Non-drinkers are ‘more depressed, lack social skills’

PEOPLE who spurn alcohol tend to be miserable social misfits, research suggests.

Teetotallers had significantly higher levels of depression and anxiety than moderate drinkers, a study found. They were also likely to lack social skills, it was claimed.

Abstainers suffered even more mental problems than the heaviest drinkers who consumed too much alcohol.

The happiest folk were those who averaged two glasses of wine, a bottle of beer, or a shot of spirits a week, the British and Norwegian scientists discovered.

One reason why non-drinkers were more gloomy could be that they have few friends, the study suggests.

“We see that this group is less socially well-adjusted than other groups,” said research leader Dr Eystein Stordal, from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

Even when participants who quit drinking because of problems with alcohol were excluded, the link between abstinence and depression remained.