Alcohol and Depression:
A Self Defeating Decision
There is so much to be said about alcohol and depression. The
truth is, the relationship between the two has never been a
healthy one. The fact remains that if you want to recover from
Anxiety or Depression, the use of alcohol can only be self
defeating. If you want to recover from depression or anxiety,
consider the following facts and understand the reasons why
alcohol is not a good choice.
There are some very good reasons why people with depression
should not drink alcohol.
1. Alcohol is a depressant and it depresses the central
nervous system and contributes to depression.
2. Alcohol lowers the seratonin and norepinephrine levels in
the brain. They are both neurotransmitters in your brain and
they are responsible for your sense of well-being. They are also
known as your built in feel good chemicals. Unlike
seratonin, norepinephrine is also a stress hormone. It's job is
to also help you during the fight or flight response.
3. Alcohol temporarily voids out any positive effects of
your natural stress hormones. This means, norepinephrine cannot
do it's job should you be drinking during a time of real
threat.
4. Alcohol depletes the vitamins you have stored in your
body and this includes folic acid. Low folic acid contributes
to depression.
5. Alcohol breaks down and then quickly eliminates the
antioxidants in your blood. These antioxidants are crucial to
good health. They are the nutrients in our bodies that help
prevent or at least slow down the oxidative damage to our body.
Oxidative damage is caused by free radicals. The free radicals
are by-products that are left behind after the cells in our
bodies use up oxygen. So, if you drink alcohol, you are helping
to diminish the protective barrier that comes with
antioxidants. Even if you are eating well and eating all the
foods that are full of antioxidants, you are helping to
diminish their power to keep the body healthy. Oxidative damage
contributes to health problems such as cancer, diabetes and
heart disease.
6. Alcohol can also activate an "already existing" gene in
your body that has been linked to mental illness.
For some, the cause of their depression has to do with their
alcohol use. People who drink often usually have depleted
neurotransmitters. It can take a long time to bring those
neurotransmitters back to a good balance. Yet again another
reason why alcohol and depression don't mix. Although you can
increase those natural brain chemicals yourself and without
medication, a person who drinks excessively may need the aid of
medication.
For others, they drink to alleviate their pre-existing
depressive feelings. But since alcohol is already a depressant,
they are only making matters worse and many times without even
knowing it.
If you are depressed and have been using
drugs or alcohol to
self-medicate, please talk to your doctor about finding another
method of treatment. Alcohol and depression is a
self-sabotaging decision. How much do you want to recover?
A Natural Approach to Overcoming Addiction
click to read the full article
Life Extension Magazine (February 2009) has a great article called
An Innovative Approach to Addiction Therapy By Donna Caruso
For more information on natural supplementation visit
Natural Stress Relief.
Return from Agoraphobia Treatment to Overcome Agoraphobia
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