How much pain would you tolerate for booze?

Washington: Heavy drinkers are willing to tolerate painful electric shocks in return for alcohol, new research suggests. Those suffering from alcohol use disorder, defined as men who drink more than 20 boozy beverages a week and women over 10, put up with the discomfort if it resulted in them being given a drink of their choice, a US study found. Researchers believe this may explain why heavy drinkers risk legal punishment, such as when driving under the influence, if it means they get their alcohol fix. The prospect of alcohol also activates areas of the brain associated with compulsive behaviours in heavy drinkers, the research adds. There are an estimated 595,100 dependent drinkers in England, of whom only around 108,600 are being treated. Alcohol use disorder affects approximately 16 million people in the US. Excessive alcohol intake is associated with conditions such as liver disease, brain damage, and cancer of the mouth, throat and breast. Unlike booze, marijuana does not affect the size or integrity of white or grey matter in the brain, even after years of exposure, a study found. Grey matter enables the brain to function, while white controls communication between nerve clusters. Study author professor Kent Hutchison, from the University of Colorado Boulder, said: “While marijuana may also have some negative consequences, it is nowhere near the negative consequences of alcohol.” The scientists add research into cannabis' effects are still very limited.