Are Alcoholism and Depression Linked?

Examining the Relationship Between Depression and Drinking

It is a well-known fact that alcoholism can lead to depression, as well as that the reverse is true, with many people who become alcoholics becoming dependent on alcohol as a result of depression-induced periods of heavy drinking. The reasons for this are not at all difficult to understand. For one thing, people who are experiencing a bout of severe depression will commonly reach for the bottle, hoping to numb their emotions and to escape the bleak reality of their present-time environment by getting drunk. Using alcohol as a coping method for stress and depression can easily lead to the development of full-blown alcoholism.

Inversely, someone who drinks large amounts of alcohol is setting himself or herself up for depression, in light of the fact that heavy drinking makes one less capable of performing well in life, it often causes disruption to social and professional relationships, and even destroys the body’s stores of B-vitamins, nutrients which are essential for the maintenance of emotional and mental well-being. Compounding the problem is the interplay between alcoholism and depression, where the more depressed one is the more he or she will drink, which causes further depression and on and on down the dwindling spiral.

A closer examination of the above relationships between depression and alcoholism has recently been conducted in a long-term study conducted by a team of researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry. The study, which was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism along with the National Institutes of Health, involved tracking the progress of 397 men over a period of 30 years, as well as examining some of the men’s children. The men who were selected for the study were all around the age of 20 years at the beginning of the study, and they all had certain traits in common:

• All were in good physical health
• None were alcoholics
• None had a history of substance abuse of any kind
• None had a history of depression
• None displayed any signs of mental illness or significant emotional disturbances

Half of the men, however, were chosen for the fact that their fathers were alcoholics, while the other half were selected for the opposite reason. This split was made as part of the larger purpose of tracking the men over the course of three decades to identify the factors which cause or contribute to both alcoholism and depression, as well as the relationship between the two conditions.

Alcoholism Causes Some Depression But Not All

Throughout the period of the study, the researchers looked for the development of alcohol use disorders, as well as for bouts of alcohol-induced depression. They also watched for depressive episodes which occurred independently of alcohol use. One of their findings was the fact that 15.4 percent of the men experienced an alcohol-independent episode of severe depression, while close to one-third of all depressive episodes were related to alcohol consumption.

Out of the total group, nearly half—41 percent—became alcoholics at some point or another. Among the children of the study subjects, those whose fathers suffered depression were slightly more likely to share the same experience than those who whose fathers were not depressed. The researchers concluded that there is not necessarily a causal link between severe depression and alcoholism, though they did acknowledge that periods of heavy drinking will often lead to the development of depression. They also allowed for the fact that the study focused exclusively on men, and that the interplay between alcoholism and depression may be different among women.

The study was published in the February 12 issue of Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, in which the lead researcher was quoted as saying “I don’t know that the average person realizes that heavy drinking can induce mood problems. If you’re an alcoholic, you’re going to have a lot of mood problems. You may be tempted to say, ‘Well, I drink a lot because I’m depressed.’ You may be right, but it’s even more likely that you’re depressed because you drink heavily.”

This link has been observed for years at Narconon drug rehabilitation centers and many times once the alcohol addiction is handled, the depression the person felt is also lifted. The best solution is for those who are drinking heavily to get help where they can achieve long-term sobriety.

Source:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130212075432.htm