Using alcohol to combat depression symptoms not only makes the depressive symptoms worse but also increases the risk of suicidal thoughts and life-threatening actions. It can be tempting to drink if you’re feeling unhappy, but there’s a better solution out there. When treating depression and substance abuse, consult with a mental health professional and/or an addiction specialist who can provide resources and recommendations for possible treatment options. While the verdict comes first, the truth is alcohol can lead to depressive symptoms and worsen depressive symptoms in those with a risk of depressive disorders. For many, alcohol-induced depression can last for up to four weeks. However, substance-induced depression can also turn into standalone depression even after the cessation of alcohol or other substances.
Online therapy options
Depression and alcohol use disorder, often concurrent conditions, share many of the same alarming signs and symptoms. If you have depression and anxiety and want to drink alcohol, there are some considerations. Generally, you should limit your intake to 14 units of alcohol in a week — this is equal to six standard glasses of wine or six pints of lager. Be sure to spread those drinks out evenly over the week and have drink-free days in between.
Treatment for Co-Occurring Depression and Alcohol Use Disorder
Psychiatric treatment attendance is strongly related to clinical outcomes (e.g., Green & Pope, 2000). Once a person becomes deeply depressed, regardless of the cause, he or she may need to be hospitalized and provided with the appropriate precautions against suicide. These steps should be considered even if the patient’s depressive disorder is a relatively short-lived alcohol-induced state. Practitioners can counteract their patients’ depressive symptoms by providing education and counseling as well as by reassuring the patients of the high likelihood that they will recover from their depressions.
Alcohol Use Among Depressed Patients: The Need for Assessment and Intervention
People with depression and anxiety might use alcohol to help ease symptoms, but excessive alcohol use can also worsen your mental health. If you experience symptoms of depression for most of the day, every day, for a few weeks, the NHS advises you to contact your GP surgery to get help. And if you’re worried about your drinking, there are alcohol support services that can help. 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. If you’re dealing with severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms, such as anxiety, insomnia, nausea, and hallucinations, among others, then your doctor may suggest medications such as chlordiazepoxide or other benzodiazepines.
Does Depression Drive You to Drink Alcohol?
For over 20 years Dr. Umhau was a senior clinical investigator at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Read our review of the best online therapy options to find the right fit for you. CBT can teach you ways to modify your thoughts and behavior to feel better and help you avoid misusing alcohol. Many doctors recommend patients check into a rehabilitation facility.
Since alcohol can cloud your brain, it can keep you from seeing helpful solutions to problems. Maybe you tossed and turned, had bizarre dreams, or woke up with your heart racing. Lower-than-normal levels of these important can alcohol make depression worse chemical messengers can temporarily affect your speech, coordination, and energy. Namely, it interferes with the release of neurotransmitters linked to mood regulation, including serotonin and norepinephrine.
Here are a few strategies to help you lift your spirits in the moment. As a result, any troubles you’re facing, from work stress to relationship issues, may get worse. Dopamine https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/what-is-the-life-expectancy-of-an-alcoholic/ produces positive emotions that make you feel good and help reinforce your desire to drink, but alcohol affects your central nervous system in other ways, too.
Drink plenty of water
Similarly, an alcoholic who experiences repeated panic attacks or other anxiety symptoms requires intervention for the anxiety, regardless of the cause. Alcoholics who experience high levels of anxiety or nervousness, including panic attacks, will likely benefit from education and reassurance as well as from behavioral therapies aimed at increasing levels of relaxation. More knowledge about optimal treatments for co-occurring AUD and depressive disorders is needed. Although medication and behavioral therapy have both shown promise, response rates have been somewhat modest. Efforts to enhance treatment outcomes would benefit from investigation into the characteristics of people who do not respond to existing treatments.
Alcohol Dependence and Depression
- Most people will feel better in a couple weeks, and the depression will get better.
- They can encourage you along the way and keep you company if you’re using exercise or other tactics to help you cope.
- You can, however, take steps to lower your chances of emotional side effects when drinking.
- This, combined with heightened mood states, can have some unpleasant effects.