July 6, 2011 A study by University of Washington psychologists
shows some people continue to drink heavily because of perceived
positive effects, despite experiencing negative effects such as
hangovers, fights and regrettable sexual situations. According
to participants in the study, boosts of courage, chattiness and
other social benefits of drinking outweigh its harms, which they
generally did not consider as strong deterrents. The findings
offer a new direction for programs targeting binge drinking,
which tend to limit their focus to avoiding alcohol's ill
effects rather than considering its rewards. "This study suggest
why some people can experience a lot of bad consequences of
drinking but not change their behavior," said Kevin King, co-
author and UW assistant professor of psychology. "People think,
'It's not going to happen to me' or 'I'll never drink that much
again.' They do not seem to associate their own heavy drinking
with negative consequences," he said. The paper was published
online May 30 in Psy