Drinking and depresssion?

zero_nine

I quit drinking there a week ago. I'm more or less a serial quitter but I'm going to try harder this time. But anyway I'm wondering about people's experience of depression and alcohol. I find if I'm drinking a lot I get depressed. I think this is due to two reasons: 1) I'm depressed about the fact that I'm drinking at all, and that its necessary. I lose a bit of my self respect when I'm drinking. I don't know why. I think my self concept sort of dissolves somewhat. 2) The obvious one, alcohol is a downer. Affects the brain chemistry etc.

Anyway I'm wondering has anyone had any experience of being depressed and drinking. What I'm kinda fishing for here is, has anyone had an experience where they are consistently happy after they've quit?

colrow

Hi Zero,

I can only say for myself that most of the serious effects of depression have disappeared, after stopping drinking, theres still bad days, where things don't go my way, but hey thats life, theres good days as well. I'm not controlled by negative emotions or paranoia either, my mind gets warped by alcohol and I know if I drink again I'll get all that back by the bucketfull.

I wouldn't say I'm deliriously happy all the time either, that would be a bit scary as well.

anyway Good Luck Take care

Doublin

When I was drinking heavily my GP & counselors couldn't tell if I had 'stand-alone' depression or if it was connected to the drinking. When I stopped drinking my GP put me on anti-depressants for a while as I was very low. But now I've stopped them and as the above poster said I just have the up's and down's of normal life.

L.Jenkins

I don't know how it is for other people, but I feel that drinking and depression is a serious no. I have bipolar disorder and most of the time drinking is like throwing petrol on a fire.

I used to go on and off the drink for months at a time, but this time I gave it up for good for some pretty good reasons. At xmas the family went to the US and I decided I'd go out on my own that night for a "few" casual drinks since the friends worked in pubs. I was significantly down and ended up getting excessively drunk and aggressive. This led to me spending a few hours in the cop shop, which let me tell ya, sobered me up very quickly almost better than any amount of coffee. I was fortunate to be let go with a caution. Since then I've not touched drink and used that excuse to get into a gym as a reason to stay off it.

Anyone who has depression, drink does have some calming effects depending on your mood, but it is at the end of the day a depressant. In answer to your question zero, I feel better now that I don't drink. It is tough to stay away from drink, but find stuff to keep your mind off it, like exercise or support groups, that doesn't mean you have to go to the AA for help, but if your feeling depressed, then there is help.

To be honest though, ever since I gave it up and started to exercise, I've started to become alittle more outgoing without it, doing stuff I never thought I would and I'm feeling alot better about myself in a way!

seamusm99

My opinion and advice is that alcohol can lead to depression, self recentment and negative thinking in certain people. Everytime I go on a huge bender I feel crap for a few days and even up to a week in the extreme cases. I think this happens as you can't remember certain periods of the night and feel quite upset and paranoid about it.. Basically beating yourself up syndrome. When you are younger it isn't as prominent, as you tend to be care free and less respectful. If you can't control your intake and have no will power; please take my advise and not drink, otherwise no matter how many time you say, never again -- Guess what happens !!! I tend to avoid big nights out and when I do I go out later than the rest to avoid repeat episodes.

Your depression will ease the less you drink - Believe me !!!:)

Westwood

I'm depressed if im not drinking. I only drink Friday and Saturdayand very occasionally a few on Sunday. Its something I look forward to all week while working and its a release from the mundane lives most people live monday-friday. I'll never give up drink as I gotta have something to keep me sane.Yes I do feel like crap for a few days after having a skinful. but who dosent?

seamusm99

"Yes I do feel like crap for a few days after having a skinful. but who dosent?"

Do the blackouts make you feel crap/depressed or in what way do you feel like crap?

And if you feel crap why go though the suffering?

I'm with you in that I won't totally give up, as I do enjoy alcohol, but only in moderation these days - a blow out is ineviatble some night thout

Westwood

I haven’t blacked out on drink since I was around 12 or something lol. But I understand people going out drinking ''the wrong beer'' as pub beer is very gasy and leads to getting drunk pretty quickly. For instance If id drink only Budweiser all night in a bar I'd prob black out. you gotta know your tolerance to what you're drinking and never mix your drinks and eat regularly. If I was having a few drinks in the house at a party or similar id never even get drunk. a little merry perhaps but mainly tired. even if I had 12 beers or something, so its true that pub beer is lethal. Everyone gets hangovers. I don’t get a bad head. or if I do nothing that some solphos wont cure. I get the body hangover. Absolutely no energy for 2 days and feel totally bolloxed. But that soon disappears after another 3 pints lol

Abi

seamusm99 wrote: »

My opinion and advice is that alcohol can lead to depression

Lead to or worsen. I do drink (not in here to troll :pac:) but have been pretty much ordered off it. Namely because it doesnt mix with medication and the doctors are mad against it, as it is a depressant. I didn't really go to my GP quickly enough to deal with some stuff that was going on with me, and I became dependant on drink to relieve anxiety.

Your depression will ease the less you drink - Believe me !!!:)

I believe it, but getting to that point is very hard. I just feel miserable when I'm not, and pretty freaked out actually.

Fair play to those who've managed it though. :pac:

davidf1412

I was depressed most of the time when I was drinking. Rather than try to give it up, I tried to replace it with things I'd always wanted to do, but never done. So I signed up for a surfing course in Kerry and my interest in booze kind of melted away because catching a wave became so much more fun, and you don't want to surf drunk. Find out what you'd really find enjoyable (painting, roller blading, volunteering, writing poetry!) and do it and you might discover a new direction. You also meet sober people.

Brian.

im drunk now, but i drink raely enough.. being a fitness fanatic i would probely drik once a month..... but id drink two bottles of jd, which is bad, but the high i get in the moment always seems worth it.. i dont get hangovers or antin, jus feel bad that i disrupted my fitness regime, being that it would be unhealthy to exercise the day after....

thebouldwhacker

davidf1412 wrote: »

I was depressed most of the time when I was drinking. Rather than try to give it up, I tried to replace it with things I'd always wanted to do, but never done. So I signed up for a surfing course in Kerry and my interest in booze kind of melted away because catching a wave became so much more fun, and you don't want to surf drunk. Find out what you'd really find enjoyable (painting, roller blading, volunteering, writing poetry!) and do it and you might discover a new direction. You also meet sober people.

+1

Couldnt agree more

I just left a simular post in another thread.

chardonnay

zero_nine wrote: »

I quit drinking there a week ago. I'm more or less a serial quitter but I'm going to try harder this time. But anyway I'm wondering about people's experience of depression and alcohol. I find if I'm drinking a lot I get depressed. I think this is due to two reasons: 1) I'm depressed about the fact that I'm drinking at all, and that its necessary. I lose a bit of my self respect when I'm drinking. I don't know why. I think my self concept sort of dissolves somewhat. 2) The obvious one, alcohol is a downer. Affects the brain chemistry etc.

Anyway I'm wondering has anyone had any experience of being depressed and drinking. What I'm kinda fishing for here is, has anyone had an experience where they are consistently happy after they've quit?

Yep, lots of depression and anxiety for one to two days after drinking. But not always which was the confusing factor and delayed my decision to quit.
Sometimes after as little as two glasses of wine the night before i would notice a mood change the next day. Other times it would take a good bit more to cause a downer or anxiety but there was a huge link.

Off four months, no depression / anxiety. A definite link in my case and now i still have a bad day or get a little wound up. but in a 'normal' sort of way.

Kool&TheGang

Great way to get yourself out of the drinking zone is to try going out with your mates but drink non-alcoholic / low-alcohol beer. This is you testing yourself for reliance. Try it, enjoy your friends company in a social environment whilst sober but most importantly enjoy your own company. Stay coherent the entire night. Watch around you as others start to fade - then choose the right time to head home.

You will wake the next morning a new person. Fresh. Clear head. The booze can play havok with your emotions.

LauraLoo

if i drink a few days in a row (even if its just one drink) i get depressed for about a week. If i have just one small glass of wine (as long as its on a full stomach) it doesnt effect me so bad but i definately found a HUGE difference in my downer levels after i quit drinking regularly.

kgpixels

When I did drink, it did put me on a downer. Think it depends on the person really

donieD

Hi
drink and depression go hand and hand and feed off each other in my experience.i drank for a good few years and it wrecked my head in the end.Have been off it now for over a year which hasnt been easy and I needed outside help but I can honestly say its the best decision ive ever made.Life now is real,has its good days and bad days but my worst day now is still a lot better than it was at the end of my drinking days.
best of luck

ronbyrne2005

Even in normally healthy people heavy drinking can lead to big downers/depression and thats what leads to a lot of suicides.

I sometimes go on these benders for several days and the mood can go very very low and when stopping theres anxiety depression and paranoia for days.

The drinking fecks up the quantity and quality of sleep and sleep is very important for mood etc.