Alcoholism And Depression

It is a common after-work scene for workers to have a bottle of beer in one hand while chatting with other folks inside a bar. Often, people going through heartache find themselves drowning in liquor to get over the feeling. Yes, many think having a couple of drinks can make them feel good. However, alcoholism and depression can be a very dangerous problem.

There is also a good portion of the population who will easily down a few drinks without any issue. Individuals who drink for leisure are quite common in American society. However, caution must still be exercised as many people develop serious problems related to alcohol.

Thus, those who suffer from depression should rethink many times over whether they should be reaching for that drink or not. Even a small quantity of alcohol can have adverse effects.

Alcohol produces a sedative effect on the brain. While a few glasses of wine or bottles of beer seemingly take off some of the stress by making you feel calm and relaxed, the fact is alcohol increases your risk of depression. Alcohol works as a depressant. As such, it makes your worries bigger than they are and can lead you to feel more depressed than you were before having that drink. This only shows that alcohol and depression should never be mixed.

Defining Abuse of Alcohol and Depression

To further understand the connection between alcohol and depression, doing so will be much easier if a closer look at each is done.

The following symptoms are signs of alcoholism :

Continuously craving for alcohol
More time is spent on drinking
Drinking continually despite its negative effects on relationships
Recurrence of drinking too long or too much
Continuously drinking alcohol even if it results in depression
Cutting back on other activities in favor of drinking

Depression, on the other hand, is a common condition affecting one in every 15 people. It has caused a great economic burden to the tune of $210 billion for 2010 alone. It is something that affects every aspect of a person’s life as well as those around them.

It can cause problems with loved ones and difficulty in the workplace. It increases the risk of other diseases developing and puts the person suffering from it at greater risk of committing suicide. Individuals dealing with depression also tend to do high-risk behaviors compared to those who are not suffering from the condition.

There are several different factors that can play a role in depression. Among them are:

Genetics or family history
Personality
Environmental factors

Alcohol Worsens Depression Symptoms

Drinking alcohol can worsen some depression symptoms, such as suicidal thoughts. Sadly, alcohol also heightens the duration and severity of common depression symptoms, like:

Insomnia or excessive sleeping
Feeling guilty, helpless or worthless
Fatigue and decreased energy
Feeling hopeless or pessimistic
Difficulty remembering details, concentrating, and making decisions
Constant pains or aches, cramps, headaches or digestive problems
Loss of appetite or overeating
Restlessness and irritability

If you are taking antidepressant pills, more caution must be observed when drinking. When mixed with alcohol, these medications can yield negative effects that can exacerbate the depression symptoms even further. This is because alcohol makes antidepressant pills less effective. This means the depression becomes unmanaged or less managed.

People may think of alcohol and depression as a means to distract the former from the latter when the fact is it can ultimately worsen the condition. Getting deep into alcohol abuse can cause a bevy of negative effects that a person with depression does not need. It can affect relationships by making it suffer, which can worsen the depression.

This will only cause a damaging cycle of alcohol abuse in an attempt to self-medicate the symptoms of depression, and the latter worsening because of continuous alcohol abuse. In the event of regular alcohol abuse, dependence and addiction immediately follow.

Also, about a third of people suffering from major depression also have a co-occurring alcohol use disorder. This makes it more understandable for people with depression to seek the temporary relief presented by using alcohol. But then again, abusing the substance only compounds the condition.

Abusing Alcohol with Depression

Individuals with alcohol abuse issues have the highest rate of depression. It was found that abusing alcohol and depression are intertwined such that people with the former condition are 30 percent to 50 percent most likely to be suffering from depressive symptoms as well.

The same is true the other way around. Those with severe depression tend to abuse alcohol. It was also found that children going through depression are more likely to develop alcohol abuse by the time they become adolescents.

The Effects: Alcohol and Depression

There are many ways alcohol can negatively affect the body’s function. Often times, they aggravate depression symptoms. In particular:

Alcohol can temporarily cut off the effects of stress hormones. This can further exaggerate one’s depression symptoms as it depresses the nervous system and brain.
Alcohol decreases the serotonin and norepinephrine levels, which regulates the mood. If the levels of these chemicals are lowered, they will make a depressed person feel even more depressed.
There is also a physical connection between alcohol and depression. Depression is among the instances when folate deficiency occurs. Deficiency in the folic acid can contribute to the brain’s aging process and swells the risk of vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. If you bring alcohol into the picture, the negative effect will be higher. Alcohol use can lower the folic acid levels.
Stress or negative substances like cocaine or alcohol can activate a gene which is linked to depression and other mental health issues. This gene can cause depression, seizures, and manic-depressive episode among many other mental health problems.
Alcohol can get in the way of sleeping, which changes the thinking process. This can increase depression symptoms.

Getting Help with Alcoholism and Depression

If you are suffering from both alcoholism and depression, we are here to help you. Dual diagnosis treatment is the best option when seeking treatment. During a dual diagnosis rehab you will be educated on addiction and your depression symptoms. You will learn how your depression can lead you to drinking and how drinking can make your depression worse. You will work one on one with a private counselor to discuss your depression and moments in the past that lead could of lead to your drinking problem or depression. At a dual diagnosis rehab you will work on gaining closure on these problems and learn new, healthy coping skills to combat your depression. Our center provides aftercare planning that is unique to your situation. We will find depression therapists in your community that you can continue to see and work on coping with your depression, as well as sober support groups in the community you are returning home to. Alcoholism and depression can take it’s toll on someone but it does not have to control your whole life, people can recover and we want to help you on the way.

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Medical disclaimer:

Sunshine Behavioral Health strives to help people who are facing substance use disorder, addiction, mental health disorders, or a combination of these conditions. It does this by providing compassionate care and evidence-based content that addresses health, treatment, and recovery.

Licensed medical professionals review material we publish on our site. The material is not a substitute for qualified medical diagnoses, treatment, or advice. It should not be used to replace the suggestions of your personal physician or other health care professionals.