Depression and drinking alcohol??

Question

i have suffered from depression in the past and recently my depression has come back. i drink quite regularly so decided to give up drinking and feel so much better( also been prescribed low dosage of anti depressants but they take a while to work so i know thats not the reason i feel better).

would just like to hear from anyone who knows about the effects of alcohol on depressive people, whats the worst type of alcohol( i drink wine). should i not drink at all??? any information or anyone with same experiences would love to hear your comments. thanks x

Answer 1

When you are depressed and drink or use drugs it becomes a form of self-medication. You become dependent on it without realizing it to feel differently than your depressed self and so lose what other coping abilities you have. This is a really generalized explanation but basically your "happy chemicals" don't come out on their own any more as they have become used to being brought on or supplanted by alcohol/drugs. Alcohol is actually a depressant itself so it will make you feel even worse as it slows down the production of everything. No one can tell you if you should or shouldn't drink but in my experience drinking/drugs is never a good idea unless I'm on an even keel already, don't start out depressed and make it worse. Just be aware that it can worsen depression so if you are struggling with that use your judgment.

Answer 2

alcohol is one of the biggest deppresants known to man.

  if you have depression then one of the greatest benefits you can do to help yourself is to stop drinking, alcohol has the illusionary effect of easing depression when in fact it adds (possibly causes) a great deal of the anxiety that goes with depression.

  all alcohol is pretty much the same when it comes to depression, its the effect, not the taste or product that influences depression.

  i would also question (in my experience) the positive effects of ssri's (anti deppressants) while someone continues to drink, i think they are more beneficial when someone is not drinking.

  i have had major bouts of depression all my life and in my experience the most beneficial aspect of coping and living with depression has been to stop alcohol all together, (along with walking exercise, helping others, etc)

  you are doing your own research, measure yourself and your feelings with and without alcohol and decide for yourself, have you thought about a bit of counselling as well? that maybe beneficial for you to explore the source of your depression. all the best x!  

Answer 3

Hi depression is a condition we feel when we face the situations unexpected and which we doesn't want to happen,but drinking is not the right option to come out of it,in fact it could be better if we begin to accept the actual situation,anytime,what ever the reason may be,too much drinking is always dangerous to health,so try to avoid it as soon as possible and live healthy and keep smiling always,hope you get back your smile soon

Answer 4

i think you drink because you think it will help you...no its never a good think to resort to alcohol as an "escape" route to realality you should talk 2 some1 you really care about and tell them everything that happened to make the way are...hope you get better=)

Answer 5

I suffer with depression. Occasionally, I drink (red wine), but not generally to excess, that is, I never have a hang-over. When I have had a lot to drink, I do tend to get a little "merry", and, although alcohol is a depressant, it is very mild, and it really does not have too much effect on the anti-depressants and anti-psychotics that I take.

If you are feeling better without the alcohol, perhaps the anti-depressants need boosting slightly.

My advice is for you to enjoy life as much as you can, with or without alcohol.

Take pleasure in small things, enjoy and remember good times, attune your mind to the positives in life, and put the negatives in perspective.  

Answer 6

Drinking alcohol to a depressed person is like pouring petrol on a fire.

If you can comfortably control it, have one or two at social occasions then do.  If, you find you have one and another and end up always drinknig more than you intended, then perhaps you are better off being abstinent.  Which isn't the end of the world.

I use Rational Emotive Behaviour therapy for depression and there is a version for stopping drinking if you decide it might benefit you, at smartrecovery.org

Answer 7

When I'm really depressed, I try to drink a lot with a couple of friends, and it usually makes me forget about my problems, along with other stuff.

If you are never sober then your problems are never there :D

Answer 8

cut it out , get a hobby or something .

Answer 9

alcohol is a depressant...so if you suffer with depression, you shouldnt be drinking at all really

Answer 10

Ticolensic is right.  Alcohol is a depressant.  Drinking might make you forget your troubles for the moment, but when you sober up they're still there, and more than likely have multiplied.  

I think it's great that you stopped drinking.  Drinking leads you to believe that things are okay, when in fact, it just makes you not worry about dealing with your problems realistically.

I'm a recovering chronic alcoholic (sober for over 13 years)  and I guarantee that drinking only makes depression worse.

Regardless of what anyone tells you, there is no type of alcohol that is "safer" or "better" for a depressed person.  Whatever flavor your drink is, the key ingredient is ethanol.  That's what will affect you, and that's what is in every alcoholic drink.

I wish you all the best!    

Answer 11

alcohol + anti depressants = fun

Answer 12

well when i used to be depressed i gave alcohol a reason to feel better which i did feel better after awhile. then i also tried weed and a lott of smoking and anti depressants which all makes u feel happy and all. but it also causes to lose ur friends in the process and the people that cared about you.. so i stopped but my depression has been coming back on and off lately so I've been drinking again and my anti-depressants again also but not smoking yet until if i decide to again. Just a thought drinking wine just makes u sleepy and all but drinking liquor like rum and such would be best and if you do it with friends is also a plus so you won't be passed out somewhere else.

Answer 13

I  have been depressed again for the past wee while, on saturday I had 3 bottles of beer, yeah I know not a lot, but it was enough to make me feel so much lower. I used to drink a lot when I was younger and more often than not I would end up feeling suicidal at the end of the evening, we all know that alcohol is a depressant, so while u r still feeling low, I would give it a wide berth, at least until the anti-d's have taken affect, even then best not to over do it!

Answer 14

yes you should stop the alcohol as that is a dispersive thing drinking it

so it will not help at all with your problem