Alcoholism and mental health issues often go hand-in-hand, but what is the reason for this link? Well, it’s more than just a spurious correlation – mental health issues are often a root cause of alcoholism, while in other cases alcoholism can lead to mental health issues, creating a vicious cycle. In this post, we’ll explain more (without getting too clinical).
The overlap between alcoholism and mental health issues
About 50% of people with alcohol use disorder (which can be classed as a mental illness itself) are diagnosed with other mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, bipolar or PTSD.
This is known medically as a ‘dual diagnosis’ and is important to recognize as it often involves specialist dual diagnosis treatment. Only by taking steps to treat a person’s mental health problems is it possible to also treat their addiction.
The role of self-medication
Many people use alcohol to self-medicate mental health problems. For those dealing with anxiety, alcohol can often seem a good medicine to help one relax. People dealing with trauma meanwhile often use alcohol to get rid of intrusive thoughts. As for those dealing with depression, alcohol can provide a mild dopamine rush and a sense of feeling something.
Of course, the relief is only temporary, and the impact on one’s physical health can be destructive (which is why doctors do not prescribe alcohol!).
The effect of hangxiety
Once the alcohol wears off, it’s common for many people to experience a hangover. This can trigger mental health issues (sometimes referred to as ‘hangxiety’) – many people feel a sense of shame for getting drunk, which can be amplified if they did anything embarrassing or damaging the night before. Feelings of worthlessness can increase if you have depression, while certain traumatic experiences under the influence can even cause someone to develop PTSD.
Physical withdrawal symptoms like nausea, sweats and shakes can worsen negative feelings. Eager to overcome these horrible symptoms, many people find the easiest solution is to start drinking again.
How to break the cycle
Breaking the cycle often requires getting help. Once sober, it’s important to fight through the hangxiety and start looking for someone to reach out to – this could be a therapist, a family member, a friend or even other people with addictions via a local support group.
If physical withdrawal symptoms are severe, rehab may be necessary (either inpatient or intensive outpatient). Medication can be prescribed to reduce withdrawal symptoms so that you can more easily cope.
Finding healthy ways to deal with mental issues can prevent the need to rely on alcohol. This could include medication like anti-depressants, or it could include finding new hobbies or interests to immerse oneself in. Such healthy obsessions can fill the gap of alcohol so that you’re not left with an emptiness that can cause further mental health problems. Try to find hobbies and interests that suit your lifestyle – if you often used to drink with friends, consider new social hobbies, whereas you may want to consider new solo hobbies if you were more likely to drink alone.
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