New Evidence Suggests 'Bi-Directional Relationships between Alcohol and Stress'

There has long been anecdotal evidence showing a relationship between stress and alcohol use, but University of Chicago researchers have conducted a study demonstrating that not only does alcohol use affect an individual's emotional and physiological experience of stress, but that stress also affects the use of alchohol - such as by reducing the benefits of use and by increasing cravings.  According to Emma Childs, a research associate and co-author of an article to be published in the October 2011 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research:

"...using 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," she said. "Stress responses are beneficial in that they help us to react to adverse events. By altering the way that our bodies deal with stress, we may be increasing the risks of developing stress-related diseases, not the least of which is alcohol addiction."

Source:  http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-07/ace-saa070711.php