Author: John Carter

Alcohol and Depression: The Link Between Alcoholism and Depression

If you already feel a little low, giving yourself a hard time for overdoing the alcohol probably won’t improve matters. Increased anger might lead you to pick a fight with a loved one, for example, while extreme sadness or self-loathing could lead to intense depression symptoms. It also lowers inhibitions, so if you’ve been trying to keep some difficult emotions, like sadness or anger, under wraps, they may come flooding in when you drink. Drinking activates the reward system in your brain and triggers dopamine release, so alcohol often seems to have a stimulating effect — at first. In small to moderate amounts, alcohol can temporarily lift your spirits and help improve your mood. Alcoholics anonymous (AA) and alcohol treatment centers offer classes and support group meetings.

Therapy

While alcohol use can directly trigger feelings of depression, it can also contribute to symptoms in more indirect ways. During therapy, you can learn coping mechanisms that can help you return to life without drinking. Depression may even cause people to begin consuming large amounts of alcohol. Because of the complicated relationship between depression and alcohol use, Lurie says it’s best to address both at the same time through a specialized treatment program.

Connect with other people, or immerse yourself in an activity you enjoy to help you focus on something else than your bum mood. Alcohol impacts multiple neurological pathways in the brain, as well as the central nervous system, according to a 2014 study in the Indian Journal of Human Genetics. “What goes up must come down,” says George F. Koob, PhD, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). At low doses, alcohol’s effects are stimulant-like—it makes you feel good and disinhibits your behavior because it prompts the production of feel-good chemicals in your brain. Depending on your intoxication level, you may experience decreased inhibition, loss of judgment, confusion, and mood swings, among others. “One way to address sleep disturbance would be setting specific times to wind down in efforts to sleep.

Alcohol and Depression

Individuals with alcohol use disorder may drink too much alcohol, too often. Lerner developed an alcohol addiction that continued to escalate throughout his teens and early 20s. He participated in several treatment programs at his family’s urging, but none of them helped. Below, people who experienced this connection firsthand share how their drinking and depression fueled each other — and how they ended the cycle. If you’ve ever used alcohol to deal with feelings of depression, you may have found that after your buzz wears off, you’re left feeling even lower than before. Since alcohol disinhibits us, it can lead us to do things we wouldn’t normally do, says Renee Solomon, PsyD, a Beverly Hills-based clinical psychologist and CEO of Forward Recovery.

Risks of Alcohol/Antidepressant Interactions

If you think you have depression and often use alcohol to cope, Sharma recommends reaching out to a psychiatrist, therapist, or primary care doctor for a diagnosis and treatment guidance. Not everyone who drinks alcohol to cope with depression has alcohol use disorder (AUD), Sharma says. Additionally, Prashant Sharma, a board-certified psychiatrist and professor at Johns Hopkins University, says drinking alcohol can reduce levels of the brain chemical GABA. Tietz began feeling intense self-loathing and having thoughts that her husband might be better off without her. She quit drinking for 90 days as a result of these suicidal thoughts and noticed they quickly went away. A dual diagnosis can be complicated to treat, no matter the circumstances.

If the sun is out, that’s even better — sunshine can trigger the release of serotonin, which can help relieve depression. If you tend to rely on alcohol to ease anxiety in social situations, for example, you might never address the underlying causes of your discomfort. You might begin drinking more regularly in order to feel better or forget about those unwanted emotions and memories. Treating one of these conditions may improve symptoms for both. However, for the best results, your doctor will likely treat them together. Alcohol can provide a quick burst of happiness, confidence, and euphoria.

Online therapy options

Speaking with a mental health professional can be a great first step to feeling like yourself again. A therapist can help you learn strategies to manage your depressive symptoms and create healthier habits. In contrast, some people with depression experience hypersomnia, which is when they oversleep and feel excessively tired during the day. A 2016 study found hypersomnia can make depressive symptoms worse and can cause treatment resistance. If you drink regularly to manage depression symptoms, it may have be beneficial to work with a therapist who specializes in treating co-occurring depression and alcohol use. Alcohol use issues can cause or worsen symptoms of depression.

Really, the best way to not have to deal with any hangover symptoms, whether that’s nausea, a headache, or drinking depression, is to avoid drinking so much in the first place. Check out these no-alcohol drinks that taste like the real thing (and won’t give you a hangover). It is important to note that medications for alcohol use disorder are a first-line treatment. They can be helpful for many, so talk to your doctor about this option. No matter your drink of choice, alcohol can easily be abused and often is, especially when it’s used to self-medicate.

  1. The connection between drinking alcohol and depression is a complicated “the chicken or the egg” conundrum.
  2. When you’re hungover, you’re experiencing this rebound effect—the good stuff has tanked and the bad stuff is very present.
  3. Regularly drinking a lot of alcohol can cause or worsen symptoms of depression.
  4. A dual diagnosis can be complicated to treat, no matter the circumstances.

Experts say that women are more likely than men to overdo it when they’re down. ” self-assessment below if you think you or someone you love might be struggling with an alcohol use disorder (AUD). The evaluation consists of 11 yes or no questions that are intended to be used as an informational tool to assess the severity and probability of an AUD.

But not long after, he says he realized drinking caused him to sink further into depression. “My relationships, my self-worth, my sleep, and even my overall health and well-being.” “Drinking provided a wonderful escape from my own head. I felt more laid back. But the next day, I always felt horrible and I’d swear off drinking,” she says. In residential treatment, “an individual stays in a treatment setting, receives intensive therapy, and is physically separated from alcohol in order to recover,” says Kennedy. You can also try moving your body more during the day so that you feel more tired at night.

What’s the Connection Between Alcohol and Depression?

If you already have depression, you might feel even worse, since alcohol can magnify the intensity of your emotions. Understanding the link between alcohol and depression can help you better manage depression after drinking, or better yet, prevent it from happening in the first place. Individuals with mental health conditions may be more likely to use alcohol as a treatment. Several studies suggest that military veterans are more likely to experience depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and misuse alcohol. Lerner stopped drinking while attending an inpatient program in June 2016.

It may temporarily suppress feelings of isolation, anxiety, or sadness, but that won’t last. Recognizing the symptoms of depression and alcohol use disorder can help ensure that you get the right diagnosis and treatment. Nearly one-third of people with major depression (or major depressive disorder) also have alcohol use disorder. Research shows that depressed children are more likely to have problems with alcohol a few years down the road.