Substance Abuse News

A new study from the University of Chicago Medicine reveals that people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and depression experience high levels of stimulation and pleasure when intoxicated, similar to drinkers who do not have depression. The findings counter the long-held belief that the pleasure people experience when drinking alcohol decreases with addiction and that drinking to intoxication is mainly to reduce negative feelings as a form of self-medication. The research challenges conventional notions about alcohol’s effects in depressed people who drink excessively and could improve treatment approaches by focusing medication and behavioral approaches more on alcohol's pleasure reward pathways and less on stress-responsive systems. Read more...