Had a stiff drink after work? Beware, it can add to stress

A stiff drink at the end of a hard day in office may not be the best way to unwind, as a new study has shown that consuming alcohol to cope with stress may actually make a person's response to stress worse, and prolong recovery from a stressor.

Stress may also alter the way that alcohol makes us feel in a way that increases the likelihood of drinking more alcohol, the study found.

"Anecdotal reports suggest that alcohol dampens the physiological or negative emotional effects of stress but this has been hard to demonstrate in the lab," Emma Childs, research associate at The University of Chicago and corresponding author for the study.

In the study 25 men performed a stressful task and a non-stressful task.

After each they were given injections containing alcohol or a placebo.

"The results demonstrated bi-directional relationships between alcohol and stress," said Childs.

"Alcohol can change the way that the body deals with stress: it can decrease the hormone cortisol which the body releases to respond to stress, and it can prolong the feelings of tension produced by the stress.

“Stress can also change how alcohol makes a person feel: it can reduce the pleasant effects of alcohol or increase craving for more alcohol,” she added.

The study will be published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.