More than a quarter of patients experiencing chronic pain drown their agony in booze – and effectively so. While the downsides of this behavior are obvious, the mechanisms behind it are highlighted in a current study.
Pain relief needs to be quick, thorough and effective – a challenging demand when it comes to finding the right medication. What’s more: Many patients desire an easily available option, preferably without any subscription or visits to the doctor’s office. This is especially true for patients with chronic pain.
However, this is easier said than done. And when the search for the right pill becomes unbearable, what could be more tempting than trying out an old and trusted method of numbing the pain: alcohol. Sadly, it is often the most readily available option some patients have, for a number of reasons (e. g. drug prices, lack of information and communication). Arguments against this kind of analgesic write themselves – after all, scientific literature is brimming with evidence of the many dire consequences that come with regular consumption of alcohol (yes, even in amounts that are deemed “socially acceptable”).
And yet, its anesthetic effects can’t be denied. Which is why some patients resort to the bottle as a cheap and quick way out of their pain. According to recent studies, “as many as 28 percent of people experiencing chronic pain turn to alcohol to alleviate their suffering”. On top of the usual side effects that come with steady intakes of alcohol, these patients are at an additional risk, since they often take medication for their pain as well. For example, mixing acetaminophen (paracetamol) and alcohol might cause acute liver failure; and pairing spirits with aspirin, another common analgesic, increases the risk for gastric bleedings, states the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Alcohol also increases the analgesic, reinforcing and sedative effects of opiates, which elevates the risk for combined misuse of alcohol and opiates – and overdoses.
But what is it that makes alcohol this effective as an analgesic? A recent study shows: Drinking significantly increased the subjects’ pain thresholds and experience of pain relief, while simultaneously decreasing the unpleasantness and intensity of pain.
The 48 participants were considered “social drinkers” and divided into two groups, one of them (n = 29) with, the other (n = 19) without chronic jaw pain. All subjects participated in two testing sessions during which they either consumed alcohol (target breath alcohol concentration = 0.08 g/dl, the threshold for being considered legally impaired in the United States) or a placebo. In each session, the researchers applied pressure to the participants’ masseter muscle. They then assessed how the experience of pain varied in the two groups (chronic pain vs. pain-free) and how it changed after consuming alcohol.
As mentioned above, the authors found that alcohol consumption resulted in “significant increases in pain threshold and pain relief as well as reductions in pain unpleasantness and pain intensity”. They observed that participants with chronic pain had a generally lower pain threshold while at the same time experiencing greater pain intensity and unpleasantness. However, both groups (chronic pain vs. pain-free) perceived the same effects of consuming alcohol.
So, alcohol works effectively as a numbing, analgesic drug – big deal, right? Well, there are two more takeaways. First, there’s still a huge need for more research on how pain works and how drugs can alleviate patient burden. Second, and even more importantly: While the results in themselves are not exactly eye-opening, they show just how easily patients might rather raid their liquor cabinet than see a doctor or druggist for pain relief. “Individuals, who self-medicate pain via alcohol consumption, irrespective of pain status, may be at increased risk to engage in hazardous drinking patterns,” the authors state.
True, one limitation of this recent study is the small number of participants. But as stated before, there’s more than enough evidence showing the negative impacts of regular alcohol consumption – and we know that almost a third of pain patients regularly hit the bottle to cope with their condition. This rather alarming suggestion should suffice as a reminder to keep patients with chronic pain informed about their therapeutical options and to watch for any signs of alcohol abuse. Because no matter the numbing effects and perceived benefits of self-medication: There’s no such thing as a healthy way of consuming alcohol.
Image source: Christine Jou, unsplash
