Alcoholism: Depression, Anxiety and Suicide

Alcoholism: Depression, Anxiety and Suicide       

Many people who have alcoholism also suffer from bouts of depression, anxiety and in the worst case scenario when alcoholism is mixed with a mental illness, suicide. Alcoholism compounds the symptoms of depression and anxiety and depression and anxiety can compound on alcoholism. The three together, alcoholism, depression and anxiety all create a negative cycle that if left untreated for some individuals leads to suicide.

Alcoholism: Depression and Anxiety

Many depressed people who do not realize they are suffering from alcoholism drink more alcohol with the hope of gaining relief of the emotion suffering they are experiencing. Unfortunately for many people heavy drinking makes the symptoms of depression worse. The combination of alcoholism and depression is very difficult and makes depression very hard to treat and not just that but the combination of alcoholism and depression increases the risk of suicide due to depression.

It is very common for people to drink to unwind after a stressful day. The reduction of anxiety brought on by drinking is a welcome feeling for many people suffering from depression and the anxiety that comes with it. However, when people start to slide into a mix of depression and anxiety, which usually go together, it is very common for them to increase their drinking as they try harder to overcome their symptoms. More often than not the person does not realize they are gradually increasing the amount of alcohol they consume due to their alcoholism and due to their unpleasant feelings. The problem with using alcohol to treat feelings of depression and anxiety is that it has a rebound effect when the alcohol loses its effect. When the alcohol starts to wear off someone with alcoholism experiences worsening symptoms of their depression and anxiety. If repeated it can get worse and worse eventually leading to a high risk of suicide.

Alcoholism: Depression, Anxiety and Suicide

Untreated depression and anxiety mixed with alcoholism carries with it a high suicide rate. Uncontrolled alcoholism alone carries a fairly high suicide rate without the depression and anxiety. The reason for this is because alcoholism usually causes people to become depressed due to losing careers, families, friends and the future of the alcoholic begins to look bleak.

Most suicide attempts successful and otherwise have happened when people consume alcohol. Drinking and alcoholism causes logic and inhibition to be non-existent. It seems alcoholism kind of takes the will to survive out of the equation. The survival instinct is severely weakened due to lack of inhibition when someone is drinking. So for someone who is suffering from depression and anxiety as well as alcoholism should be very careful because this could be a potentially lethal situation in which the alcoholic’s problems seems to be drowning them and suicide is the only way out. Without the survival instinct to stop them the alcoholic may find themselves ready and willing to end their life. This is a worst case scenario but is very common in alcoholic’s who’s drinking has destroyed their lives. It is even more common in alcoholic’s who suffer from depression and anxiety.

Source: http://www.suicideprevention.ie/Depression.ie/pages/?id=95

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