Depression Learning

Alcohol and Depression

Alcohol and depression do not successfully mix. However, millions of people think otherwise, or, may just be in denial of the fact. Many turn to alcohol to relieve stress and anxiety. If they want to relax even more, they swallow more of an alcoholic drink and will not stop at one or two.

Yes, it is true that drinking alcohol relaxes the individual, even causing a lift in body and mind,temporarily. It is similar to a tranquilizer in the way it relieves feelings of stress and anxiety. To many people, drinking appears like a magical elixir that just about fixes everything jarring and barbed in their lives.

Drinking alcohol to lift depression symptoms may be temporarily successful, too; however, the pleasant feelings it had once induced will quickly grow unpleasant, intensifying the depression.

In extreme cases, a drinker may feel sluggish, quite irritated, and peevish. His sense of rationality, mental clarity, and physical balance grow impaired. Also increasing in aggressiveness, the drinker becomes belligerent, possibly violent. Then, eventually, he feels the overwhelming impulse to sleep. Or, he could simply just pass out, anywhere, at any time, completely oblivious to his surroundings. But, when he finally does wake up, he may not remember one iota of what happened while he was intoxicated.

It is insane to believe alcohol offers any true sense of relief after experiencing this downward spiral. However, one in four men in America overindulges in alcohol and one in seven women behave the same way. Unfortunately, people look to alcohol as a drug of choice to tranquilize their feelings of anxiety, stress, depression, and a multitude of other reasons. Drinking excessively decreases the effect of alcohol, though, and the drinker discovers he/she must drink more to achieve one-half of the effect that alcohol once had on his/her emotions. Such an effect is known as the “tolerance effect” and is the primary reason many become addicted to alcohol.

Furthermore, the problems of alcohol and depression seem to go together. One affects the other. Yet, which preceded what in the order of these two factors depends on one thing: gender of the individual. In men, the alcohol came before the depression, whereas in women, the depression came first. When alcohol is left out of the equation, men will suffer depression just as women do. Women will show signs of more depression and anxiety disorders when facing stress. Men will evidence more alcoholism and antisocial conduct when under stress. When people drink excessively, doctors may misdiagnose over sixty-six percent of depressed individuals (Dr. Sherry Rogers in her 1997 book, “Depression”).

Then there are the statistics: over 30,000 suicide deaths yearly due to alcohol. Alcohol increases depression symptoms, causes drastic errors in judgment, and damages both physical and mental health. There is definitely a relation between alcohol and depression. Furthermore, alcohol actually changes the brain chemistry which increases the likelihood of depression. Alcoholics end up with problems at work and at home. Alcoholics often become violent and begin to abuse family members. Alcoholics can resort to criminal behavior.

All these factors can cause the alcoholic to become chronically depressed. Even worse, those who excessively and regularly drink are more likely to inflict harm and death on others. There is no diplomatic way to make this statement: alcohol and depression are partners in crime with every one as its victim.

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