A new study out of the University of Chicago Medicine suggests that young adults who experience the highest sensitivity to alcohol’s pleasurable effects are the most likely to develop an alcohol use disorder over time.
The causes of alcoholism—or, alcohol use disorder (AUD), as it is now more commonly known—are complicated. Numerous risk factors have been identified as potential causes, but none of them work on a one-size-fits-all category applicable to each distinctive case of AUD.
Addiction treatment specialists and researchers are concerned that the global COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdowns will lead to a surge in alcoholism and drug addiction. Early indications suggest that such concerns may not be unfounded, but at least one population cohort appears to be reducing the risk of alcohol use disorder (AUD).