A group of researchers has affirmed that they have been able to solve the puzzle that what makes drinkers to binge on alcohol. The study that appeared in the Journal Science Translational Medicine was taken out by a group led by Jennifer M. Mitchell from the University of California.

Mitchell said that they also found that alcohol effect differs among binge drinkers and occasional drinkers. They found this difference while they were conducting the experiment in which they enrolled 13 heavy drinkers and 12 social drinkers.

They were asked to take a set limit of alcohol daily. In order to assess the alcohol effect in both the groups, the study researchers adopted positron emission tomography method. They found that endorphin is released in specific parts of the brain, which makes a person feel happy after they consume alcohol.

Imaging results revealed that there was not much difference between the secretion levels of endorphin. But more pleasure was received by heavy alcoholics as secretion level of endorphin increases. Mitchell said they found a positive correlation between the release of endorphins and one part of the brain, orbitofrontal cortex which associated with decision making process.

It is not the first study which has concluded that alcohol makes a person happy. But as per Mitchell, it is the first study which has revealed the reason for this cause. It would help them to better understand the alcohol addiction and accordingly they would be able to design better treatments for them.

“By understanding where the endorphin release occurs, and which receptors it binds to, we can make a better drug”, said Mitchell. Only one drug, naltrexone, is in the market to handle alcohol addiction and with this research they would be able either make a new one or to upgrade it to meet the requirements.