There is wisdom is acknowledging that drinking alcohol and depression have a connection. The only question that comes to mind is whether alcohol or depression comes first. If you or someone you know is an alcoholic, chances are that you are concerned about alcohol worsening depression or depression leading to alcohol abuse. Researchers for Yale University answered the following questions.
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How Common Are Alcohol Programs Among Addicts Suffering from Depression?
The studies showed that 16 percent of individuals that suffer from depression also experience alcohol problems in comparison to 7 percent of the general population. Therefore, those that had depression were more than likely to face alcohol problems.
Does Alcohol Impact Depression?
The next question that needs answering is if alcohol impacts depression. The data revealed that drug treatment or drug rehabilitation patients that were treated for alcohol or drug abuse experienced depression and an increased rate of suicidal risk.
Can Alcohol Make Depression Worse?
Before you consider drug treatment or drug rehabilitation, it is important to know whether alcohol can make depression worse. The truth is that the relationship between alcohol and depression is cyclical, complicated, and long. Their relationship is best described as below.
- Whenever you feel low, depressed, or down, you would drink alcohol in order to feel better.
- You drink in order to find relief from suicidal or depressive thoughts. Temporary feelings of elation are also common.
- After you have drank, you would sober up and end up feeling guilty which would lead to deeper depression.
- You consider self-medication with alcohol to feel better about yourself.
- When life gets difficult, you end up drinking and it affects your work and relationships.
- You simply drink more alcohol to feel better.
- The cycle repeats itself.
The emotional journey of alcohol and depression has been perfectly described above.
The Science behind the Effect of Alcohol on the Brain
Alcohol is a depressant. It affects brain chemistry and can easily lower your mood. Whenever you drink alcohol, chemical signals in the brain are blocked. It is due to this reason that you start to experience intoxication symptoms like memory loss, slow reflexes, lack of coordination, and slurred speech. The fact is that alcohol interferes with the neurotransmitters in your brain. It offers temporary or false feelings like the ones mentioned below.
- Depression and Anxiety
- More Anger and Aggression
- Increased Impulsiveness
- Decreased Inhibitions
- Increased Confidence
Conclusion
There are a number of factors that influence the effects of alcohol on the brain such as your genetics, the age when you first started drinking, how often you drink, how much you drink, your overall health, and your age. The more you drink the more likely you are to experience depression and anxiety. As you continue drinking, your hippocampus which is responsible for reasoning and memory also shrinks over time. Alcohol increases serotonin and dopamine levels which is why depression is a common symptom once you stop drinking.
