Alcohol consumption is a regular part of life for people in many cultures. For most of us, a healthy relationship with alcohol is fairly easy to maintain, and alcohol can add enjoyment to everyday experiences without unbearable negative consequences. For other people, however, alcohol can be a dangerous and addictive drug with serious consequences in many aspects of life.
A well-understood negative consequence of frequent or heavy alcohol use is the effect it has on mood and outlook. Alcohol and depression generally go hand in hand. Approximately one out of three depression cases involves significant alcohol consumption, both acute and chronic. This is a result of a number of causes:
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Alcohol and depression
Alcohol, also known as ethanol, is a form of sugar. It contains both carbon and hydrogen (making it a carbohydrate), and just like other dietary sugars, when consumed in large quantities, it leads to a problematic increase in insulin secretion. One of the negative side effects of high insulin levels in the bloodstream is that B-vitamins are leached out of the system. Because the B-vitamin group plays such a critical role in mood governance, this process can leave drinkers feeling depressed. This metabolic phenomenon is called alcohol depression, and it happens to more than half of all alcoholics.
- Alcohol can create many challenging life circumstances. Because heavy or frequent drinkers don’t usually exercise sterling judgment or self control, relationship problems frequently develop, job performance can suffer, financial responsibility can go out the window, and infidelity episodes happen with much higher frequency. These situations add a significant amount of stress, pressure, and negativity to a drinker’s life, which exacerbates depression.
- If alcohol use develops into an addiction, the drinker can develop feelings of severe helplessness and hopelessness. It can feel all but impossible to break the vicious cycle of intoxication and post-intoxication illness, which usually leads to more drinking to stem the withdrawal symptoms. For this reason, alcoholics frequently experience suicidal feelings, because they feel powerless to stop the self-destructive cycle.
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