Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAlcohol and Cortisol: What’s the Connection?Alcohol Increases Cortisol LevelsAlcohol Withdrawal Increases CortisolAlcohol Use Affects the HPA AxisEffects of CortisolHow to Get Help

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Alcohol and Cortisol: What’s the Connection?

Alcohol Increases Cortisol Levels

Alcohol Withdrawal Increases Cortisol

Alcohol Use Affects the HPA Axis

Effects of Cortisol

How to Get Help

Alcohol and stress are connected in several ways. People often drink as a way to cope with stress, but alcohol use can also create more stress in a person’s life. Alcohol can also increase cortisol levels, which is the hormone the body releases in response to stress.

Exposure to excessive cortisol can have serious effects on both mental and physical health. Finding ways to manage stress and reducing or stopping alcohol use can help minimize the negative effects that excess cortisol can have on your well-being.

At a GlanceChronic alcohol use poses many health risks, including elevated cortisol levels. This can happen while a person is consuming alcohol regularly, but it can also occur during alcohol withdrawal. High cortisol levels can increase your risk of health issues, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, weight gain, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal problems, poor immunity, fatigue, and fertility problems. Taking steps to reduce your alcohol use may help lower your cortisol levels and improve your overall health.

At a Glance

Chronic alcohol use poses many health risks, including elevated cortisol levels. This can happen while a person is consuming alcohol regularly, but it can also occur during alcohol withdrawal. High cortisol levels can increase your risk of health issues, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, weight gain, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal problems, poor immunity, fatigue, and fertility problems. Taking steps to reduce your alcohol use may help lower your cortisol levels and improve your overall health.

Long-time heavy alcohol consumption can have many effects on a person’s system, including cognition, emotion, reward, immune function, and energy utilization.Whenchronic heavy drinkersare intoxicated—and when they are withdrawing from alcohol intoxication—they can experience mood swings, diminished cognitive abilities, memory loss, and a decreased ability to learn.

Some research has found that heavy alcohol consumption can begin to cause negative health effects on the body after only several weeks or a few months of drinking.

It’s not just long-term drinkers who can develop these symptoms, but also those whodrink heavilyfor a relatively short period of time— aka,binge drinking.

What is not clear is exactly how heavy alcohol consumption can affect so many systems of the body—from brain function to the immune system to the digestive system.

The Link Between Stress and Alcohol

Short-term, stress-induced cortisol can increase blood pressure, focus alertness, andattention. It helps prepare your body to deal with an immediate threat so that you can respond effectively. When you are exposed to cortisol for an extended period, however, it can adversely impact some body functions such as bone growth, digestion, reproduction, and wound repair.

Alcohol and Hormones: What’s the Connection?

Cortisol also plays an important role in regulating the body’s immune, reward, cognition, and emotion systems, as well as cause sleep disruption.

Research has found that alcohol consumption also increases the body’s production of cortisol, not only while the person is intoxicated, but also when the individual is withdrawing from the effects of intoxication.

Researchers believe that ahigh level of intoxicationcan cause a state of general stress, which can stimulate cortisol release. Suddenly stopping alcohol consumption is a shock to the system, which can cause an even higher level of stress for a person with analcohol use disorder.

It is also thought that alcohol could affect brain chemicals that signal the adrenal glands to produce more cortisol.

Consuming alcohol increases activity in the HPA axis, resulting in increased cortisol production. This increase in cortisol also triggers the release of the neurotransmitterdopamine, which is associated with feelings of pleasure. Increased dopamine contributes to the enjoyable effects that people experience when consuming alcohol.

Drinking too much alcohol over a long period creates impairments in the HPA axis. So when someone with a chronic drinking problem experiences stress, their response becomes blunted, and the body doesn’t react as it should.

Researchers suggest that these changes in how the HPA axis works play a role in why people with alcohol use disorders experience negative feelings and discomfort. Alcohol then becomes a way to find relief from these unpleasant feelings, creating a cycle of further alcohol use.

Research also suggests that this dysregulation in thebody’s stress responsecan contribute to drinking behavior and alcohol cravings. In one study, binge drinkers and heavy drinkers who experienced stressful situations experienced stronger cravings and lower cortisol responses, which were linked to higher alcohol consumption.

Alcohol and Its Impact on Metabolism

Long-term alcohol use can have serious effects on mental and physical health. Its impact on the stress response and increased cortisol levels can result in numerous health consequences, including:

The stress system is an emerging area for research into why people drink excessively, and new medications are in the works for this system.

If you are struggling with an alcohol use problem that is contributing to high-stress levels, talk to your doctor about your treatment options. Treatments for chronic alcohol use may include behavioral interventions, medications, and support.

Therapy

Once you have completed the detox process, it is important to work with a therapist to develop coping skills that will help you stay sober. Types of therapy that can be helpful include:

Therapy can also help you learn relaxation techniques to reduce stress and lower cortisol levels. Specific techniques that can be helpful includedeep breathing,mindfulness, andprogressive muscle relaxation.

Medication

Your doctor can also prescribe medications that can help reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Medications your doctor may prescribe includenaltrexone, acamprosate, ordisulfiram.

Support

Support groupslikeAlcoholics Anonymousand SMART Recovery can also play an important role in maintaining sobriety. They are a way to gain support, encouragement, and advice from people who have had similar experiences.

If you or a loved one are struggling with substance use or addiction, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you or a loved one are struggling with substance use or addiction, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

Best Programs to Quit Drinking

11 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Sullivan EV, Brumback T, Tapert SF, et al.Cognitive, emotion control, and motor performance of adolescents in the NCANDA study: Contributions from alcohol consumption, age, sex, ethnicity, and family history of addiction.Neuropsychology. 2016;30(4):449-473. doi:10.1037/neu0000259Krieger H, Young CM, Anthenien AM, Neighbors C.The epidemiology of binge drinking among college-age individuals in the United States.Alcohol Res.2018;39(1):23-30.Lu YL, Richardson HN.Alcohol, stress hormones, and the prefrontal cortex: a proposed pathway to the dark side of addiction.Neuroscience. 2014;277:139-151. doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.06.053Lee DY, Kim E, Choi MH.Technical and clinical aspects of cortisol as a biochemical marker of chronic stress.BMB Rep. 2015;48(4):209-216. doi:10.5483/BMBRep.2015.48.4.275Becker HC.Effects of alcohol dependence and withdrawal on stress responsiveness and alcohol consumption.Alcohol Res.2012;34(4):448-458.Sheng JA, Bales NJ, Myers SA, et al.The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis: Development, programming actions of hormones, and maternal-fetal interactions.Front Behav Neurosci. 2021;14:601939. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2020.601939Blaine SK, Milivojevic V, Fox H, Sinha R.Alcohol effects on stress pathways: Impact on craving and relapse risk.Can J Psychiatry. 2016;61(3):145-153. doi:10.1177/0706743716632512Georgakouli K, Manthou E, Fatouros IG, et al.HPA-axis activity and nutritional status correlation in individuals with alcohol use disorder.Nutrients. 2022;14(23):4978. doi:10.3390/nu14234978Blaine SK, Nautiyal N, Hart R, Guarnaccia JB, Sinha R.Craving, cortisol and behavioral alcohol motivation responses to stress and alcohol cue contexts and discrete cues in binge and non-binge drinkers.Addict Biol. 2019;24(5):1096-1108. doi:10.1111/adb.12665American Psychological Association.How stress affects your health.Milivojevic V, Sinha R.Targeting stress pathophysiology to improve alcoholism relapse outcomes.Neuropsychopharmacology. 2017;42(5):987-988. doi:10.1038/npp.2016.234

11 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Sullivan EV, Brumback T, Tapert SF, et al.Cognitive, emotion control, and motor performance of adolescents in the NCANDA study: Contributions from alcohol consumption, age, sex, ethnicity, and family history of addiction.Neuropsychology. 2016;30(4):449-473. doi:10.1037/neu0000259Krieger H, Young CM, Anthenien AM, Neighbors C.The epidemiology of binge drinking among college-age individuals in the United States.Alcohol Res.2018;39(1):23-30.Lu YL, Richardson HN.Alcohol, stress hormones, and the prefrontal cortex: a proposed pathway to the dark side of addiction.Neuroscience. 2014;277:139-151. doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.06.053Lee DY, Kim E, Choi MH.Technical and clinical aspects of cortisol as a biochemical marker of chronic stress.BMB Rep. 2015;48(4):209-216. doi:10.5483/BMBRep.2015.48.4.275Becker HC.Effects of alcohol dependence and withdrawal on stress responsiveness and alcohol consumption.Alcohol Res.2012;34(4):448-458.Sheng JA, Bales NJ, Myers SA, et al.The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis: Development, programming actions of hormones, and maternal-fetal interactions.Front Behav Neurosci. 2021;14:601939. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2020.601939Blaine SK, Milivojevic V, Fox H, Sinha R.Alcohol effects on stress pathways: Impact on craving and relapse risk.Can J Psychiatry. 2016;61(3):145-153. doi:10.1177/0706743716632512Georgakouli K, Manthou E, Fatouros IG, et al.HPA-axis activity and nutritional status correlation in individuals with alcohol use disorder.Nutrients. 2022;14(23):4978. doi:10.3390/nu14234978Blaine SK, Nautiyal N, Hart R, Guarnaccia JB, Sinha R.Craving, cortisol and behavioral alcohol motivation responses to stress and alcohol cue contexts and discrete cues in binge and non-binge drinkers.Addict Biol. 2019;24(5):1096-1108. doi:10.1111/adb.12665American Psychological Association.How stress affects your health.Milivojevic V, Sinha R.Targeting stress pathophysiology to improve alcoholism relapse outcomes.Neuropsychopharmacology. 2017;42(5):987-988. doi:10.1038/npp.2016.234

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Sullivan EV, Brumback T, Tapert SF, et al.Cognitive, emotion control, and motor performance of adolescents in the NCANDA study: Contributions from alcohol consumption, age, sex, ethnicity, and family history of addiction.Neuropsychology. 2016;30(4):449-473. doi:10.1037/neu0000259Krieger H, Young CM, Anthenien AM, Neighbors C.The epidemiology of binge drinking among college-age individuals in the United States.Alcohol Res.2018;39(1):23-30.Lu YL, Richardson HN.Alcohol, stress hormones, and the prefrontal cortex: a proposed pathway to the dark side of addiction.Neuroscience. 2014;277:139-151. doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.06.053Lee DY, Kim E, Choi MH.Technical and clinical aspects of cortisol as a biochemical marker of chronic stress.BMB Rep. 2015;48(4):209-216. doi:10.5483/BMBRep.2015.48.4.275Becker HC.Effects of alcohol dependence and withdrawal on stress responsiveness and alcohol consumption.Alcohol Res.2012;34(4):448-458.Sheng JA, Bales NJ, Myers SA, et al.The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis: Development, programming actions of hormones, and maternal-fetal interactions.Front Behav Neurosci. 2021;14:601939. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2020.601939Blaine SK, Milivojevic V, Fox H, Sinha R.Alcohol effects on stress pathways: Impact on craving and relapse risk.Can J Psychiatry. 2016;61(3):145-153. doi:10.1177/0706743716632512Georgakouli K, Manthou E, Fatouros IG, et al.HPA-axis activity and nutritional status correlation in individuals with alcohol use disorder.Nutrients. 2022;14(23):4978. doi:10.3390/nu14234978Blaine SK, Nautiyal N, Hart R, Guarnaccia JB, Sinha R.Craving, cortisol and behavioral alcohol motivation responses to stress and alcohol cue contexts and discrete cues in binge and non-binge drinkers.Addict Biol. 2019;24(5):1096-1108. doi:10.1111/adb.12665American Psychological Association.How stress affects your health.Milivojevic V, Sinha R.Targeting stress pathophysiology to improve alcoholism relapse outcomes.Neuropsychopharmacology. 2017;42(5):987-988. doi:10.1038/npp.2016.234

Sullivan EV, Brumback T, Tapert SF, et al.Cognitive, emotion control, and motor performance of adolescents in the NCANDA study: Contributions from alcohol consumption, age, sex, ethnicity, and family history of addiction.Neuropsychology. 2016;30(4):449-473. doi:10.1037/neu0000259

Krieger H, Young CM, Anthenien AM, Neighbors C.The epidemiology of binge drinking among college-age individuals in the United States.Alcohol Res.2018;39(1):23-30.

Lu YL, Richardson HN.Alcohol, stress hormones, and the prefrontal cortex: a proposed pathway to the dark side of addiction.Neuroscience. 2014;277:139-151. doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.06.053

Lee DY, Kim E, Choi MH.Technical and clinical aspects of cortisol as a biochemical marker of chronic stress.BMB Rep. 2015;48(4):209-216. doi:10.5483/BMBRep.2015.48.4.275

Becker HC.Effects of alcohol dependence and withdrawal on stress responsiveness and alcohol consumption.Alcohol Res.2012;34(4):448-458.

Sheng JA, Bales NJ, Myers SA, et al.The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis: Development, programming actions of hormones, and maternal-fetal interactions.Front Behav Neurosci. 2021;14:601939. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2020.601939

Blaine SK, Milivojevic V, Fox H, Sinha R.Alcohol effects on stress pathways: Impact on craving and relapse risk.Can J Psychiatry. 2016;61(3):145-153. doi:10.1177/0706743716632512

Georgakouli K, Manthou E, Fatouros IG, et al.HPA-axis activity and nutritional status correlation in individuals with alcohol use disorder.Nutrients. 2022;14(23):4978. doi:10.3390/nu14234978

Blaine SK, Nautiyal N, Hart R, Guarnaccia JB, Sinha R.Craving, cortisol and behavioral alcohol motivation responses to stress and alcohol cue contexts and discrete cues in binge and non-binge drinkers.Addict Biol. 2019;24(5):1096-1108. doi:10.1111/adb.12665

American Psychological Association.How stress affects your health.

Milivojevic V, Sinha R.Targeting stress pathophysiology to improve alcoholism relapse outcomes.Neuropsychopharmacology. 2017;42(5):987-988. doi:10.1038/npp.2016.234

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