Alcohol and Depression: How Are They Connected?

Depression may even cause people to begin consuming large amounts of alcohol. When someone battles AUD, they are also less likely to consistently take care of regular obligations, which can impact interpersonal relationships and their home environment. These issues can then lead to more anger and further difficulty controlling emotions and outbursts. The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that alcohol interferes with a person’s cognitive and physical functioning, inhibiting self-control and making it more difficult for a person to recognize when things have gone too far. It can be harder for someone under the influence of alcohol to notice typical warning signs that emotions, especially anger, may be getting out of control.

Experts say that women are more likely than men to overdo it when they’re down. There’s also a strong link between serious alcohol use and depression. The question is, does regular drinking lead to depression, or are depressed people more likely to drink too much? Table 3 indicates the presence of higher mean score on trait anger for dependent group. This point is easier said than done, but you can achieve it with help from a treatment program.

Knowing how anger and depression interact can be essential for your well-being.

The more you drink, however, the more likely your emotional state will begin plummeting back down. Individuals with alcohol use disorder often develop a physical dependency on alcohol. If not treated, alcohol use disorder can become alcohol depression and anger a life-long struggle. Almost 30 percent of Americans will experience alcohol use disorder at some point in their lifetimes. The good news is that treating both alcohol misuse and depression can make both conditions better.

• One study supporting this finding enlisted 245 men with a history of heavy episodic alcohol use (Berke et al., 2020).
• They can encourage you along the way and keep you company if you’re using exercise or other tactics to help you cope.
• The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.
• There are several risk factors, all of which impact people differently.
• Your GP can give you advice and/or medication to help you do this safely.
• Variations in this gene might put people at risk for both alcohol misuse and depression.

Call 999 or go to A&E if you’ve hurt yourself or think you might act on suicidal thoughts. It’s possible to experience psychosis if you regularly drink a lot of alcohol or if you’re a heavy drinker and suddenly stop drinking. Future research in this area can focus on inclusion of anger management intervention/matching of treatment with patient attributes and helping the patients to develop the behavioral repertoires to manage anger. By Buddy T

Buddy T is a writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Because he is a member of a support group that stresses the importance of anonymity at the public level, he does not use his photograph or his real name on this website.

Life

Through behavioral therapy and counseling, a person is better able to recognize how their thoughts tie into their actions. They can learn to recognize potential triggers and how to safely manage them. If you experience symptoms of depression for most of the day, every day, for a few weeks, the NHS advises you to contact your GP surgery to get help. And if you’re worried about your drinking, there are alcohol support services that can help.

• More than half of the participants lived with their parents (57.4%), and the majority were from urban areas (87.3%).
• In addition to potential mental health disorders related to difficulties managing anger, there are several physical side effects of unchecked and chronic anger.
• FFR, HJ, KT, SRP, MVS, SH and MC provided intellectual contributions to strengthening the manuscript and edited original draft.
• Certainly, other experiences in developing years as well as in adulthood can precipitate depression.
• Our reporters rely on research, expert advice and lived experiences to address all your concerns, big and small.