Alcohol Use, Abuse, and Depression: Is There a Connection?

As with all co-occurring disorders, it’s important to treat anger management issues and AUD at the same time as part of a comprehensive treatment program. Furthermore, alcohol can make you focus too much on specific words or behaviors from other people. If you see someone cut in front of you in line for the bathroom at a bar or concert, you may react aggressively when you otherwise wouldn’t mind. When drinking, it becomes increasingly challenging to interpret information logically. It might feel difficult, but they will have heard from many other people going through something similar and will want to help you.

Inwardly turned anger in depression may reflect an overly critical negative inner voice that makes it hard to move past feelings of shame and low self-worth. In the UK, just over half of men and just under half of women drink alcohol1. For most of us, it is part of our culture and we feel comfortable with it.

Various factors affect the potential for anger arousal with alcohol consumption.

Understanding the link between alcohol and depression can help you better manage depression after drinking, or better yet, prevent it from happening in the first place. Alcohol can significantly impact the levels of neurotransmitters in your brain, making depression worse. Antidepressants can help even levels of these chemicals and can help relieve symptoms of depression. Likewise, if you’re diagnosed with one of these conditions, your doctor may ask about symptoms of the other.

• Additionally, when you don’t reflect on mistakes you’ve made, you’ll probably repeat them.
• For example, AUD that develops after the onset of a depressive disorder and is characterized by coping motives for alcohol use may differ critically from a depressive disorder that develops following chronic alcohol administration.
• They first consumed alcohol and were asked to recognize the emotions of different faces on a computer task.
• Further, we tested whether this predictive ability varied as a function of treatment condition.
• Recovering from an alcohol use disorder can be isolating, especially when you consider how widespread drinking culture is in the United States.

The Adamson, et al. (2009) review suggests that self-confidence in avoiding relapse – and during-treatment improvements in self-confidence – is a consistent predictor of treatment outcomes (Adamson et al., 2009). The literature does not, however, describe whether specific areas of self-confidence, such as confidence specifically related to coping with anger and related emotions, predict outcomes. If you experience anxiety, alcohol can give you a very short-lived feeling of relaxation – but this quickly disappears. If you rely on alcohol to cover your anxiety, you may soon find yourself drinking more and more to relax.

Treatment of Co-Occurring AUD and Depressive Disorders

Most antidepressants require taking a consistent, daily dose to maintain a constant level in your system and work as intended. Stopping and starting your medications can make your depression worse. Another study of 249 heavy drinkers similarly found that alcohol intoxication predicted higher levels of IPV in those who reported low psychological flexibility (Grom et al., 2021). It can get worse over time, especially when combined with regular or heavy alcohol use. These blues usually don’t linger, though, so you’ll probably feel better in a day or so.

• If you’re concerned about your alcohol use, you may benefit from substance abuse counseling and treatment programs that can help you overcome your misuse of alcohol.
• Anger can be a common emotion among people experiencing major depression.
• Major depression and alcohol use disorder are also co-dependent in women, research suggests.
• Depression, anger, and addiction are issues that are closely related.
• Alcohol dependence and significant alcohol involvement not reaching the level of dependence are often comorbid with a variety of anger-related consequences including interpersonal violence and conflict (Chermack et al., 2010).

But taken too far, anger can make existing addictions worse – and even become a drug of its own. It can be used to avoid other issues, emotions and experiences – like the abuse of alcohol. The difference is using anger in this way is a ‘skill’ that people develop over decades of practice. If this form of anger goes unaddressed, it can be detrimental to your mental health and your relationships. Combined with alcoholism, it can be very dangerous to your physical health as well.

Drinkline – National Alcohol Helpline

While anger is an emotion you experience when you feel threatened, aggression is a hostile behavior that results in physical or psychological harm to yourself or others. Some individuals exhibit “trait anger,” a personality trait that means they continually look for triggers that make them angry. Researchers https://ecosoberhouse.com/ have studied the connection between anger and aggression for years. However, it’s about more than getting easily upset or having a short fuse when you drink alcohol. The outcomes of alcohol and anger can be hazardous, causing traumatizing situations for the inebriated person and the people around them.

Below are some examples of the types of anger you might experience while depressed. If the depression is still with you after four weeks of not drinking, talk to your GP about further help. It may be useful alcohol depression and anger to talk over your feelings, particularly if your depression seems linked to some crisis in your life. Common issues are relationship
problems, unemployment, divorce, bereavement or some other loss.

Seek Anger Management Support Groups

“An experienced psychiatrist [or another mental health professional] familiar with mood disorders and the effects of alcohol abuse can be instrumental in recommending appropriate medications and monitoring medication efficacy,” says Dr. Kennedy. In some cases, you may receive a dual diagnosis of a major depressive disorder (MDD) and an alcohol use disorder (AUD). This co-occurring disorder isn’t uncommon, but it can be difficult to treat. This article outlines the connection between alcohol and depression, how the two disorders align, identifies treatment options, and ways to cope. Alcohol withdrawal can be potentially life-threatening, in the case of severe dependence. Medical detox is typically considered the optimal method for allowing alcohol to safely process out of the body while under continual medical supervision.