Drinking can also numb pain—not just emotional distress, but actual physical pain. This it achieves by dampening down the pain signals that sensory neurons send to the brain.

Why does alcohol make pain go away?

Many people still turn to the use of alcohol for pain relief due to its ability to depress the central nervous system. By slowing down the brain and nervous system, alcohol delivers a certain amount of relief.

Does drinking alcohol help pain?

Research studies have found that moderate use of alcohol does, in fact, relieve pain for many people, and those who routinely drink reasonable amounts of alcohol reportedly cope better with pain and disability than those who don't drink at all.