Dose alcohol help you feel better or worse when your depressed?

Answer 1

Alcohol and Depression

No.

Mentally speaking, alcohol (and other other substances) may, at best, only provide limited temporary relief from symptoms. If you're drunk you may be able to ignore to your other problems.

A person suffering from depression needs to get proper medical attention. If left untreated it can be extremely debilitating. Many people who are treated with simple anti-depressants experience a full recovery. Remember, it is not "all in your head." Brain chemistry is real.

Alcohol use by depressives, however, impairs already weakened cognitive function, exacerbates an already irrational state, reduces already greatly reduced impulse control, and gravely increases the risk of suicidiality.

Note that the fact that alcohol is classified as a Central Nervous System (CNS) depressant is irrelevant to it's effects on Depression as a psychiatric disorder. CNS depression refers to a slowing of the heart, lungs and nerve function in the case of alcohol through the function of the neurochemical GABA. Psychiatric Depression on the other hand is a neurochemical disorder of the Serotonin system, which is in no way linked to the action of GABA.

As such, it's use will not clinically worsen depression, though feelings of shame created while by actions undertaken while under the influence can cause temporary increase in symptoms. And hangovers are not conducive to a good mindset for the day following drinking.

While intoxicated, the risks are far greater, however; alcohol use compound poor decision making and significantly increase the risk of suicide and a person with severe depression and suicidal thoughts might actually comit suicide under the influence of alcohol which may never have occurred while sober.

Answer 2

Alcohol is a depressant drug. Using a depressant on top of being depressed doesn't make much sense, does it? Alcohol is also addictive. So now you're not just depressed - you're a depressed alcoholic!

The other big problem with alcohol is that it destroys the body over time. Alcoholics slowly fall apart, rather like Zombies on those old movies. By the time they get to the point where they are stumbling around mumbling to themselves, however, they've killed so many of their brain cells that they can't even realize what they look like.

People with mood disorders do NOT need to start drinking alcohol in order to try to "fix" their moods!

Answer 3

Frequently when someone is depressed, they will drink heavily, in the mistaken belief that it will make them feel better. As alcohol is a depressant, it doesn't work like that! The buzz you get from alcohol is fleeting, but the damage it does to the feelings of depression can be devastating. It will make the depression much worse.

Answer 4

No. Alcohol is a depressant in that it slows or depresses bodily functions. However, alcohol tends to elevate mood in some people.

Answer 5

It really doesn't. It will make you forget your troubles for a brief period sometimes but the more you drink the worse the problem will seem because alcohol itself is a depressant.

Answer 6

Sometimes it is used for recreation, and sometimes it is used if people have depression but I wouldn't say right off the bat that drinking is a sign of depression.