Despite the myth that alcohol makes you fun and social, there is a close relationship between alcohol and one’s mental health.
As a result, many individuals who suffer from mental illness cope by using alcohol. Unfortunately, this coping mechanism does not work and often makes the individual feel worse since alcohol is a depressant. Likewise, individuals who drink alcohol excessively often develop a slew of mental health problems.
It’s important that you never use alcohol as a way to cope with your emotions. If you suffer from mental illness, you should avoid drinking. Similarly, you should stop drinking if you end up feeling worse in the process. Keep reading to learn more about how does alcohol affect mental health.
Does Alcohol Affect Your Mental Health?
There is a misconception in our culture that alcohol makes us happier, more social, and more confident. In some cases, this is true, but alcohol largely impacts your mental health negatively. Individuals who drink frequently especially suffer from mental illness.
Alcohol is considered a depressant. It disrupts the balance of neurotransmitters in your brain, which impacts your feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. Whenever you first start drinking alcohol, you will feel less anxious and more relaxed, but these feelings don’t last and negative feelings tend to take over.
At the same time, alcohol makes your brain process information slower. As a result, it can be difficult to understand what you’re actually feeling or the consequences of your words and actions as a result of your feelings.
How Does Alcohol Affect Your Mental Health?
Because alcohol is a depressant, individuals who drink a lot of alcohol often develop mental health issues. Conversely, many individuals who suffer from mental illness use alcohol as a form of self-medication. This explains why alcohol often goes hand in hand with depression, anxiety, suicide, self-harm, and psychosis.
What this means is that alcohol makes existing mental health problems worse. If you suffer from mental health disorders, it’s important to limit your alcohol consumption. Although you may feel good initially, your darker feelings will emerge.
How Does Drugs And Alcohol Affect Your Mental Health?
Just as alcohol affects our mental health negatively, so do drugs. Studies have found that illicit drugs have negative impacts on your mental health when used in the long run. Much like alcohol, most illicit substances are closely linked to depression, anxiety, and self-harm.
When you use both illicit drugs and alcohol together, the results are even more disastrous. Often, the substances interact with one another and amplify the negative feelings you may have. Thus, depression, anxiety, and psychosis are frequently found in individuals who use illicit substances and alcohol.
The Truth About Dual Diagnosis
The connection between mental health and alcohol is so strong that one of the best treatment methods for alcoholism is something called dual diagnosis. Dual diagnosis treats the mental illness and the alcoholism so the individual will have the best chance at recovery.
90210 Recovery offers dual diagnosis treatment for individuals who suffer from mental illness and alcoholism. The purpose of our dual diagnosis is to help individuals heal from their trauma, get treatment for their mental illness, and overcome addiction at the same time.
If you or a loved one is suffering from alcoholism and co-occurring mental illness, it’s important to get dual diagnosis treatment. Contact 90210 Recovery at 877-839-6775 or fill out this form to get started. With the help of 90210 Recovery’s dual diagnosis treatment, you can understand the toxic relationship between alcohol and mental illness in your own life so that you can begin living a life of sobriety you’ve always dreamt of.
