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binge drinking

·May 21, 2025·4 min read

Peer Pressure, Perceived Norms Drive Risky Drinking

A new study highlights how peer pressure and misperceptions about campus drinking norms can lead college students to drink more heavily than they intend. Many students believe their peers consume more alcohol than they actually do, which can increase risky behavior and negative outcomes.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·May 6, 2025·6 min read

Romantic Partners Can Shape Genetic Risk for Binge Drinking

New research shows that romantic partners' habits and traits can influence how strongly genetic risk for binge drinking affects an individual. Using data from Finnish twins, scientists found that partners who smoke, show psychological distress, or exhibit low conscientiousness amplify genetic risk.

Featured Neuroscience

·December 30, 2024·6 min read

Estrogen Drives Binge Drinking Behavior in Females

The hormone estrogen increases binge drinking in females by enhancing activity in neurons within the brain's BNST region. The effect is particularly strong during high-estrogen phases, leading to "front-loading," or rapid alcohol consumption within the first 30 minutes of availability.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·June 12, 2023·4 min read

Teen Binge Drinking Tied to Adult Brain and Neurotransmission Changes

Young adults who heavily consumed alcohol during their teenage years exhibited thinner cortical gray matter and modified neurotransmission. Utilizing MRI and TMS-EEG technology, the researchers identified lower gray matter thickness and increased N45 potential, indicative of inhibitory GABA and excitatory glutamate neurotransmitter activity. This study underlines the long-term, detrimental impact of adolescent heavy drinking on adult brain structure and function.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·January 31, 2023·4 min read

Mocktails or Cocktails? Having a Sense of Purpose in Life Can Keep Binge Drinking at Bay

Having a sense of purpose in life decreases alcohol consumption and binge drinking temptation in some social drinkers.

This shows a young person drinking at the side of a road

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·January 19, 2023·4 min read

Heavy Drinking in Young Adults Tied to Endocannabinoid Pathway

Brain levels of FAAH, an enzyme that degrades a neurotransmitter that activates the cannabinoid 1 receptor, may contribute to the maintenance of excessive drinking and susceptibility to alcohol use disorder.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 27, 2022·4 min read

Binge Drinking Increases COVID-19 Risk in Young Women

Women in their 20's who frequently binge drink had the highest self-reported prevalence of COVID-19 infection among subgroups within a study of alcohol and drug usage during the pandemic. Researchers say the increased infection risk was due to binge drinkers being less vigilant with their social behaviors as a result of intoxication.

This shows people clinking cocktail glasses

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·June 11, 2022·4 min read

Binge Drinking Raises Risk of Developing Alcohol Problems, Even for Moderate Drinkers

Moderate drinkers who have a pattern of binge drinking are five times more likely to develop alcohol use disorders than moderate drinkers who do not binge drink.

Featured Neuroscience

·May 16, 2022·5 min read

Binge Drinking Has a Powerful Impact on the Adolescent Brain

Adolescent binge drinking has vast functional implications on the developing brain, researchers report. Binge drinking decreases function in areas responsible for sensory, motor, memory, and cognitive processes.

This shows a group of people with glasses of beer

Neuroscience

·May 8, 2021·4 min read

Social Network’s Relation to Binge Drinking Among Adults Explained

Those who live in neighborhoods that are considered safe, orderly, and have a more interconnected social environment are at higher risk of embarking on binge drinking episodes, a new study reports.

This shows a woman and a bottle of scotch

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·February 20, 2021·4 min read

Circadian Rhythm Genes in Key Brain Region Are Involved in Binge Drinking

The circadian CLOCK gene in the nucleus accumbens shell plays a crucial role in binge drinking behaviors in mouse models.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·September 10, 2020·5 min read

Binge-Drinkers’ Brains Have to Work Harder to Feel Empathy for Others

Study reveals binge drinking is associated with more widespread neural dysfunction than previously believed. In those who binge drink, the visual areas of the brain show unusually high levels of activation. Additionally, those who binge drink have more difficulty in feeling empathy for others.