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Their emotions are muted and their ability to enjoy life can be severely compromised. Despite these difference, excessive long-term alcohol consumption can have damaging effects on your mind and body. If you are concerned about your relationship with alcohol and depression, it’s time to consider what treatment options may be beneficial to you. Does alcohol consumption cause depression, or does depression lead to an alcohol use disorder (AUD)? Drinking can make your depression worse, which in turn causes increased alcohol consumption, which leads to worsened circumstances and more severe depression.
CBT helps teach people how to identify potential triggers, find ways to cope with urges to drink and set realistic goals. Cognitive behavioral therapy generally starts in a rehab setting and can be continued after treatment with the help of an alcohol counselor. Individuals who suffer from persistent depressive disorder, or dysthymia, have recurring symptoms of depression for at least two years. Some weeks and months may include minor signs of depression, while other times they are much more severe.
Alcohol and Depression Treatment
Additionally, genetics may influence how likely you are to develop depression and a substance use disorder (SUD). Outpatient settings offers much of the same programming as inpatient treatment but is relatively less time intensive. Patient are able return home or to other living situations outside of treatment hours. Outpatient treatment may only be an option if a person’s current level of physical dependence does not necessitate the need for inpatient treatment. At first, alcohol seems to provide the same relaxing, anxiety-reducing effects.
For many individuals, depression will abate with time and treatment. For others, the condition may be a lifelong struggle; treatment can dramatically improve the quality of and extend the length of life, however. Because depression is so prevalent among alcoholics, almost all treatment centers have a great https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/alcohol-and-depression-how-alcohol-makes-your-depression-worse/ deal of experience helping patients overcome both conditions. Regardless of which treatment option you choose, it is important that you seek treatment as quickly as possible. Major depressive disorder involves persistent and prolonged symptoms, but depression, in general, takes on many different forms.
Understanding the Mental Health and Drinking Connection
As a dual diagnosis, treatment must address both conditions adequately to support recovery. For example, it may be most appropriate to address alcohol addiction and ensure a patient is sober before beginning therapy for depression. 2019 research suggests that depressive disorders are more common in people with alcohol dependence than in those who engage in alcohol misuse, like binge drinking. However, both alcohol dependence and alcohol misuse fall under the AUD umbrella. If you or a loved one is struggling with a co-occurring mental health disorder and alcohol addiction, it’s important to remember that you are not alone.
- But “the rebound effect is that it can actually exacerbate” negative emotional states, says Amy Goodwin, an addiction counselor at UCHealth in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
- Your doctor will likely conduct a physical exam and a psychological evaluation.
- Dvorak, Robert D et al. “Alcohol use, depressive symptoms, and im[…]ng college students.” Journal of affective disorders, July 1, 2014.
- When someone goes through a breakup or loss of a job, having a few drinks can help blunt the pain.
Following a successful detox, an inpatient or outpatient treatment setting may be advised depending a variety of factors determined via a substance use disorder assessment conducted by a medical professional. Inpatient treatment allows for 24/7 monitoring and care in a hospital or other treatment facility. Other times people make decisions while drinking that leave a lasting impact. For example, some lose their job, spend all their money, wreck a vehicle, or lose a relationship.
Related to Depression
An alcohol-dependent person who demonstrates such psychological symptoms needs more intense intervention and support than may otherwise be provided, and if not appropriately treated, the symptoms may carry a worse prognosis for alcohol-related problems. High levels of depression are especially worthy of concern, because the risk of death by suicide among alcoholics, estimated to be 10 percent or higher, may be most acute during these depressed states. Alcohol misuse and depression are both serious problems that you shouldn’t ignore. If you think you have a problem with either, talk to your doctor or therapist.
Recovering from depression and AUD is difficult because the disorders can worsen one another. Often, people turn to alcohol to help relieve their depression symptoms. However, evidence suggests that more than 25% of people in treatment have experienced a substance-induced depressive episode in their lifetime. Once sober, they still need to work through their symptoms of depression. Effective treatment requires the aid of a facility that understands the relationship between the two.