Exploring the Psychological Roots of Binge Drinking

Do you binge drink often? Most people would be appalled by the question. “Of course not!” you might say. After all, isn’t binge drinking all about those boozy frat parties and tailgate keggers we left behind in our college days? Not exactly. You might be surprised that binge drinking — defined by the NIAAA as having four or more drinks for women and five or more for men — is a widespread issue with deep psychological roots. Let’s take a deep dive into the psychology behind binge drinking and explore some ways to address it.

Binge Drinking: Sobering Stats

Just how common is binge drinking these days? More common than we might think. Here are some sobering statistics to consider:

• About a fifth of the population engages in binge drinking. As the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) shows, roughly 61 million people over the age of 12 living in the United States admitted that they engaged in binge drinking during the past month.
• Many young people still binge drink. Although rates have been decreasing over the years, the 2022 Monitoring the Future survey shows that 2.2% of 8th graders, 5.9% of 10th graders, and 12.6% of 12th graders said they engaged in binge drinking some time in the past two weeks.
• Close to a third of the young adult population binge drinks. In 2022, the NSDUH found that almost half of all college-age students (18 to 22) drink and 28.9% report binge drinking in the past month. 
• Older adults binge drink, too. Around 9.7% of folks over 65 reported binge drinking some time in the past month. This age group is particularly vulnerable to the effects of alcohol since many take medications that can interact with booze. Moreover, older people are more susceptible to falls and other injuries. 
• Out of women who drink, one in four binge drinks. Surveys show that one in four women who drink alcohol reported around three instances of binge drinking, consuming around five drinks per episode.

As we can see, people across age groups and genders admit to binge drinking on a regular basis. To learn more about the dangers, check out “​​Alcohol Drinking Levels: From Moderate Drinking to Heavy Alcohol Use, Binge Drinking, and More.”

Why Do People Binge Drink?

Needless to say, binge drinking has serious consequences. In addition to potentially leading to alcohol poisoning and blackouts while making accidents more likely, binge drinking on a regular basis poses significant health risks, including liver damage, heart problems, digestive problems, immune deficiencies, and certain cancers. It also increases the risk of dependence and sets us on the possible path to alcohol use disorder (AUD). 

So why do people binge drink? The biological reasons are fairly straightforward: the brain’s reward system plays a significant role in binge drinking. Alcohol floods our brain with dopamine, the reward neurotransmitter that brings on that wave of pleasure we sometimes feel after the first few sips. In an effort to chase the feeling, we keep drinking — in spite of the fact that it quickly gives way to fatigue, irritation, or sadness as alcohol’s depressant effects kick in.

However, the psychological reasons behind binge drinking are more nuanced. Let’s take a closer look!

The Psychological Roots of Binge Drinking

The psychological roots of binge drinking have to do with internal and external triggers that drive us to drink and make it difficult to stop once we’ve started. Understanding them with compassion is key: let’s approach the exploration with curiosity rather than judgment, as scientists exploring the inner workings of our own mind.

1. A “Stress Solution”

Famous for causing initial relaxation, booze sometimes becomes a go-to solution for those of us who suffer from anxiety or are going through a stressful time. As a depressant, alcohol does, indeed, cause us to mellow out — at least initially — by boosting the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA and lowering glutamate, its excitatory counterpart.

However, the relief is temporary, leading to rebound anxiety and depression that can leave us feeling worse than before. Research shows that after going on an alcohol bender at the lab, mice showed signs of “anxiety-like” and “depression-like” social behaviors. And while as humans we’re more complex than our rodent counterparts, experience shows that post-binge “hangxiety” and dips in mood are all too real.

Even worse, while alcohol dampens anxiety for a short period of time, it dampens other feelings along with it. So, while we might feel a bit more relaxed, we’re also depriving ourselves of the intense joy, excitement, and satisfaction we would otherwise get from authentic interactions and experiences. Here’s how Annie Grace puts it in This Naked Mind:

​​“Alcohol erases a bit of you every time you drink it. It can even erase entire nights when you are on a binge. Alcohol does not relieve stress; it erases your senses and your ability to think. Alcohol ultimately erases your self.”

So while binge drinking to relieve stress might seem like a quick fix, in reality it’s anything but. Not only is it not sustainable, but it also robs us of the inner strength and power only our “naked” mind can tap into in order to effectively address the underlying causes of our troubles.

2. The Power of Peer Pressure

We are “social animals” by nature, and alcohol is often seen as the “social glue.” And while the reality is that it’s far more likely to stand in the way of authentic connections by leading us to say or do things we regret the next morning (if we even remember them), the pressure can be real.

There’s powerful science behind the claim that peer pressure leads us to conform to the behavior of those around us — and it doesn’t stop in our youth. In fact, many experiments in the last century show just how strong peer pressure can be. Back in the fifties, psychologist Solomon Asch showed that when participants were asked to match different lines by length, they were more likely to give an obviously wrong answer if someone in the group did so. (Unbeknownst to the subjects, paid actors were planted in the group to do so intentionally.)

Casting the craving for acceptance in a darker light, the Stanford Prison Experiment and the Milgram Studies that followed showed just how far people would go to gain acceptance from peer as well as from authority figures. In the first, volunteers designated as “guards” exhibited an increasing level of brutality toward the “prisoners.” In the second, participants were willing to inflict increasing levels of pain on other study subjects by pushing a button and hearing their cries from an adjacent room where they supposedly received increasingly dangerous levels of electric shocks. The “subjects” were, in fact, paid actors, but that wasn’t the point: when told by someone in a lab coat that stopping would torpedo the experiment, most of these otherwise well-adjusted, empathetic people put their own conscience on the back burner and played along. 

• Social acceptance triggers dopamine release. We’re wired to seek social acceptance since our earliest days on the planet. Back then, being accepted by others was often a matter of survival. These days, the reward system in our brain still responds by giving us a boost of pleasure in the form of dopamine when we receive approval, making us crave acceptance more than we sometimes realize.
• Mirror neurons act as “copycat cells.” Mirror neurons get activated in response to seeing someone else experience or feel something we don’t have direct access to. And while they’re behind one of our superpowers as humans — the ability to empathize with others — they can also trigger “monkey see, monkey do” behavior. So, if everyone else is drinking, the brain nudges you to join in, helping you blend in with the “tribe.”
• Alcohol gives us the illusion of sociability. In addition to peer pressure from others, we might experience internal pressure to “let loose,” especially if we’re prone to social anxiety. By slowing down the prefrontal cortex, booze temporarily lifts our inhibitions, creating an illusion of confidence.

See how powerful peer pressure can be? And it doesn’t end there!

3. Environmental and Cultural Factors

In addition to peer pressure, we might find ourselves in a pattern of binge drinking if it’s normalized by our social environment or culture. Drinking habits around the globe are not the same, and what’s considered “normal” in one country, community, or family might look very different from what’s seen as acceptable in others. Here are some examples:

• In the U.S., binge drinking is common on college campuses. As we already learned, drinking is prevalent among college students, and binge drinking is still seen as a rite of passage by many.
• Alcohol advertising in the U.S. plays a significant role. Studies show that compared to other places around the world, alcohol advertising looms large in the U.S. Since the 1980s, much of alcohol advertising is specifically targeted toward youth (and young women in particular).
• Some festivals and holidays indirectly encourage binge drinking. While the aim of holidays such as Oktoberfest or St. Patrick’s Day may be to uphold cherished cultural or historical traditions, they’ve developed a boozy reputation over the years. Time to change things up!

Awareness is key when it comes to addressing environmental and cultural factors that might lead us to binge drink. It’s easy to internalize the social norms we’re used to, but approaching drinking with a mindset that allows us to question it is the key to making shifts in a healthier direction.

4. Alcohol Is Addictive

Last but not least, we come to the most all-encompassing reason of all: alcohol is addictive. No matter why we may have started binge drinking in the first place, chances are at some point it became a habit. And given the way it interacts with our brain and body, that habit can be notoriously hard to break. 

The NIAAA describes the process as a three-stage cycle, each involving a different area of the brain:

• The binge/intoxication stage is where the (destructive) action happens. This stage is all about the dopamine-driven reward system that generates a brief boost of pleasure in response to the drink.
• The withdrawal/negative affect stage is the aftermath of the binge. The amygdala takes the wheel in the negative affect stage, which is all about next-day regrets and negative consequences.
• The preoccupation/contemplation stage paves the way to the next binge. Set in motion by the prefrontal cortex that has been impaired by alcohol use, this stage is the losing battle between our compromised ability to reason and our insatiable drive to get that next dopamine hit. 

But while being stuck on this cycle might leave us feeling hopeless, don’t despair! We’re about to discover some science-backed ways to get ourselves out.

Breaking the Binge Cycle

Now that we know binge drinking isn’t the solution to whatever psychological triggers might be driving us toward it, what can we do? These days there are plenty of resources we can rely on!

1. Address the Root Cause and Reframe Your Thinking

First and foremost, it’s important to reframe the way you see alcohol and break through the illusion that it delivers on the promises of making life more enjoyable, providing relaxation, or easing stress. In fact, it does the exact opposite! We explored how alcohol, in fact, increases our stress levels and leads to a self-perpetuating cycle that can end up in making us dependent on booze. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is particularly useful in seeing through the remaining distortions you might have about alcohol. Check out “Applying Cognitive Behavioral Techniques to Change Thought Patterns That Lead to Excessive Drinking” to learn more!

2. Develop Healthy Coping Mechanisms

There are many healthy coping mechanisms you can start using to deal with stress and get a boost of feel-good neurotransmitters in a natural way. Here are the top few:

• Exercise. One of the best ways to ease stress, boost dopamine, and coast through cravings, physical activity has been proven by science to be an excellent way to cope with life while strengthening your body at the same time. Ready to grab those running shoes or yoga mat? 
• Mindfulness. Another coping superpower, mindfulness is backed by science! Research shows that it allows our brain to switch from the “default mode network” (which promotes habits and rumination) and increases activity in the prefrontal cortex. Plus, it physically increases our brain volume, promotes neurogenesis, eases stress, and works as a powerful craving buster!
• Creative pursuits. Creativity is another science-backed way to boost dopamine. Plus, you get something out of it, too — a pair of handmade gloves, a painting of your cat to put on the wall, or a digital photo collage to send to friends!

The key is finding what works for you and provides the relaxation, excitement, and relief that you are looking for. Time to explore!

3. Build a Strong Support Network

Social support has been shown to enhance recovery outcomes by providing practical advice, emotional reinforcement, and a sense of community. Find your people and stick with them! For more information, check out “Types of Social Support and How They Work.”

4. Deal With Pesky Peer Pressure

As much as we’d like to think that peer pressure ends in high school, it can follow us throughout our adult lives. The key is having a plan and knowing what to say when someone insists on refilling your glass or is pressuring you to have “just one more.” Here are some ideas:

• “I’m on a quest to become a hydration expert tonight. Water is my specialty!"
• “I’ve got an early morning workout, and drinking will set me back."
• “I heard the new trend is staying sober and having a blast. I’m just ahead of the curve!"

Play it by ear when it comes to giving a more serious response or lightening the mood with a joke. Whatever approach feels natural to you is the way to go.

5. Build Your Unique Identity

In addition to learning to deal with peer pressure, strengthening your own sense of self can work wonders when it comes to making binge drinking a thing of the past. Here are some ideas to try:

• Explore new hobbies. Always wanted to try martial arts, rock climbing, or writing haikus? Now’s the time to explore! Adding new passions to your life can provide deep sources of meaning, which is exactly what you need to make alcohol an afterthought.
• Rediscover old passions. Discovering new interests is great, but so is going back to your roots! Dig those paint brushes out of storage or download a new version of Adobe Photoshop to rediscover your love of digital art. It’s never too late!
• Hone your superpowers. Explore the “24 character strengths” — a concept from positive psychology that outlines 24 different traits (such as creativity, curiosity, resilience, persistence, and much more). Spend some time reflecting on yours and engage in activities that foster them.
• Put it on paper. Document your journey as you go. Keeping a journal in recovery can show you how far you’ve come. And who knows, one day it might serve as a rough draft for a book or personal blog!

And remember, Reframe is here to help you every step of the way! Use our science-backed tools and resources to change your relationship with alcohol and make cravings a thing of the past. And engage with our vibrant community of like-minded people who’ve been where you are and are eager to share their stories and advice!