GRRRRRRRRRR I hate working on the bar. I wish everyone would drink up quickly and not hang around, being drunk and silly and not being able to string two sentences together(and thats if your lucky). Drinking is something that I do properly too regularly. I have cut it down as through the summer I was drinking everynight and by the end every day...morining...noon...and night....not so good for my poor wee liver. It is something I use when I am depressed. I will sit on my own with a bottle of wine a night. I will drink my problems away, but guess what...they are still there in the morning also followed with a major hangover...sore head...sickness and so sleepy...
Here is some facts about depression and Alcohol...In the UK it is part of our culture and we feel comfortable with it. Moderate drinking doesn't cause many problems. However, society has become wealthier and alcohol has become cheaper. We are starting to drink at a younger age and we are drinking more. More than 1 in 4 men, and about 1 in 7 women are drinking more than is medically safe for them. According to the Department of Health, around 1 in 8 men is physically addicted to alcohol.
How does alcohol affect the brain?
ToleranceAlcohol is like many other drugs that act on the brain, such as tranquillisers. If we drink it regularly, we find that it has less effect on us. We need to drink more and more to get the effect we want. This is called 'tolerance' and is a powerful part of becoming addicted to alcohol.
Alcohol can also lead to:
Dementia - memory loss, rather like Alzheimer’s dementia.
Psychosis - long- term drinkers can start to hear voices.
Dependence - if you stop drinking, you get withdrawal symptoms such as shaking, nervousness and (sometimes) seeing things that aren't there.
Suicide - 40% of men who try to kill themselves have had a long- standing alcohol problem. - 70% of those who succeed in killing themselves have drunk alcohol before doing so.
What is the connection between depression and alcohol?
We know that there is a connection - self-harm and suicide are much more common in people with alcohol problems. It seems that it can work in two ways.
If we drink too much, too regularly, we are more likely to become depressed.
Regular drinking can leave us tired and depressed. There is evidence that alcohol changes the chemistry of the brain itself and that this increases the risk of depression.
Hangovers create a cycle of waking up feeling ill, anxious, jittery and guilty.
Regular drinking can make life depressing - family arguments, poor work, unreliable memory and sexual problems.
If we drink alcohol to relieve anxiety or depression, we will become more depressed
Alcohol helps us to forget our problems for a while. It can help us to relax and overcome any shyness. It can make talking easier and more fun, whether in the pub, a club or at a party. It is a very effective way of feeling better for a few hours.
If you are depressed and lacking in energy, it can be tempting to use alcohol to help you keep going and cope with life. The problem is that it is easy to slip into drinking regularly, using it like a medication.The benefits soon wear off, the drinking becomes part of a routine, and you have to keep drinking more to get the same effect.
