When you hear the phrase “alcoholic,” what do you picture? Probably someone alone on the couch, dim lighting, maybe a glass in hand and a life in shambles. That image is so deeply ingrained in our cultural imagination, it’s shaped how we think about—and even study—alcohol use disorders.

But a new review in Current Directions in Psychological Science suggests we’ve been looking in the wrong place. According to researchers from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Washington, it’s not the solo drinker we should be paying most attention to—it’s the social one.

“Evidence for the centrality of social motives in problem drinking surrounds us,” the authors write. “While solitary drinking might serve as a useful early indicator of alcohol use disorder risk … research suggests that individuals reliably consume more alcohol in social contexts than when alone.”

The misconception of the lone alcoholic isn’t just a pop culture problem—it’s also a scientific one. The authors point out that studies of solitary drinking outnumber studies of social drinking by almost ten to one. Theories of alcoholism have historically leaned heavily on personal trauma, genetics, and internal distress—but not nearly enough on the influence of the crowd at the party.

“Within the realm of alcohol use disorder research, basic scientific studies of the solitary drinker outnumber studies of the social drinker by a factor of nearly tenfold,” the authors note, “and theories of problem drinking seek to explain alcohol use disorder via broadly asocial mechanisms.”

In other words, we’ve built a whole scientific framework around the idea that problem drinking happens in isolation—even though that’s often not how it starts or how it manifests in day-to-day life.

In reality, people consistently drink more in groups than they do alone. And some of the most dangerous alcohol-related behaviors—drunk driving, violent altercations, risky sex, binge drinking—happen during social drinking, not solo sessions.

“Some of the most serious negative consequences from alcohol use are linked specifically with social consumption,” the researchers explain. “In particular, alcohol-related violence, risky sex, and extreme binge drinking are all primarily or exclusively social-drinking phenomena.”

It starts young: teens and young adults are often introduced to alcohol by peers, and people who enjoy drinking socially tend to seek out others who do, too. These social rewards—bonding, loosened inhibitions, lowered anxiety—make alcohol a powerful social glue. But that “fun” also masks risk.

Interestingly, people who report the highest enjoyment from drinking socially are also more likely to develop alcohol-related problems down the line. And some even turn to alcohol to try to repair struggling relationships, deepening the link between social pressures and substance use.

While solitary drinking is more often a symptom of late-stage addiction, it’s social drinking that causes much of the public health damage—from car crashes to ER visits to interpersonal violence.

“Focusing exclusively on solitary drinking ignores behaviors responsible for the majority of alcohol-related societal harms,” stated author, Catharine Fairbairn.

The implications go beyond booze. The authors caution that as formerly illicit substances like cannabis become more socially accepted, similar patterns could emerge.

So while drinking with friends doesn’t automatically mean you have a problem, when it comes to alcohol harm, social settings aren’t necessarily a safety net—they’re often the accelerant.

So next time you mark yourself as a “social drinker,” remember that may not mean much if you are out socially drinking every night and drinking a lot on those night outs.

CE Fairbairn et al. Social Drinking and Addiction: A Social-Cognitive Model for Understanding Alcohol Use Disorder Risk. Current Directions in Psychological Science (2025). https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214251318272