Across American society, different perspectives and positions on alcohol have remained a point of contradiction. There are the celebratory champagne toasts, and the avoidable, deadly costs. In the early part of the 20th century, the United States government took a radical approach in the prohibition of alcohol by prohibiting the manufacture and sale of beverages containing alcohol through the ratification of the 18th Amendment of the United States’ Constitution. Later, the 21st Amendment repealed this initial action. Since this repeal, views of alcohol have changed–one includes a view that considers drinking, especially in large volumes, a disease. While alcohol use disorder (AUD), a condition making it difficult to control or stop drinking, impacts the minority of all drinkers, Dr. Jessica Hoffman, an assistant professor of Molecular Pharmacology and Neuroscience at the Stritch School of Medicine, shared with an undergraduate neuroscience seminar class (NEUR 300) at Loyola University Chicago that roughly 30 million people suffer from AUD in the United States. Dr. Hoffman shared that much of her work in the field is guided by her passion for substance use prevention education, which includes understanding the physiology and pharmacology of alcohol. As a result of her talk, I began to discover a few of my own questions about how we define the excessive consumption of alcohol and the consequences presented to our central nervous system, thereafter.
On June 9, 2026, the New York Times published an article titled, “Health Risks of Alcohol Accelerate After One Drink a Day, Study Finds,” by Roni Rabin who highlighted the findings from a recently published article. According to the journal article published Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs titled, “Alcohol Intake and Health Study: No Protective Effect at Low Levels, With Mortality Increasing to 1 in 25 at 14 Drinks Per Week,” researchers used modeling techniques to estimate the lifetime risks of alcohol use, even at minimal amounts. The results showed that even approximately one beverage a week, across the biological sex spectrum, “elevated mortality and morbidity risks” (George et al., 622). Ultimately, these findings challenge the general assumption that moderate drinking is relatively harmless.
Of course, we may consider questions like: How much is too much? or When does the frequency or quantity of consumption become a concern? However, there is more to this. Perhaps we should consider the question, Why does one continue to engage in behaviors that may otherwise harm them? Not only do we have an obligation to understand the consequences of alcohol; we must also recount our understanding of the human brain in response to substances. Dr. Jessica Hoffman is an expert at this.
In her 2021 study, “Inhibition of AMPA receptors (AMPARs) containing transmembrane AMPAR regulatory protein γ-8 with JNJ-55511118 shows preclinical efficacy in reducing chronic repetitive alcohol self-administration,” Dr. Hoffman and numerous other colleagues sought to understand what underlies repetitive alcohol consumption. To fulfill this goal, the team used male and female C57BL/6J mice (separated groups) and trained them to lever press so they would receive sweetened alcohol or simply sucrose upon that action. To obtain a baseline mice were exposed to the sweetened alcohol or sucrose and then taught to self-administer through lever-pressing, which lasted for a period of 40 days before examining the response to alcohol.
Once baseline was fulfilled, the study could proceed with the administration of JNJ-55511118, an AMPA receptor inhibitor, one hour prior to the self-administration session. “Oral administration of JNJ-55511118 significantly reduced alcohol-reinforced responding in male mice,” (Hoffman et al., 7), but the same was not true for female mice. Instead, the administration of JNJ-55511118 did not show an effect on alcohol-reinforced responding.
The findings presented by Dr. Hoffman and her team are especially interesting when presented alongside today’s most recent public health research related to the consumption of alcohol by humans. While the news article published by the New York Times uses a study asking us to consider the physiological consequences of drinking, even in moderate consumption, another study, namely Hoffman’s, is focused on understanding why non-human animals (and humans, alike) are encouraged to continue drinking.
What’s most important about Dr. Hoffman’s research is the possibility of translating this research into the development of therapeutic interventions, which could lead to preclinical trials and eventually into human treatment. Understanding that the use of JNJ-55511118 reduces self-administration in mice, of course, does not mean the same intervention would work in humans, but simply having a strong foundation as to a type of mechanism that could reduce detrimental consequences of alcohol is highly favorable to the future of public health.
While Dr. Hoffman's research offers promising insight into the mechanism(s) underlying repetitive alcohol consumption, other scientists also continue to challenge the idea that even minimal alcohol consumption is relatively harmless, we must reconsider what constitutes a safe level of drinking. In light of recent public health findings, we should remind ourselves of the consequences of alcohol–neurologically, physically, physiologically, and psychologically and remember that the consequences of alcohol use extend beyond our own body. Is any amount truly without risk? If moderate consumption has significant, measurable health consequences, then, perhaps, the conclusion is quite simple: when it comes to alcohol consumption and our health, none may truly be enough.
Works Cited
George, S., Naimi, T. S., Keyes, K., Martinez-Matyszczyk, P., Milam, A. J., Rehm, J., Alonso, A., Bell, S., Britton, A., Llamosas-Falcón, L., Hobin, E., Judd, S. E., Justice, A., Kahler, C., Liangpunsakul, S., Jones, S. K., Marcus, G., McGlynn, K., Satre, D., … Shield, K. (2026). Alcohol Intake and Health Study: No Protective Effect at Low Levels, With Mortality Increasing to 1 in 25 at 14 Drinks Per Week. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 87(4), 621–638. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.25-00435
Hoffman, J. L., Faccidomo, S., Saunders, B. L., Taylor, S. M., Kim, M., & Hodge, C. W. (2021). Inhibition of AMPA receptors (AMPARs) containing transmembrane AMPAR regulatory protein γ‐8 with JNJ‐55511118 shows preclinical efficacy in reducing chronic repetitive alcohol self‐administration. Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research, 45(7), 1424–1435. https://doi.org/10.1111/acer.14639
Olson, S., Gerstein, D. R., & National Research Council . Panel on Alternative Policies Affecting the Prevention of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (1985). Alcohol in America : taking action to prevent abuse. National Academy Press.
Rabin, R. C. (2026, June 9). Alcohol’s Health Risks Accelerate After One Drink a Day, Study Finds. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/09/well/alcohol-health-risks-study.html
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