Binge drinking and its relation with emotional process

Binge drinking is a frequent pattern of alcohol intake among teenagers. We give a systematic review of emotional processes related to binge drinking in this article. We reviewed all identified human research studying emotional abilities among binge drinkers using a theoretical model outlining three emotional processing processes (emotional appraisal/identification, emotional reaction, and emotional control) and following PRISMA principles. Each study was subjected to a PubMed, Scopus, and PsychINFO literature search, as well as a validated methodological quality assessment. The following are the main findings: 1) In terms of emotional appraisal/identification, binge drinking is linked to more negative emotional states, such as the severity of depression and anxious symptoms, as well as difficulty detecting emotional cues presented by others; 2) In terms of emotional reaction, binge drinkers have a lower emotional response than non-binge drinkers; 3) in terms of emotional control, there is currently no experimental evidence that binge drinking causes impaired emotion regulation. The lack of consistency in identifying and measuring binge drinking habits across research limits results. Nonetheless, the current findings demonstrate the importance of emotional processes in binge drinking and pave the way for additional research to determine the type and extent of emotional deficits in the beginning and maintenance of excessive alcohol consumption.