Is Alcohol a Depressant?
Alcohol can significantly impact the levels of neurotransmitters in your brain, making depression worse. Antidepressants can help even levels of these chemicals and can help relieve symptoms of depression. Likewise, if you’re diagnosed with molly drug wiki one of these conditions, your doctor may ask about symptoms of the other. This is a common part of diagnosis because both so frequently occur together. If not treated, alcohol use disorder can become a life-long struggle.
However, alcohol can make these feelings and other symptoms worse over time, perpetuating the cycle of alcohol consumption and depression. One study of 421 people found that 25% had both alcohol misuse and depression. Even drinking a little too much (binge drinking) on occasion can set off a chain reaction that affects your well-being. Lowered inhibitions can lead to poor choices with lasting repercussions — like the end of a relationship, an accident or legal woes.
- These drugs are often used to treat anxiety, minimize pain, relieve muscle spasms, sleep disorders, and address other mental health issues.
- Alcohol use disorder and depression are two conditions that often occur together.
- Children who have major depression as a child may drink earlier in life, according to one study.
Understanding the Link Between Alcohol Use and Depression
When alcohol enters the body, most of it is absorbed into the bloodstream through the intestines. Blood, and therefore alcohol, is quickly distributed throughout the body and the brain. This happens faster than the liver can metabolize and eliminate alcohol. A psychotropic substance impacts the brain and can affect thoughts, mood, or behavior.
Depressants cause slower brain activity, leading to muscle relaxation and a calm mood. Naltrexone, Acamprosate, and disulfiram are also FDA-approved medications that can help curb alcohol cravings. 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. Depression can also be directly caused by alcohol in the case of a substance-induced disorder. By Sarah Bence, OTR/LBence is an occupational therapist with a range of work experience in mental healthcare settings.
Alcohol and Depression
Just one or two alcoholic drinks can impair your balance, coordination, impulse control, memory, and decision-making. Too much alcohol can also shut down parts of your brain that are essential for keeping you alive. Over the long term, alcohol can increase your risk of more than 200 different diseases, including in the liver and pancreas, and certain cancers.
Here are five ways that drinking too much alcohol can affect your long-term mental and emotional well-being. The support of friends and family is important in the journey to recovery from alcohol use disorder (AUD). In addition, your doctor may prescribe medicines that are meant to lower alcohol cravings, which can reduce your desire to drink. Individuals with alcohol use disorder may drink too much alcohol, too often. In a 2017 study, approximately 60% of red wine drinkers said they felt tired after drinking, the highest percentage out of any other alcohol in the study (spirits, white wine and beer).
Symptoms of depression
Following a Mediterranean diet rich in omega-3s, for example, might be one recommendation. Researchers agree that alcohol and depression have a bidirectional relationship, meaning that depression can cause overuse of alcohol, but overuse of alcohol can also cause depression. This article covers everything you need to know about the connection between alcohol and depression.
The use of medication to treat an alcohol use disorder and a major depressive disorder depends entirely on the individual and their circumstances. It’s very important to address both alcohol misuse and depression simultaneously when looking into treatment options, as these conditions are closely intertwined and can exacerbate each other, Kennedy explains. Though depression is experienced by many, it can often go undiagnosed and untreated. You don’t have to battle the depression alone and relying on alcohol to make you feel better will only cause further pain. Reach out to a mental health professional to talk about treatment and strategies for dealing with depression.
Kennedy suggests that treatment options can vary depending on the severity of your condition. Or you might attend an intensive inpatient group a few times each week. Alcoholics Anonymous is available almost everywhere and provides a place to openly and nonjudgmentally discuss alcohol issues with others who have alcohol use disorder.
If you drink every day, or almost every day, you might notice that you catch colds, flu or other illnesses more frequently than people who don’t drink. That’s because alcohol can weaken your immune system, slow healing and make your body more susceptible to infection. Having a glass of wine with dinner or a beer at a party here and there isn’t going to destroy your gut.
