Personally, everyone can come up with many reasons why he or she is drinking, which makes a scientific understanding of the reasons difficult. But there is something called the motivational model of alcohol use, that argues we drink because we expect a change in how we feel after we do. Originally developed to help treat alcohol dependence, the ideas described in the model led to a new understanding of what motivates people to drink.
This results in all drinking motives falling into one of four categories: enhancement (because it’s exciting), coping (to forget about my worries), social (to celebrate), and conformity (to fit in). Drinkers can be high or low in any number of drinking motives – people are not necessarily one type of drinker or the other.
人類喝了幾千年酒。但你可曾想過,自己究竟為何飲酒?從私人角度,人人都能列舉出許多飲酒原因。不過,“飲酒動機模型”認為,人們之所以飲酒,是期待酒后產(chǎn)生的情緒變化——說白了,就是為了增加積極感受,減少消極情緒。此外,內(nèi)部獎賞(如增強某種情緒狀態(tài))和外部獎賞(如社會贊許)也會促使人們飲酒。
因此,飲酒動機分為四類:增強情緒(為了興奮)、應(yīng)對處境(為了忘憂)、社交(為了慶祝)、從眾(為了合群)?;?、性格、環(huán)境等因素會塑造我們的飲酒動機。人們未必只有一種飲酒動機。
1. Social drinking
To date, nearly all the research on drinking motives has been done on teens and young adults. Across cultures and countries, social motives are the most common reason young people give for drinking alcohol. In this model, social drinking may be about increasing the amount of fun you are having with your friends. This fits in with the idea that drinking is mainly a social pastime. Drinking for social motives is associated with moderate alcohol use.
1. 社交飲酒
迄今為止,在幾乎所有關(guān)于飲酒動機的研究中,研究對象都是青少年和年輕人。無論哪個國家,無論何種文化,年輕人飲酒的最普遍的原因是社交需求。在這個模型中,社交飲酒是為了增加朋友聚會的樂趣。在社交飲酒中,飲酒量通常適中。
2. Drinking to conform
When people only drink on social occasions because they want to fit in – not because it’s a choice they would normally make – they drink less than those who drink mainly for other reasons. These are the people who will sip a glass of champagne for a toast, or keep a wine in their hand to avoid feeling different from the drinkers around them.
Neil Gaiman – Think AgainIn the last couple of years, programs like Hello Sunday Morning have been encouraging people to take a break from drinking. And by making this more socially acceptable, they may also be decreasing the negative feedback some people receive for not drinking, although this is a theory that needs testing.
2. 從眾飲酒
有時候,人們只為合群而飲酒。相較于其它原因,這種情況的飲酒量較少——抿一小口香檳,或為避免異樣而手持一杯葡萄酒。
3. Drinking for enhancement
Beyond simply drinking to socialise, there are two types of adolescents and young adults with a particular risky combination of personality and drinking motive preference.
First are those who drink for enhancement motives. They are more likely to be extroverted, impulsive, and aggressive. These young people (often male) are more likely to actively seek to feel drunk – as well as other extreme sensations – and have a risk-taking personality.
3. 為增強情緒而飲酒
有些人飲酒是為了增強情緒體驗。這類人多為男性,通常比較外向、沖動、愛冒險、富有侵略性。他們更容易主動尋求喝醉的感覺,以及其它極端感受。
4. Drinking to cope
Second, those who drink mainly for coping motives have higher levels of neuroticism, low level of agreeableness and a negative view of the self. These drinkers may be using alcohol to cope with other problems in their life, particularly those related to anxiety and depression. Coping drinkers are more likely to be female, drink more heavily and experience more alcohol-related problems than those who drink for other reasons.
While it may be effective in the short term, drinking to cope with problems leads to worse long-term consequences. This may be because the problems that led to the drinking in the first place are not being addressed.
4. 為應(yīng)對處境而飲酒
有些人飲酒是為了應(yīng)對其它問題,尤其是焦慮、抑郁等相關(guān)問題。這類人多為女性,通常比較神經(jīng)質(zhì)、不太隨和、消極看待自我。相較于其它飲酒原因,這種類型的飲酒者飲酒更多,酗酒問題也更多。其實,從長遠角度看,喝酒解決不了問題,只會使情況越來越糟糕。
Why it matters
There is promising research that suggests knowing the motives of heavy drinkers can lead to interventions to reduce harmful drinking. For instance, one study found that tailoring counselling sessions to drinking motives decreased consumption in young women, although there was no significant decrease in men.
This research stream is limited by the fact we really only know about the drinking motives of those in their teens and early 20s. Our understanding of why adults are drinking is limited, something our research group is hoping to study in the future.
Next time you have a drink, have a think about why you are choosing to do so. There are many people out there having a drink at night to relax. But if you’re aiming to get drunk, you have a higher chance than most of experiencing harm.
飲酒動機的重要性
只有了解酗酒者的飲酒動機,才能更好地進行干預(yù)。一項研究表明,根據(jù)飲酒動機定制輔導(dǎo)內(nèi)容能夠減少女性的飲酒量——但這招對男性沒用。
目前,我們只了解青少年和年輕人的飲酒動機。接下來,研究人員希望研究更多成年人。
下次喝酒前,想想自己為什么喝酒。為了買醉?很有可能傷身。為了解愁?明早醒來,煩惱依舊。