Depression and alcohol abuse can definitely be related. Alcohol abuse can make a person feel more depressed since alcohol is a depressant substance. And conversely, a person can turn to alcohol to help them cope with the symptoms of depression. A kind of viscious cycle can occur because of depression and the way it makes a person feel.
The mental illness called depression causes the sufferer to feel intensely sad or perhaps worthless and alone. To cope with these feelings, many depressives resort to using alcohol, illegal drugs, tranquilizers and/or sleeping pills. The problem with these kinds of substances is that they often do more damage than good.
A question to raise is does depression and alcohol abuse happen because of depression, or does alcohol and depression happen because too much alcohol was consumed, making the depression worse? Does depression make the person abuse alcohol or does drinking excessive alcohol cause depression?
Almost forty percent of people who drink heavily will also have symptoms of depression. About five percent of men who are social drinkers suffer from depression but nearly ten percent of women who are social drinkers will be affected.
Alcohol can provide a form of benefit to those who suffer from depression, but alcohol consumption can work against them. Drinking alcohol in moderation can help a person feel better, perhaps forget their problems and make the world seem to be a better place to live. But a problem can be that instead of seeking professional help and taking prescribed antidepressant medications, a person attempts to self medicate with alcohol to alter their mood.
Depression and alcohol together can be a dangerous combination. The more alcohol a person drinks, the higher the risk of accidents, from motor vehicle accidents to slips and falls. Alcohol abusers account for about one third of domestic accidents, forty percent of fatal fires in their homes and over twenty percent of accidents at work. Persons with depression and alcohol abuse also often have a higher risk of suicide.
Persons who drink a lot of alcohol will usually discover that continued drinking actually begins to depress their mood. Often, the person begins looking elsewhere for help such as using sleeping pills to help them get to sleep at night. And in the mornings, they take something else to help get them going. These kinds of substances can become addictive very quickly. The result is that instead of taking the appropriate medications to help with their depression, they are taking medicines that are not designed to help with their depression issues.
Alcohol combined with the wrong medications will not help the person suffering from depression and may make the condition worse. The person suffering from depression and alcohol abuse should realize that they really have no choice but to seek help from their health care provider.
Begin the process of finding answers to what is going on in the persons life. Depressive disorders tend to be rated as mild, moderate and severe. Most mental health professionals will evaluate the depressive illness based on what kind of symptoms the person has and how well the person can function in their every day life. If the person is having suicidal thoughts, they will be considered as having a severe depressive illness and urgently needs professional help and intervention.
The correct approach is to seek the help of a qualified health care provider to properly diagnose and treat the symptoms of depression with appropriate antidepressant medications. Psychotherapy may also be prescribed to deal with underlying mental health issues. Instead of allowing depression and alcohol to rule ones life, find professional help to learn how to manage and live with depression.
Copyright 2007 InfoSearch Publishing
In today's society consuming alcohol has become the norm and when consumed in moderation, it can be a relaxing tonic. Many people come home from a hard day of work and unwind with a drink. How do you know, though, when that relaxing drink has taken over your life? How do you know when you become dependent on it? Alcohol abuse in today's society is becoming a serious problem. In the past people used to believe that alcohol abuse was a characteristic of a weak person, but now it is known that it is really a serious disease that has a chance of affecting us all.
Alcohol Abuse Statistics
Are you aware that 1 in 13 adults is affected by alcohol abuse. WebMD, the online health guide, reported that in the United States alone, 12 to 14 million adults suffer from alcohol abuse and each year, around 100,000 adults will die from alcohol abuse. This number does not take into account the fact that alcohol abuse is a large factor in contributing to the country's car accidents, suicides and homicides. In addition alcohol also affects many other things such as increased rates of job absenteeism, and increased reports of domestic violence and child abuse.
Recognizing the Signs of Alcohol Abuse?
Occasional drinks at home or with friends does not mean that you have a problem with alcohol. As a guideline:
- in women, a key indication that there is a degree ofalcohol abuse is if you consume more than seven drinks a week and more than three in a social gathering. - In men, the rate of consumption would have to equal more than 14 drinks per week or anexcess of four drinks while with friends.
Other signs include: - an obvious alcohol cravings, - a noted loss of control when drinking, leading to the person unable to say stop when he has had enough. - When the level of alcohol tolerance increases markedly can be another sign of alcohol abuse, - When the drinker displays a physical dependence on alcohol, such as nausea, sweating and headaches if no alcohol is consumed.
The scientific community are in agreement that many other factors are involved with drinking, such as family history of drinking, family genetics, stress levels, and social and environmental factors.
In today's modern society alcohol abuse is reaching dramatic levels that are escalating all over the western world. Alcohol abuse is a treatable disease, but does prove quite difficult to cure and it can affect anyone. As there are so many factors that make some people more susceptible to it than others. Whilst many of us drink and enjoy ourselves in moderation, it is important that we all keep the message in mind and keep our consumption to recognized levels.
There is an Unfortunate modern social development which has raised alcohol consumption to levels of absurdity as the fashion of Binge Drinking has become the norm amongst many of the young. This bad influence will only lead to more and more of us suffering from alcohol abuse.
Both David Lee Buster & The Alternate Medic are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.