(NewsNation) — A new study suggests the brain physically adapts to rely on alcohol to relieve stress and anxiety, creating a powerful feedback loop that makes quitting drinking extremely difficult.

Researchers at Scripps Research identified a set of brain cells that become more active when drinkers start associating alcohol with relief from withdrawal. The finding pinpoints a biological mechanism behind addiction, offering more evidence that alcoholism isn’t just about pleasure or willpower but about deep changes in brain function.

The study, published in Biological Psychiatry: Global Open Science, found the effect occurs in the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus, a region that regulates stress and emotion.

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