Emotional responses to drinking appear to vary according to the type of drink imbibed and differ between men and women, an analysis of data from the Global Drug Survey (GDS) has found.

Data from almost 30,000 respondents to the 2016 GDS, aged 18-34 years, who had reported drinking alcohol in the past 12 months were extracted. The GDS is the largest worldwide drug survey. It is implemented annually via an online platform in 11 languages, is promoted internationally, and represents self-reported alcohol and drug use among those aged over 16.

More than half the respondents said that they associated drinking spirits with energy (58.36%) and confidence (59.08%) and 42.4% that spirits made them feel sexy, see table 1.

Respondents were most likely to report feeling relaxed (52.8%) when drinking red wine; although almost half (49.87%) reported feeling relaxed when drinking beer. Drinking spirits was more likely to be associated with feelings of aggression, illness, restlessness and tearfulness than all other drink types. Red wine was the drink most likely to make people feel tired (60.1%).

Women were significantly more likely than men to report each emotion, apart from aggression, as a result of drinking any type of alcohol. Younger age groups (18-24 years) reported emotional changes, apart from aggression and tiredness, more often than older respondents (25-34 years).

Men were significantly more likely to report aggression. Heavier drinkers were more likely to report all emotional changes as a result of drinking. This relationship was especially strong for aggression: adjusted odds ratio 6.4 (95% CI: 5.79-7.09; P < 0.001) for possible dependent drinkers compared with low-risk drinkers.

A greater proportion of respondents with lower educational attainment reported both positive and negative emotions when drinking compared with those who had higher educational levels.

The information from this study is of significant interest particularly to public health bodies. It could be used to inform strategies and target public health messages to address unhealthy drinking in different groups e.g. the young and those who drink heavily.

It is hard to understand the different perceived effects that various types of alcohol have on mood, unless there are unexplored factors arising from choice of alcoholic drink at different times of day, choice dependent on current mood which is then enhanced, learned behaviour associated with different alcohol choices, or potential effects from the congeners present in the different drinks.

Dr Jez Thompson

Ashton K, Bellis MA, Davies AR et al. Do emotions related to alcohol consumption differ by alcohol type? An international cross-sectional survey of emotions associated with alcohol consumption and influence on drink choice in different settings. BMJ Open 2017;7:e016089. doi:10.1136/ bmjopen-2017-016089