A difficult awakening after an alcoholic evening does not have a real influence on behavior: most consumers will continue to drink and even a few hours afterwards.
How many moans, regrets and “Never Again” after a too drunken night? Having a sore hair doesn’t seem as punitive as you might think: many people quickly give up on their promises for another night of drunkenness. A study, published on March 3 in the online edition of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research confirms it: a hangover has a very low impact on future alcoholizations.
A few hours between two alcoholizations
“If the hangover encourages us to fight evil with evil [en buvant de l’alcool], it may play a direct role in the escalation to problematic use. On the other hand, if hangovers punishes and discourages alcoholism, why aren’t those most at risk of problematic drinking the ones who experience the fewest hangovers? »Asks Professor Thomas Piasecki, co-author of the study.
To solve this mystery, a team from the University of Missouri (United States) followed the behavior of 386 frequent consumers. They kept an electronic diary for 21 days, recording their alcohol consumption and its related consequences. In 20% of cases, the drunken night turned into the day after a party. “Our main finding is that a hangover has a very relative effect on future alcoholizations. On average, two alcoholic episodes are only separated a few hours after a hangover, ”explains Professor Piasecki.
The pleasure stronger than the pain
How to explain that we do not learn from our mistakes? For Professor Damaris Rohsenow, professor of behavioral and social sciences at Brown University (Rhode Island, United States), the explanation is simple: the pleasure of alcohol exceeds the pain of the difficult day after a party. “People who drink a lot usually feel the pleasant effects of alcohol, and that’s what motivates the decision to drink a lot again,” she explains. “Hangover pain is temporary, and seen as a nuisance more than a significant negative consequence. “
However, the study cleared up ambiguities about the link between hangovers and alcoholism. The aftermath of too frequent parties could be a risk marker in the same way as uncontrolled consumption. While it is unnecessary for doctors to talk about it with a reluctant patient, researchers say, those who wake up too often with their heads in the bag should consider the need to moderate their consumption.
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