Depression and Alcohol

People drink for any number of reasons. Whether they want to have fun with friends, relax after a long day, or ‘drown their sorrows’ when things aren’t going well— there are healthy and unhealthy ways to consume alcohol. When you’re having a hard go at it, alcohol can become a crutch you use to get past those major life stressors. Therefore, alcohol and depression have the potential to go hand in hand for many people. But, how do they affect one another? And what comes first? 

Depression and Alcohol: the Chicken and the Egg 

There are studies which show that one-third of people who deal with serious depression, also deal with alcoholism. In many cases, depression comes first— and then alcohol becomes a means of escape. However, there are also instances where alcoholism comes first— and depression becomes an issue as a result of not being able to fight your urges. 

Adults versus Teens/Children 

The stresses of an adult life can absolutely lead to alcoholism and depression. However, it is actually quite common in children and teens as well. Teens who have major depression are twice as likely to start drinking than teens who have not. Adults typically have a stronger understanding of what it means to be an alcoholic. Furthermore, they understand the damage it can do in your daily life. 

However, teens often haven’t had those same brushes with alcoholism. Alcohol, and drinking, is new, exciting, and the effects have a strong appeal. Especially when facing depression as a child, the urge to drink and escape that can be strong. 

Alcohol is a depressant 

What many people don’t understand about alcohol and depression, is that alcohol is a depressant. While it can provide a great escape from the tough times, drinking heavily and frequently can lead to more intense episodes of depression. Not to mention, next day anxiety after heavy drinking is quite common— which can only hurt your depression. 

In short, alcohol and depression go hand in hand 

When you’re suffering from alcoholism, or depression— one or the other can come quite naturally as either a coping mechanism. When suffering from depression, healthy behaviors can go a long way in battling that depression.

Alcoholics Anonymous: My Road to Recovery

When you’re suffering from alcoholism, it can be difficult to see that light at the end of the tunnel. You’ve put your family through a large ordeal, and you sometimes wonder how you can make a change for the better. For many people who struggle with alcoholism, alcoholics anonymous can be a great resource towards finding a support system, realizing that things can get better, and healing from your disease. While there are plenty of undeniable pro’s to attending AA, there might be a few negatives as well— depending on how you react to certain things. Every person has a different journey to sobriety. Let’s figure out whether AA will be part of yours… 

Alcoholics Anonymous: Is it the Right Fit for Me? 

Undeniable Benefits: 

A support system that identifies with your journey 

As we mentioned, there are a ton of reasons why alcoholics anonymous can be a powerful tool in your recovery. For starters, it provides you with a support system of people who understand what you’re going through. While your family and friends are a support system as well, they likely have a biased view when it comes to how you got to where you are. They have a personal connection to the bad times, which can make it difficult for them to provide unbiased support. 

AA is available worldwide, and free

The beautiful and beneficial thing about alcoholics anonymous is that it’s available free of charge, and across the globe. While you are battling your disease and trying to get better, life goes on. You have commitments to your family, friends, and job. This means that you might be away from your home base for some period of time. However, you still need to attend a meeting when the cravings are strong. No matter where you are, an AA meeting should be within reach if you look. 

AA provides sponsors, and prevents relapse 

One of the most difficult things about recovering from alcoholism, is avoiding a relapse. the daily stress of work, life, and recovery can be too much sometimes. Therefore, most alcoholics will face a relapse along the way, or at least a close call. Having alcoholics anonymous to fall back on, and a sponsor can make you feel more accountable to your recovery— and not letting the people around you down. 

A Few Reasons You Might Turn Away: 

Unmotivated Attendees 

The main objective of alcoholics anonymous for most is to get better, and beat their disease. However, there are also those characters that attend merely as a means of avoiding jail or prison. Court ordered attendees might treat AA like a joke, fail to participate, distract loyal attendees, and lower morale. Therefore, they might present a threat to your sobriety when you feel as if you can’t openly share without judgment or interruption. 

AA has a religious undertone to it 

Alcoholics anonymous often has a religious atmosphere to it, and religious undertones which have the potential to alienate some attendees. While AA works very hard to provide an atmosphere of comfortability, judgement-free, recovery encouragement— religion has the potential to be polarizing for some. 

At the end of the day, your journey to sobriety has to fit into your own terms

There are aspects of alcoholics anonymous which can be difficult to recreate outside of those walls. However, there is no one-size-fits-all path to getting well again. While we encourage an accountability partner, and seeing someone who allows you to discuss your struggles and triumphs— there are options besides AA which can do that for you. 

Alcohol Abuse: Understanding Addiction

Many Americans enjoy casual and social drinking. However, for some, this drinking turns into abuse. Alcohol abuse occurs when someone has a drinking problem, but not an addiction. Knowing the signs of this abuse can help in getting your drinking back on track…

Alcohol Abuse: Know the Signs

Abuse versus addiction

Understanding alcohol abuse means knowing how it’s different from alcoholism. With alcoholism, people experience a needto drink. If they don’t have a drink, they suffer from withdrawal symptoms due to their addiction to alcohol. 

Alcohol abuse is similar to this, but without the addiction aspect. Someone who abuses alcohol may not experience withdrawal symptoms if they don’t drink. However, they can still experience cravings and a lack of control when drinking.

Signs of abuse

The signs of alcohol abuse can appear in many different ways. For example, binge drinking can be a signal of abuse. If someone is constantly binge drinking more and more, they could be dealing with alcohol abuse. This also tends to coincide with someone trying and failing to cut back on their drinking.

Abuse can also be seen in more less obvious waysas well. Increasing alcohol tolerance could be a sign that someone is drinking too much. Drinking even when it causes mental or physical problems is also a sign of abuse. 

Getting back on track

Fortunately, there are several strategies to use when trying to control your drinking. Setting drinking limits can help with getting your drinking levels under control. Furthermore, it helps to drink slowly and keep a diary so you avoid the temptation of wanting to drink more than you should. 

You can also look for outside support as well. Support groups are a good way to get advice from people who know exactly what you’re struggling with. These groups can help you learn new strategies as well as what might cause you to drink. A therapist can also help you with this as well.

It can be difficult to fight alcohol abuse. However, it’s certainly doable. Knowing the signs and how to work on them can help you get your drinking back to more healthy and tolerable levels.