Science Says There Are Four Types of Drinkers (Study)

(Mirror Daily, United States) – People have different motives when they drink, a new study suggests, and based on the motives, there are four types of drinkers.

There are those who drink to fit in a social setting, drinkers that want to relax and have more fun, drinkers that seek a psychological enhancement, and those who want to drink their troubles away.

Researchers are confident that knowing why people drink can help with the development of better treatments in the future. Even though people have a lot of reasons why they’re drinking, there are four basic motives, the study suggests.

The newly found motivational model of drinking suggests that most people turn to alcohol to make them feel better by either enhancing their positive feelings or decreasing the negative feelings.

Also, some people drink to enhance a preferred trait or emotional state which is enhanced by social approval.

The study suggests that there are four basic reasons why people drink: for enhancement (of a positive feeling/trait), for coping (with distress and problems), to celebrate (the so called social drinking), and to fit in (i.e. conformity).

The model suggests that any other factors like family history of alcohol abuse, personality, and company are just influencing the drinking motives. In other words, motives ultimately lead to alcohol abuse, not other factors.

The Four Types of Drinkers

People who drink to relax in a social setting are the most commonly found. Social drinking is supposed to boost the amount of fun when in a good company. Drinkers see their behavior as a social pastime.

Drinkers who drink to fit in even though they don’t really like alcohol are the ones who drink less than the other three categories of drikers. They usually drink to avoid negative feedback or make other people feel bad.

Drinkers who drink for enhancement of a desired trait or emotion are more likely to be impulsive and extroverted. They are also mostly male, with a high appetite for risk.

And there are drinkers who try to get rid of their problems, most of the time anxiety and depression, by getting drunk. These people have a low self-esteem and higher level of neuroticism. The category comprises mostly females and is the most likely to lead to heavy drinking.
Image Source: Flickr

Bio
Latest Posts

John Birks

John holds a diploma in journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. He covers the technology, social media, green business, eco-travel, politics, arts culture.