Though people often claim they
drink "to feel good," it's widely known that alcohol
is a depressant, and actually has the opposite affect on people.
In fact, research has proven a direct link between alcohol
and depression.
Alcohol has been proven to lower
serotonin and nonrepinephrine levels. These chemicals give you
feelings of well-being; the medications given to combat depression
build these chemicals up to help you feel better. Alcohol, on
the other hand, lowering the chemicals makes you feel worse. Alcohol
also temporarily numbs the effects of stress hormones, which also
makes you feel worse after drinking.
Drinking alcohol also depletes
the body's vitamins, and can lead to a folic acid deficiency.
This deficiency can age the brain prematurely, as well as contribute
to feelings of depression. Antioxidants, which help the body combat
disease, can also be broken down by drinking alcohol. It's known
that when you don't feel well physically, you don't feel well
mentally or emotionally. Because of these physical and psychological
changes that occur when you drink, alcohol and depression
are virtually inseparable.
The first step in treating alcohol
and depression is to treat the alcoholism. Since the
depression is caused by the drinking, some of the depressive symptoms
will go away with the alcohol. As you treat the alcoholism, the
depression is also treated, helping you to get back to where you
should be emotionally and physically.
Dealing with alcohol and
depression is not as complex as some people may think
since there are many alcohol treatments that also have benefits
for the treatment of depression. In addition to counseling, either
in a group setting or individually, alcohol and depression treatments
include alcohol detoxification programs. These programs sometimes
use medications to help with physical symptoms, as well as treating
depression, which may be more beneficial to you.
Another option for the treatment
of alcohol and depression is neuro linguistic
programming (NLP), which is also known as hypnotherapy. This is
considered an "alternative" treatment, but can also
be very effective for many people.
Ultimately, how you treat your
alcohol related depression problems is up to you. It's important
to find a treatment that works best for you so that you can get
healthy, and go back to the life you want to be living.
Alcoholism is a serious disease,
and one that often goes untreated. Unfortunately, depression is
something that people who suffer from alcoholism also deal with
on a daily basis. Because of what alcohol does to the mind and
body, alcohol and depression exist together,
doing even more damage.
Fortunately, there is help. With
all the treatments and programs available to treat alcohol
and depression together, there's no reason anyone should
have to struggle with these diseases. Instead, getting help for
alcoholism can, in turn, help with depression symptoms. And if
you seek help, you can get back to living the happy, healthy life
you deserve.
