Researchers at the University of Szeged in Hungary investigated how binge drinking shapes a drinker’s mood and social behavior, focusing on depressive and anxious states as well as social interactions. Their findings indicate that during a binge, certain negative emotions can appear dampened, yet the following day the emotional picture often sharpens again. The study’s results were shared in a scientific magazine focused on alcohol research.
In a series of experiments, male mice received a high dose of alcohol, 20 percent, over four days. After the binge, the mice were split into two groups. In the first group, scientists injected either a selective antagonist of the CRF1 receptor, antalarmin, or an antagonist of the CRF2 receptor, astressin. The second group received the injections one day later.
Following the injections, the mice were placed in environments such as a maze, a pool, or an arena with other mice. Researchers measured signs of anxiety, depression, and social engagement, including the animals’ willingness to interact with familiar or unfamiliar conspecifics.
Compared with the control animals, the first group showed a higher number of entries into the maze and spent more time exploring it. Those that had experienced the binge tended to struggle less with climbing out of water and spent less time swimming, suggesting altered stress responses after alcohol exposure.
Researchers interpreted these observations to mean that binge drinking may temporarily suppress anxiety and depressive-like behaviors while promoting greater sociability and interest in social novelty immediately after intake. They noted that the tendency to interact with an unfamiliar partner did not change overall, but the binge group spent noticeably more time with a stranger. This increase in sociability and openness to social novelty was markedly reduced when antalarmin was administered, while astressin did not replicate this effect, according to the researchers.
In contrast, the second group, which received injections a day after the binge, displayed heightened anxiety and depressive-like behaviors. These symptoms were alleviated when antalarmin was administered, indicating a potential role for CRF1 receptor blockade in moderating postbinge mood disturbances.
The study concluded that alcohol exerts distinct effects on anxious, depressive, and social behaviors at two different time points: immediately after consumption and the following day. A binge episode appeared to have a short-term antidepressant effect, and after drinking, male mice showed a preference for increased sociability and social novelty. The researchers suggested this shift toward social engagement could be linked to reduced anxiety and depressive signals, a pattern that was mitigated by CRF1 receptor antagonism but not consistently by CRF2 receptor antagonism. These findings offer insight into how alcohol interacts with neural pathways governing stress and social behavior, underscoring that timing after consumption matters for observed behavioral changes.