ALCOHOL USE AND MENTAL HEALTH
Mental health issues not only arise from drinking too much alcohol. They can even provoke people to drink too much.
There is some evidence associating light drinking with better health in some adults. Between one and three units daily have been found to help defend against heart disease, dementia, and Alzheimer's Disease, and a small glass of red wine daily may decrease risk of stroke in females. There is far more evidence indicating that drinking excessive alcohol results in significant physical and psychological illnesses. Stated very simply, a major reason for drinking alcohol is to change our mood - or change our mental state. Alcohol can temporarily alleviate feelings of anxiety and depression; it can also help to temporarily relieve the symptoms of more serious mental health issues. Alcohol issues are more common among people with more severe mental health issues. This does not necessarily mean that alcohol causes severe mental illness.
Drinking to deal with difficult feelings or symptoms of mental disorder is sometimes called 'self-medication' by people in the mental health field. This is often why individuals with mental health conditions drink. But it can make existing mental health conditions worse. Evidence indicates that people who consume high amounts of alcohol are vulnerable to higher levels of mental ill health and it can be a contributory factor in some mental diseases, such as depression.
How does drinking affect our moods and mental health?
When we have alcohol in our blood, our mood changes, and our behaviour then even changes. How these change depends on how much we drink and how quickly we drink it. Alcohol depresses the central nervous system, and this can make us less inhibited in our behaviour. It can also help 'numb' our emotions, so we can avoid difficult issues in our lives. Alcohol can also reveal or magnify our underlying feelings. When drinking, this is one of the reasons that many individuals become angry or aggressive. Anger or unhappiness, then alcohol can magnify them if our underlying feelings are of anxiety. What about the after-effects?
When the effects have worn off, one of the main issues connected with using alcohol to deal with anxiety and depression is that individuals may feel much worse. Alcohol is thought to use up and reduce the amount of neurotransmitters in the brain, but the brain needs a certain level of neurotransmitters needs to ward off anxiety and depression. This can lead some people to drink more, to ward off these difficult feelings, and a dangerous cycle of dependence can develop.
Alcohol conditions are more common among people with more severe mental health conditions. If our underlying feelings are of anxiety, unhappiness or anger, then alcohol can magnify them. One of the main conditions associated with using alcohol to deal with anxiety and depression is that individuals may feel much worse when the effects have worn off.
Alcohol is thought to use up and reduce the amount of neurotransmitters in the brain, but the brain needs a certain level of neurotransmitters needs to ward off anxiety and depression.
