The Alcohol Depression Connection
Depression and alcohol often go hand in hand. It is a vicious cycle that can end in death if treatment is not obtained. First, let's look at depression on its own. Depression is a deep sadness or despair and lack of interest in normal activities lasting longer than two weeks. It can be clinical, bipolar, environmental, genetic – there are many types of depression and reasons that depression occurs. There are a variety of ways depression is treated, however the most common are counseling and antidepressant medications.
Many people don't like the idea of taking an antidepressant. Men are especially prone to feeling a stigma is attached to taking medication for depression, or even seeking medical help for depression in the first place. So instead, they self medicate with alcohol which ends up making everything worse in the long run. Men aren't the only depressed alcoholics, women also self medicate with alcohol when they feel depressed. Sometimes people who take antidepressants continue to drink alcohol, even though they shouldn't.
When people drink because they are depressed, they are not dealing with their depression. Instead, they are adding to it, because alcohol is a depressant. And, they are hiding from it. They might say, they need to blow off steam, they want to forget their problems – but getting drunk is never the way to do that. It often results in alcoholism which comes with a very long list of its own negative side effects. The most immediate is that of the hangover. Hangovers can include vomiting, nausea, headache, dizziness – and lost time at work or with family due to drinking alcohol. Late stage alcoholics can suffer from deadly diseases like liver cancer, cirrhosis of the liver, heart disease and even brain damage.
The alcohol depression link is quite clear. If you feel depressed, do not turn to alcohol. Seek counsel with a trusted friend or family member. See your doctor if your depression does not get better in two weeks, and if he or she prescribes medicine take it exactly as directed. If you are drinking heavily and feel you might have a problem, this is another issue to take to your doctor. While both depression and alcohol abuse are harmful on their own, together they are even worse.
| Army Study Indicates Rise in Domestic Violence-Related Alcohol Abuse Alcohol abuse related to domestic violence is an increasing problem in the U.S. Army, according to a new study that also found the suicide rate among active-duty soldiers reached an all-time high last year... | ||
United bid to tackle alcohol abuse Alcohol claims the lives of more than 1,300 people each year across the island of Ireland, health chiefs holding a cross-border conference on the problem have revealed... | ||
Sheriff's Office aiming to help inmate addicts - Tampabay.com
| ||
Daily Planner: February 3 - Enterprise-Record
| ||
Town camp alcohol bans not working, says Wood Independent Northern Territory politician Gerry Wood says the Commonwealth is struggling to follow through on its commitment to reducing alcohol abuse in Alice Springs town camps... | ||
Scottish alcohol plan's impact waning, say experts Fixing minimum price at 45p a unit would have lesser effect now than in 2009 due to rising prices and falling abuse rates A 45p-per-unit minimum price for alcohol, as suggested by Nicola Sturgeon , Scotland's deputy first minister, might not be enough to prevent health and social problems, experts have warned. A study by researchers at Sheffield University found that fixing the minimum price at ... | ||
AA friend's death rocks Demi - Adelaide Now
| ||
How Well Does AA Work? - TheFix.com
| ||
Community Calendar for Wednesday, February 1, 2012 - Elizabethton Star
| ||
Demi Moore: Loss of AA sponsor Patsy Rugg and the breakdown that left her in . - Daily Mail
| ||
ExComm highlights alcohol abuse In an effort to increase transparency in how Yale handles disciplinary matters, the Yale College Executive Committee documented a single semesters cases in its inaugural semiannual report released this week. The committee adjudicated 52 cases EUR” including alcohol violations, defiance of authority and trespassing EUR” involving 59 students during the fall of 2011, according to the report. Seven of ... | ||
Sheriff's Dept. gives kids early look at perils of substance abuse Worcester County Sheriff Lewis G. Evangelidis is on a mission to prevent future drug and alcohol abuse among youths in Worcester County... | ||
Friday's Calendar EUR” February 3 - Morning Sentinel
| ||
Calendar for February 2-8 - Anniston Star
| ||
Deni Carise: Alcohol Crackdown: Brilliant or Insane? Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently proposed cracking down on alcohol sales in an attempt to curb the city's alcohol abuse problem. It's logical that reducing alcohol availability will in turn reduce sales and decrease use and abuse... | ||
Robert Mellen: Alcoholism among seniors a growing concern - Florida Today
| ||
Myths and facts help teens understand underage alcohol abuse Throughout the day, teens come across many venues that promote alcohol. There are television shows that make it fun, movies that make it sophisticated and music that endorses it, but at the end of.. | ||
Pound of cure Worcester County Sheriff Lewis G. Evangelidis is on a mission to prevent future drug and alcohol abuse among youths in Worcester County... | ||
Island Calendar - Jamestown Press
| ||
Technorati Tags: Alcoholism Treatment, Dealing With An Alcoholic, Alcohol Depression




