The Damage Drinking Can Do to a Depressed Mind

Alcohol is often used as an immediate fix when in the midst of feeling down, sad or depressed. While drinking can make someone feel better for a period of time, the effects only last briefly.

After drinking even just one drink, it can trigger several depressive episodes and worsen your mood. Alcohol has been linked to causing adverse effects to people with depression, including increased feelings of depression, anxiety, suicide, and negative interactions with medications.

In this post, we’ll go over some of the damage drinking can do to a depressed mind.

Worsen feelings of depression

It’s not uncommon for someone with depression to turn to alcohol during periods of high stress or sadness. However, this only worsens their mental health.

Although drinking might make immediate negative feelings go away, the effects of alcohol on your mood and behavior can increase your feelings of depression. Alcohol works as a depressant, which means it will cause you to relax, but the feeling is temporary and doesn’t address the root causes of what’s making you feel depressed.

The depressive feelings and thoughts you were trying to suppress will only get worse once the alcohol wears off. This can lead to heavy drinking or drinking too much during a single time to attain the same feeling of relaxation.

Increased anxiety

A common side effect of depression is anxiety, which is an excessive and constant worry or fear about common situations. Some effects of anxiety are a fast heart rate, sweating, and rapid breathing.

If you are already feeling low or anxious, this will be exacerbated after consumption since alcohol further depresses your nervous system. Any feelings of anxiety can become worse than they were before.

Alcohol consumption increases the risk of panic attacks in people who are already living with anxiety. This is because alcohol can enhance feelings of fear and make it more difficult to calm yourself down.

Suicide

Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, and roughly 130 people commit suicide a day.

Those with a family history of depression or mental illnesses were at a higher risk of developing suicidal thoughts and ideations. Alcohol can cause or worsen depressive episodes, which can lead to suicidal thoughts. In addition, drinking alcohol is often linked to reckless behavior and increases impulsiveness, which may make someone more likely to act on their suicidal thoughts.

The risks associated with alcohol consumption and suicidal behavior are higher in young adults (especially teenagers) since the brain is still developing during these years. The risks of suicide are a common reason why teenagers are advised not to drink.

Negative interactions with medications

It is important if you are taking medication to treat depression, you do not drink alcohol. Alcohol works as a depressant and does not interact well with medication prescribed for treating depression.

This includes types of antidepressants such as monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Drinking alcohol while taking these medications can lead to increased irritability and confusion. It can also cause serious side effects such as seizures, irregular heartbeat, and high blood pressure.

Drinking can also change how well antidepressants work for you, depending on the type consumed. They might lose their ability to work properly and require you to take more dosages or a different antidepressant.

Conclusion

For those who are already dealing with depression, it is important to note the risks and avoid alcohol as much as you can. If you continue to drink and your mental health worsens, be sure to reach out to family or friends for help.

Struggling with depression isn’t easy, and alcohol doesn’t help. You owe to yourself to find better alternatives to treat your depression than alcohol.