# Alcohol and Dopamine.



## peaceandlove09 (Aug 10, 2010)

Just an interesting observation. 

Back in the day I used to drink a lot. I used to drink pretty much every weekend, and sometimes during the week. Since starting on Wellbutrin I don't drink that much (if ever) anymore. 

Anyway... 

I noticed that when I used to drink, I would get noticeably more horny after 2-3 drinks. It was like clockwork. Everytime I drank, after about 2-3 drinks, I used to feel much "hornier". 

I noticed this repeatedly. My 'sweet spot' was exactly 2.5 drinks. I usually drank beer from a bottle. Mixed drinks had a bit more variability because it depended on how much the bartender put in the drink. But it was still about 2-3 drinks. 

Before I assumed it was because it "loosened" me up. 

But now that I put the puzzle pieces together, i'm pretty sure it was a dopamine boost. 

Wierdly enough, i had a very specific "sweet spot" ... if I continued to drink, after about 5 drinks, the hornyness would fade away to a sloppy mashed up feeling. 

I don't drink since being on Wellbutrin because i dont feel the desire to drink. Which also points to the fact that Wellbutrin does have mild dopamine effect and curbs alcohol cravings. 

Anyway, my point is... i think alcohol does have dopamergenic effect. This is probably why people become more social on alcohol (aside from reduced inhibitions) 

It could also be why alcohol is so god damn addictive for some people. Especially for people who don't have bad hangovers. 

I'm glad i don't drink much anymore, but it's interesting that booze boosts dopamine to some extent. This could be useful for people on SSRi's (a few glasses of wine could revv up the sex drive) and it's obviously been a social lubricant for hundreds of years.... 

Cool stuff 


Peace


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

Yes, alcohol is quite dopaminergic wich is why it makes things more rewarding, all addictive substances release dopamine in the mesolimbic reward pathways, the anti addictive property's of wellbutrin only come from its nicotinic antagonism tough, dont remember wich receptor anymore but it plays a major role in nicotine and alcohol addiction.


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## LALoner (Dec 3, 2008)

Are you male or female? I had a friend who always used to claim that alcohol made women horny and made men mushy and cuddly.


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## Rbk (Aug 5, 2010)

I have much stronger libido DAY AFTER drinking. I was wondering why and I think it might be because dopamine, but how it works - I don't know.

edit: Sometimes I feel better in general at the day after drinking. Mood is decreasing later - in second day after drinking. 

Any ideas?


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

> Alcohol opens BK potassium channels (hyperpolarizing neurons), and closes SK potassium channels in the reward center of brain (causing Dopamine release).


 http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/SP/SP.236/S09/lecturenotes/drugchart.htm


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## Slogger (Dec 14, 2010)

Rbk said:


> Sometimes I feel better in general at the day after drinking.


I've noticed this too, even if my body feels lousy, my mind is less bogged down with self-absorption. I read something about this a long time ago, something about how the blackout effect of alcohol can temporarily quell the chemistry that supports SA.


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## mayhem (Nov 22, 2010)

yeah i used to drink daily because of my anxiety but now i am suffering from withdrawals and its a sad thing but i cant even drink if i wanted to because i get sick even if i drink beer, it doesn't matter what it is if its liquor then i get stomach cramps so people chill on the drinking. I never tried wine for a long time now since like early 09 but ima chill so i can recover. I really need some type of meds, i hope i can see my doctor real soon.


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## peaceandlove09 (Aug 10, 2010)

LALoner said:


> Are you male or female? I had a friend who always used to claim that alcohol made women horny and made men mushy and cuddly.


Nope, I am male.

And yes. The next day I feel a bit more mushy. That's probably because alcohol raises estrogen and lowers testosterone in men.

I never felt mushy and cuddly when i was drinking. I felt horny like an animal.


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## peaceandlove09 (Aug 10, 2010)

jim_morrison said:


> http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/SP/SP.236/S09/lecturenotes/drugchart.htm


Nice dude. That chart rocks! Thanks for posting it.


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## peaceandlove09 (Aug 10, 2010)

No idea dude. It occurs for me at the time of drinking, specificially in the "sweet spot" between 2-3 drinks.

The next day I am usually fatigued and/or hungover and/or emotionally sappy because of the increased estrogen from the booze. :b

No idea why you would be more horny the next day? Maybe you went to a club with a lot of hot chicks and want to bone them? haha



Rbk said:


> I have much stronger libido DAY AFTER drinking. I was wondering why and I think it might be because dopamine, but how it works - I don't know.
> 
> edit: Sometimes I feel better in general at the day after drinking. Mood is decreasing later - in second day after drinking.
> 
> Any ideas?


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## peaceandlove09 (Aug 10, 2010)

crayzyMed said:


> Yes, alcohol is quite dopaminergic wich is why it makes things more rewarding, all addictive substances release dopamine in the mesolimbic reward pathways, the anti addictive property's of wellbutrin only come from its nicotinic antagonism tough, dont remember wich receptor anymore but it plays a major role in nicotine and alcohol addiction.


Hmm yeah.

Wierdly enough, drinking on wellbutrin is totally wack. After two drinks I felt totally disoriented, and I was kind of stumbling around, and almost fell flat on my face a few times. I was sitting on a stool, and when I stood up, and I went to sit back down, I totally missed the stool, and almost fell on the ground :b

I wonder why booze + wellbutrin is so disorienting???????

I definetly have no desire to drink on wellbutrin whatsoever.


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## bulletproof0 (Nov 18, 2010)

This might explain it:

Drinking alcohol could cause a powerful surge in testosterone levels in the brain and blood of some people, say researchers from the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. Dr Robert H Purdy and colleagues found that alcohol triggered a rapid increase in testosterone levels in the brains and blood of some male rats. Purdy suspects that this increase in testosterone levels could account for the aggressive behavior that some people display after drinking. The finding is in direct contrast to previous research, which have shown that alcohol consumption often leads to a dip in testosterone levels. While it is clear that alcohol does have an effect upon levels of the hormone, how alcohol can both lower and raise testosterone levels remains uncertain.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research 2003;27:38-43​


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## house bound (Dec 13, 2010)

mayhem said:


> yeah i used to drink daily because of my anxiety but now i am suffering from withdrawals and its a sad thing but i cant even drink if i wanted to because i get sick even if i drink beer, it doesn't matter what it is if its liquor then i get stomach cramps so people chill on the drinking. I never tried wine for a long time now since like early 09 but ima chill so i can recover. I really need some type of meds, i hope i can see my doctor real soon.


 you could have an ulcer from drinking every day i have one from doing the same i used to be able to drink 24/7 without any stomach problems now i cant even have a few cans without feeling sick i used to get no hangovers either now i get terrible hangovers that last all day along with making my anxiety 100 times worse for days after drinking you should get your stomach checked in case you have one you dont want to leave it it will get much worse and its very sore


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

bulletproof0 said:


> This might explain it:
> 
> Drinking alcohol could cause a powerful surge in testosterone levels in the brain and blood of some people, say researchers from the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. Dr Robert H Purdy and colleagues found that alcohol triggered a rapid increase in testosterone levels in the brains and blood of some male rats. Purdy suspects that this increase in testosterone levels could account for the aggressive behavior that some people display after drinking. The finding is in direct contrast to previous research, which have shown that alcohol consumption often leads to a dip in testosterone levels. While it is clear that alcohol does have an effect upon levels of the hormone, how alcohol can both lower and raise testosterone levels remains uncertain.
> SOURCE/REFERENCE: Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research 2003;27:38-43​


Yeah that likely plays a role, serotonine has been found to be the major player when it comes to alcohol and agression, dont remember what receptoprs, will look that up again.


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## kellykerr (Jan 3, 2011)

I foudn that Zantac help alot during drink.


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## Canadian4Life (Sep 27, 2010)

Rbk said:


> I have much stronger libido DAY AFTER drinking. I was wondering why and I think it might be because dopamine, but how it works - I don't know.
> 
> edit: Sometimes I feel better in general at the day after drinking. Mood is decreasing later - in second day after drinking.
> 
> Any ideas?


I think that it's rebound dopamine increase or glutamate increase. I get higher libido when I take days off my clonazepam so lowered gaba action could cause more excitation and sexual energy..just my thought


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## bmwfan07 (Jun 3, 2007)

Do you have any other symptoms of hypomania with that increased libido after 2.5 drinks? Racing thoughts, euphoria, increased energy/agitation, higher self-esteem, irritability, etc.? A lot of these can be cloaked by the common misconception that alcohol causes all of these. Alcohol can cause a certain amount of euphoria, but it's different than hypomania.



Canadian4Life said:


> I think that it's rebound dopamine increase or glutamate increase. I get higher libido when I take days off my clonazepam so lowered gaba action could cause more excitation and sexual energy..just my thought


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3690487

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2525581

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2735212

I'm not saying you're getting full-fledged mania, but the withdrawal syndrome can cause (hypo)manic symptoms. Just a possibility.


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## Under17 (May 4, 2010)

Alcohol makes me hate life, I must be a strange case.


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## TimeConsumer (Sep 4, 2012)

I just started 300mg of Wellbutrin and drank a 26er of whiskey a week ago and for the next 4 days I was dizzy, lightheaded, kept feeling like I was going to throw up, and super depressed (never cried so much in my life). 

Didn't help that I wasn't able to focus on school work because of it.

I've since vowed to give up alcohol.


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