Mental health problems not only result from drinking too much alcohol. They can even compel people to drink too much.
There is some evidence associating light drinking with improved physical health in some adults. Between one and three units daily have been found to help defend us from heart disease, dementia, and Alzheimer's Disease, and a little glass of red wine daily may decrease risk of stroke in females.
That being said there is far more evidence demonstrating that drinking too much alcohol brings about severe bodily and emotional disorders.
Stated very simply, a major reason for drinking alcohol is to change our mood - or change our mental state. Alcohol can temporarily alleviate feelings of anxiety and depression; it can also help to temporarily relieve the symptoms of more serious mental health problems.
Alcohol conditions are more common among individuals with more severe mental health problems. This does not necessarily mean that alcohol provokes severe mental illness.
Evidence indicates that individuals who consume high amounts of alcohol are vulnerable to higher levels of mental ill health and it can be a contributory factor in some mental diseases, such as depression.
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How does drinking affect our moods and mental health?
When we have alcohol in our blood, our mood changes, and our behaviour then also changes. Alcohol depresses the central nervous system, and this can make us less inhibited in our behaviour.
Alcohol can also reveal or magnify our underlying feelings. When drinking, this is one of the reasons that many people become aggressive or angry. If our underlying feelings are of unhappiness, anxiety or anger, then alcohol can magnify them.
What about the after-effects?
One of the main issues linked with using alcohol to deal with anxiety and depression is that individuals may feel much worse when the effects have worn off. Alcohol is thought to use up and reduce the amount of neurotransmitters in the brain, but the brain needs a certain level of neurotransmitters needs to ward off anxiety and depression. This can lead some individuals to drink more, to ward off these difficult feelings, and a dangerous cycle of dependence can develop.
Alcohol conditions are more common among people with more severe mental health issues. If our underlying feelings are of anger, unhappiness or anxiety, then alcohol can magnify them.
One of the main problems connected with using alcohol to deal with anxiety and depression is that people may feel much worse when the effects have worn off. Alcohol is thought to use up and reduce the amount of neurotransmitters in the brain, but the brain needs a certain level of neurotransmitters needs to ward off anxiety and depression.
