotional state. 

Today, with upwards of 76 million adults in the US having a family history of alcoholism, Millennials and younger Gen Z adults are looking for a different way of life. So let’s get into it – why do people drink alcohol, how are drinking behaviors talked about, how can they impact us, and how might that lead a person to change how they view alcohol, either in the future, or maybe in hindsight?

Why Do People Drink Alcohol?

The combination of cumulative every-day stressors, traumatic events, social acceptance, and availability tend to lead us toward social alcohol use and use for the relief of uncomfortable emotions (e.g., anxiety, sadness, anger). Sometimes, the memories we have related to alcohol (e.g., if you had more negative or more positive experiences with alcohol present) will help us decide if we even take the first sip or not.

Alcohol affects every person differently – we all have different social, biological, emotional, and historical influences that impact our relationship with, and use of alcohol. Sometimes, as with alcohol, a very personal and individual experience comes from a very socially present and accepted instigator, and so we must navigate the social consequences of drinking-or-not, as well. For this reason, it is important for each of us to be mindful of our internal and external experiences when consuming alcohol.

What’s In A Drink?

When the average person thinks about problematic or excessive drinking, they tend to think of a person whose every-day alcohol use behavior creates a problem for them over time – the person who started drinking without a problem, and gradually needed more to get the same effect as other things in their life piled up. As a result of needing more and indulging to the desired level of effect, the person’s behavior, their social engagements, and often, their physical health can become negatively impacted.

Maybe they lose their job, or they experience a liver disease, or they end up getting a divorce. We might even go to the extreme before considering alcohol a problem – drunk driving that gets someone hurt or killed. It’s true, excessive drinking does lead to about 88,000 deaths per year; and it can also lead to chronic illnesses and unintended lifelong consequences resulting from suppressing the part of us that helps us be realistic and stay in control.

There are two very important things to understand in this conversation:

1. The “safe amounts” of alcohol consumption discussed here are not based on moral judgements, they are based on studies of the biological effects of alcohol consumption, which sometimes lead to behaviors that bring on moral judgment. That does not make alcohol, people who drink alcohol, or even people who experience alcohol addiction and abuse behaviors, inherently bad in any way.
2. “Safe consumption” is considered a person over 21 years* consuming up to 1-2** drinks per day, but no more than 8-16** drinks in a week. “Drink” in this case is defined as 12 ounces or a can/bottle of an average beer, 8 ounces of an average malt liquor, 5 ounces or a glass of an average bottled wine, or 1.5 ounces (a standard shot) of 40 proof liquor (the “drink”) would be a smaller shot, as the proof increases.

That seems like a lot per week, so what’s the problem?

Something very important to realize is that the CDC identifies binge drinking as the main health concern when it comes to excessive alcohol consumption. Binge drinking is considered consuming 4-5 drinks in a single 2-3 hour period. That means, if every week you save all your drinks for Saturday, and you consume 8 drinks over 6 hours on Saturday night, you may be having a binge drinking episode every week.

Remember – any binge drinking is considered excessive drinking, and binge drinking is the greatest concern in excessive drinking and its resulting consequences. Really, why wouldn’t it be? People are trying to do the right thing! It seems very reasonable to stay sober on work/school/responsibility nights and let yourself have a release one night that you can (hopefully) recover from before returning to your responsibilities for the week.

Unfortunately, even if only once per week, and even if the amount is technically not more than a “weeks’ worth of drinking,” consequences like violent physical interactions, vehicular accidents, injury, chronic illness, and issues with carrying pregnancy to term can all result from binge drinking – in some cases, a single occurrence of binge drinking. It’s important to remember that “moderation” is not just in the number of days in a week that you drink, but also how much you consume at one time.

Though it may lessen the enjoyment some to be mindful and grounded, including consequences; but ultimately, you are the person who will have to live through your future, no one else. It is important to be aware of how you are consuming, and what happens to you emotionally, physically, socially, and in the long-term, because of that consumption. With that grounded, mindful approach, you can make the intentional decisions to use alcohol in a way that will not be harmful to you or inhibit the future you imagine for yourself. You deserve to live that life to its fullest potential!

Keep an eye out for Part 2 of our series: The Sober Curious Movement Started by Gen Z. If you or anyone a loved one is struggling with alcohol use/abuse, changes in your relationships involving alcohol consumption, or making the decision of whether to make a change, please consider reaching out to schedule with one of our therapists. 

Written by Ang Scotto (they/them), LSW.

*According to the CDC, people under the age of 21 and those who are pregnant cannot safely consume any amount of alcohol.

**The CDC bases these numbers on biological sex. For the purposes of this post, the general numbers take weight into consideration more than sex, with the weight range being 170 pounds on the low end, and 200 pounds for the higher numbers. Counterintuitively, being heavier does may increase one’s tolerance of alcohol’s immediate effects, but being heavier does not give any protective factor against long-term effects of excessive alcohol consumption.