I find the idea that people don’t like being intoxicated suspicious. Experiencing euphoria from intoxication has a lot do with with brain chemistry, and it would be very odd if some humans recieved this effect and others did not.
Now, I can understand the intellectual response of “I don’t like being intoxicated” as “I don’t like the (loss of control/mental sluggishness/depressive effects) that accompanies intoxication.” After all, those could easily go against your personal values.
But in terms of enjoying something, I don’t think that those concerns are paramount. I enjoy the taste of foods that I consciously know are bad for me: eating them goes against my personal values (live a long life, have energy for the next task, etc.) but I still experience pleasure upon eating them. And it strikes me that it is quite possible to consciously find something distasteful while non-consciously finding it enjoyable. In other words, your conscious brain might say “I don’t enjoy the other effects of alcohol, only the taste” while your tongue tells your subconscious “Hey! This is the stuff that gives us the happy feeling!”
The only real test, I suppose, would be to find two drinks that were, taste-wise, indistinguishable with one producing the “other” effects of alcohol while the other doesn’t. Then, see if there was a stronger “liking” associated with the prior substance over time, particularly with people who self-report not enjoying those effects in alcohol while otherwise enjoying its flavor. I have a strong suspicion that the test would show that even if little enough of it was served that neither group felt outward signs of intoxication that the group that got the alcoholic batch would show stronger liking over time. (In fact, the less the “I don’t enjoy intoxication” batch consciously know that they are being given alcohol, the better for their self-reporting.)
Drug effects can be heavily culturally mediated; Hanson has posted some material on alcohol in particular.
(Another n=1: I was surprised and dismayed the first time I had enough alcohol to qualify as even partially drunk, and realized that I felt incredibly depressed. This happened twice more, and I eventually gave up alcohol as a bad job. This is annoying because it limits my mead consumption, even though it also means I never need to worry about alcoholism.)
I know a number of people who frequently become extremely sad while drunk. Back when I drank, that wasn’t an uncommon condition for me as well. Also, there were a number of enjoyable activities I found myself less able to successfully engage in while drunk… sex, in particular, was significantly less satisfying that way. In general I found several other intoxicants far superior if what I wanted was to be intoxicated.
Well, that makes some amount of sense. Alcohol is a seratonin inhibitor, so it would block some of the natural rush you would expect to get from sexual activity. That, and it inhibits testosterone, which is critical for sexual activity in men.
I find the idea that people don’t like being intoxicated suspicious. Experiencing euphoria from intoxication has a lot do with with brain chemistry, and it would be very odd if some humans recieved [sic] this effect and others did not.
By what mechanism does alcohol—a central nervous system depressant—cause euphoria? And how intense is this euphoria?
I ask because I’ve been to board game nights with my friends both with and without drinking involved, and I can recall no significant difference in pleasure between the two.
Admittedly, reporting on the euphoria from alcohol largely comes from anecdotal experiences from myself and my friends and family, however, the wikipedia entry on intoxication is a good starting point for answering this question. However, asking the question did prompt me to investigate.
The short answer is that alcohol intoxication often produces euphoria at about 20-99 mg/dL and that this state may continue at higher concentrations. The mechanism appears to be due to the fact that, in addition to being a central nervous system depressant, alcohol is also a seratonin inhibitor and that it interferes with seratonin binding and seratonin transporters in a manner which causes excessive stimulation in serotonergic neurons.
That said, the specifics are unclear. It seems that we don’t have direct ways of checking seratonin in human or animal brains yet. That said, indirect tests, self-report, and observed euphoric effects of alcohol intoxication all contribute to the current theory on the effects of alcohol on the seratonin receptors.
Gotcha! I had asked because the absence of a known pharmacological mechanism would have suggested that the primary factor was an association effect—people drink at parties with their friends, and therefore associate intoxication with their enjoyment of the party.
I find the idea that people don’t like being intoxicated suspicious. Experiencing euphoria from intoxication has a lot do with with brain chemistry, and it would be very odd if some humans recieved this effect and others did not.
Another n=1: I like the way intoxication feels when I’m intoxicated, but over last couple of months I’ve gone from wanting to enter that state often to avoiding all alcohol on purpose. What changed was realizing on an emotional level that I have tons of interesting (or necessary) things to do and alcohol limits that by taking away evening (to drink) and the next day (I feel cognitively worse ’till next afternoon, even if I didn’t have a hangover). At some point the prospect of drinking became anxiety-inducing for me.
I find the idea that people don’t like being intoxicated suspicious. Experiencing euphoria from intoxication has a lot do with with brain chemistry, and it would be very odd if some humans recieved this effect and others did not.
Now, I can understand the intellectual response of “I don’t like being intoxicated” as “I don’t like the (loss of control/mental sluggishness/depressive effects) that accompanies intoxication.” After all, those could easily go against your personal values.
But in terms of enjoying something, I don’t think that those concerns are paramount. I enjoy the taste of foods that I consciously know are bad for me: eating them goes against my personal values (live a long life, have energy for the next task, etc.) but I still experience pleasure upon eating them. And it strikes me that it is quite possible to consciously find something distasteful while non-consciously finding it enjoyable. In other words, your conscious brain might say “I don’t enjoy the other effects of alcohol, only the taste” while your tongue tells your subconscious “Hey! This is the stuff that gives us the happy feeling!”
The only real test, I suppose, would be to find two drinks that were, taste-wise, indistinguishable with one producing the “other” effects of alcohol while the other doesn’t. Then, see if there was a stronger “liking” associated with the prior substance over time, particularly with people who self-report not enjoying those effects in alcohol while otherwise enjoying its flavor. I have a strong suspicion that the test would show that even if little enough of it was served that neither group felt outward signs of intoxication that the group that got the alcoholic batch would show stronger liking over time. (In fact, the less the “I don’t enjoy intoxication” batch consciously know that they are being given alcohol, the better for their self-reporting.)
Drug effects can be heavily culturally mediated; Hanson has posted some material on alcohol in particular.
(Another n=1: I was surprised and dismayed the first time I had enough alcohol to qualify as even partially drunk, and realized that I felt incredibly depressed. This happened twice more, and I eventually gave up alcohol as a bad job. This is annoying because it limits my mead consumption, even though it also means I never need to worry about alcoholism.)
I know a number of people who frequently become extremely sad while drunk. Back when I drank, that wasn’t an uncommon condition for me as well. Also, there were a number of enjoyable activities I found myself less able to successfully engage in while drunk… sex, in particular, was significantly less satisfying that way. In general I found several other intoxicants far superior if what I wanted was to be intoxicated.
Well, that makes some amount of sense. Alcohol is a seratonin inhibitor, so it would block some of the natural rush you would expect to get from sexual activity. That, and it inhibits testosterone, which is critical for sexual activity in men.
By what mechanism does alcohol—a central nervous system depressant—cause euphoria? And how intense is this euphoria?
I ask because I’ve been to board game nights with my friends both with and without drinking involved, and I can recall no significant difference in pleasure between the two.
Admittedly, reporting on the euphoria from alcohol largely comes from anecdotal experiences from myself and my friends and family, however, the wikipedia entry on intoxication is a good starting point for answering this question. However, asking the question did prompt me to investigate.
The short answer is that alcohol intoxication often produces euphoria at about 20-99 mg/dL and that this state may continue at higher concentrations. The mechanism appears to be due to the fact that, in addition to being a central nervous system depressant, alcohol is also a seratonin inhibitor and that it interferes with seratonin binding and seratonin transporters in a manner which causes excessive stimulation in serotonergic neurons.
That said, the specifics are unclear. It seems that we don’t have direct ways of checking seratonin in human or animal brains yet. That said, indirect tests, self-report, and observed euphoric effects of alcohol intoxication all contribute to the current theory on the effects of alcohol on the seratonin receptors.
Gotcha! I had asked because the absence of a known pharmacological mechanism would have suggested that the primary factor was an association effect—people drink at parties with their friends, and therefore associate intoxication with their enjoyment of the party.
I drink to make parties with friends tolerable because after an hour there is usually an infinite amount of things I’d rather be doing...
Another n=1: I like the way intoxication feels when I’m intoxicated, but over last couple of months I’ve gone from wanting to enter that state often to avoiding all alcohol on purpose. What changed was realizing on an emotional level that I have tons of interesting (or necessary) things to do and alcohol limits that by taking away evening (to drink) and the next day (I feel cognitively worse ’till next afternoon, even if I didn’t have a hangover). At some point the prospect of drinking became anxiety-inducing for me.