Can Alcohol Cause Anxiety and Depression? Explore the Potential Connection Between Alcohol and Mental Health Disorders

You’re feeling anxious and you’ve had a hard day, so you have a drink. One drink turns into a few, and you feel a bit better as the effects hit you. The problem is that the moment the alcohol is no longer in your system and you begin to sober up, you feel as depressed or anxious as ever — or even worse. So you drink more to feel better and the cycle continues. This happens more often than you care to admit. 

Thankfully, there are solutions. Some medical professionals can provide the mental health treatment and care you need. There are also treatment and recovery programs that can help you get and stay sober to help render your mental health treatments more effective. 

Let’s dive into a better understanding of the relationship between alcohol and mental health disorders, in particular anxiety and depression.

Table of Contents

• Can Alcohol Worsen Depression and Anxiety?
• The Potential Link Between Alcohol and Mental Health Disorders
• 5 Ways Alcohol May Affect Anxiety and Depression
• Seek Professional Help at Dove Recovery: Receive Compassionate Support on Your Journey to Sobriety and Minimize Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression

Yes. Many people who struggle with anxiety or depression use alcohol to make themselves feel better. Overall, however, the effects of alcohol can worsen the symptoms of both depression and anxiety. In addition, medications prescribed for both conditions can mix dangerously with excessive alcohol consumption. 

Using any substance in an attempt to self-medicate doesn’t work — at least not in the long term. You may feel temporary relief from your symptoms. However, with time and overuse, alcohol tends to exacerbate the other health problems you face and can cause new ones.

How Does Alcohol Affect the Brain?

Alcohol is a depressant, so it can disrupt the balance of neurotransmitters in your brain, ultimately affecting how you feel, think, and behave. It also affects the part of your brain that controls inhibition, so drinking alcohol might make you feel more relaxed and less anxious. 

This is one reason why many people rely on alcohol if they’re experiencing symptoms of anxiousness. However, the relaxed feelings can quickly wear off and turn into feelings of anger, depression, or anxiety. 

We need a certain number of neurotransmitters in our brains to ward off anxiety and depression, and alcohol reduces that number. As a result, it ultimately has a negative effect on the brain. 

Research shows that people who drink alcohol are more likely to develop mental health problems. Conversely, people with mental health problems are more likely to rely on heavy alcohol drinking in an attempt to self-medicate and alleviate symptoms. There is a reciprocal relationship between alcohol use disorder and mental health disorders, which means that each disorder commonly causes the other. 

Alcohol and Anxiety

Alcohol typically offers a short-lived feeling of relaxation to those who experience anxiety — but as we mentioned above, that feeling quickly diminishes. Since the relief doesn’t last long, you may find yourself chasing that relaxed feeling and end up with alcohol dependency. It’s a vicious cycle that can be challenging to escape once you are in it.

If you find yourself wondering whether quitting alcohol will reduce your anxiety, you may find it comforting to learn that it can! Since you know now that alcohol actually only makes anxiety worse in the long run, it’s time to explore healthier and more effective ways to feel relief. 

Fortunately, there are many alternative options to deal with anxiety. Treatment and recovery programs, like Dove Recovery in Columbus, OH, can help you get sober. They’ll also teach you about the skills and resources you need to relieve anxiety in healthy ways.

 Alcohol and Depression

People with depression who drink often begin to feel better when they stop drinking, which points to the fact that alcohol does worsen depression. If you are taking antidepressants, alcohol can make depression worse and increase the negative side effects of your meds, so health professionals usually recommend that you not drink while taking them. 

Research also shows that the presence of either severe depression or Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) doubles the likelihood of the presence of the other.

Depression is a serious condition that should be treated by a mental health professional. Therapy and medication can help significantly. 

#1: Neurotransmitter Disruption

Alcohol impacts the balance and function of neurotransmitters in the brain. Although alcohol might offer temporary relief from the symptoms of anxiety and depression and result in a feeling of relaxation, it’s short-lived. 

The brain needs healthy neurotransmitters to combat feelings of depression and anxiety, so when alcohol is impacting their function, these symptoms can increase.

#2: Sleep Disturbances

Heavy alcohol drinking frequently causes disruption in your sleep patterns, which can exacerbate feelings of anxiety or depression. Many people suffering from alcohol use disorder also suffer from insomnia.

#3: Withdrawal Symptoms

Withdrawal is the process the body goes through in response to the abrupt cessation of alcohol or other drugs. If you’re reliant on alcohol, when you go any length of time without it and begin withdrawing, symptoms like increased anxiety, tremors, sweating, etc. are common. To get rid of these symptoms, you drink to cope, and the cycle continues. 

#4: Impaired Judgment/Decision-Making

Alcohol impairs judgment and decision-making due to its inebriating effects. Anytime you are under the influence of alcohol and you need to manage a stressful situation, you are likely to feel more anxious and/or depressed.

#5: Social Isolation

Alcohol can have a negative impact on relationships, as you may unintentionally isolate yourself from relationships that are good for you. You may also find yourself increasingly cut off from friends and family due to your behaviors while under the influence. Social withdrawal can exacerbate the symptoms of anxiety and depression.

It is a common adage in recovery programs that the opposite of addiction is connection. If you know someone who has a problem with alcohol, please do what you can to support them in getting sober. Dove Recovery in Columbus, OH, is a great resource with a variety of treatment options. 

Dove Recovery offers treatment and support for AUD and associated mental health disorders, such as anxiety and depression. Our programs have success rates well above industry standards, and we specialize in discreet treatment for professional clients. Reach out today for yourself or your loved one to learn more about the treatment programs available.