Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign conducted a study exploring how social anxiety interacts with drinking behavior in social settings. The findings, published in an issue of Addictive Behaviors, reveal that individuals with higher levels of social anxiety tend to consume more alcohol when they are around unfamiliar people, especially strangers.
The study enrolled 48 adults aged 21 to 28 who were navigating serious alcohol use issues. Participants completed detailed questionnaires to gauge their level of social anxiety. Over a seven-day period, they logged their daily alcohol intake. In addition, they wore transdermal alcohol sensors, devices worn on the skin that estimate alcohol consumption by detecting ethanol emitted through the skin, across a similar seven-day window.
To gather contextual data, an app installed on participants’ smartphones sent random prompts prompting users to snap photos of their surroundings. Afterward, volunteers categorized the people in the images by relationship type, using terms such as “friend,” “romantic partner,” “colleague,” and “stranger.”
Analyses showed a clear interaction between social anxiety and social context. Those with higher social anxiety drank more heavily when they were in the company of strangers, while the presence of friends or family was associated with lower alcohol intake.
Researchers proposed that socially anxious individuals may drink more in unfamiliar settings as a coping mechanism to reduce stress, enhance mood, or ease social interactions. This pattern underscores how environmental cues and personal dispositions can shape substance use behavior in real-world contexts.
Earlier research has examined safe drinking levels during holidays and the potential impact on heart health, offering a broader perspective on how context and individual differences influence alcohol-related risk. [UIUC study, 2024]