Alcohol Use, Abuse and Depression: Is There a Connection?
Alcohol is a depressant: It alters the systems of nerves and affects delicate balance of chemicals in your brain and body that help to control our mood, so cutting back or stopping drinking can help to improve mood. Heavy alcohol consumption alters the brain’s neurotransmitters . Drinking can heighten the symptoms of depression, which can have life-threatening implications. This is because alcohol impacts the same areas of the brain that help regulate mood. Drinking can alter the brain's chemical levels, which can trigger the symptoms of a mental health illness, such as depression. Alcohol abuse can cause signs and symptoms of depression, anxiety, psychosis , and antisocial behaviour, both during intoxication and during withdrawal. At times, these symptoms and signs cluster, last for weeks, and mimic frank psychiatric disorders Drinking will only make depression worse. People who are depressed and drink too much have more frequent and severe episodes of depression, and are ...