How common is it for depression to lead to alcoholism?

Answer 1

Only if there is a pre - disposition to using a drug such as alcohol to escape from the blackness or bleakness.

Alcohol is a depressant or sedative but in most "alkies" it has quite the opposite effect . It give energy or color to the person rather than sedates them.

Unless of course the person is overwhelmed by an event and is drinking to get blotto'd and forget.

A dependency - emotionally - can develop - then after a period - the line- is crossed and a person becomes ""addicted"" three ways - mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Here I purposefully separate emotionally and mentally these are different in many ways. One of the keys to getting better is to separate these.

This is can be done by following the path that recovering people in AA have used.

It is not easy - it is simple, but very difficult.

Answer 2

I am not sure how common it is, but please be informed that alcoholism in itself is a two-fold disease.It is an obcession of the mind and an allergy of the body. Genetic, some say. So if you have a family history of alcoholism, drug addiction or mental health problems...you may suffer from this.
Alcoholism is not a moral dilemma, nor can an alcoholic control their drinking. Once entered into the body it produces the phenomenon of craving...one is to many and a hundred is never enough. Alcoholics simply do not digest alcohol like the average person.
Not to mention that the basic chemical breakdown of alcohol in the brain is the exact chemical breakdown of heroin. So yes, it is very addictive.
Abstinence is the only answer and finding a different way to live life on lifes terms.
If you feel like you have a problem with alcohol or think that you may be an alcoholic, please try calling alcoholics anonymous. Their 12-step program can give you your freedom back.

Answer 3

Very common. Almost everyone who develops substance dependence has some underlying emotional problems or mental health issues. It's rare for a person who is emotionally and mentally healthy to turn to alcohol or drugs. Many people with things like depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety disorders use substances to self-medicate. In time many find themselves dependent on these substances. I think it's one of the main reasons many people relapse after seeking treatment for the addiction. If the underlying depression isn't treated the person is going to have much more difficulty maintaining sobriety.

Answer 4

Sometimes people drink because they say they are depressed; however, alcohol is a depressant and leads to depression. In other words it only makes it worse.

Answer 5

In my own experience, being a drinker socially I found that when I started to suffer with anxiety and related problems it became far worse because of two things: Firstly, I didnt care about the consequences of my actions and secondly,I was already a drinker so it was too easy for me to slide deeper into it. Everyone reacts to mental illness in their own way, Id say drinkers are likely to drink more and probably add alcohol dependency to their problem, but the non drinkers may deal with it in a different way. In my case I became dependant on alcohol because it was already present significantly in my life before my illness.

Answer 6

Sometimes people who do not seek professional help, try to feel better by experimenting alcohol. It is called self medicating. FYI: Alcohol is itself a depressent, so it will just make a bad situation worse. Sekk professional help, asap.

Answer 7

Often people who are depressed use alcohol to self medicate; however, since alcohol is a downer, it makes the depression worse. For a therapist faced with a depressed client who drinks, the first step is to control the drinking.

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Answer 8

it truly is maximum probable some form of melancholy, worsened by way of alcoholism. countless cases, alcoholics additionally are depressed or have another psychological disease (that's why they became to alcohol in the 1st place) I easily have a kinfolk member who's bipolar and alcoholic. The returned and returned focusing on minor info may be a symptom of melancholy. countless people who're depressed ruminate on info or only can no longer concentration, so as that they are going to ignore some thing you instructed them and could desire to ask returned. they are in a position to get impatient whilst your answer would not fulfill them or they desire you to assert some thing and you're actually not asserting it. they are in a position to be fairly extreme of others (which might clarify why he's harping on his spouse for giving the incorrect guidelines). in fact, they see the worst in each and every thing, irritations are magnified and everybody and each little thing only makes them indignant. i might verify he gets into scientific care, the two for the alcohol and the melancholy. there may be some thing else occurring, yet he will truly could desire to get into scientific care precise away.

Answer 9

Probably the reverse, if anything. Alcohol is a depressant. As such, I'd guess that alcoholism leads to depression.

Answer 10

very. alcohol relieves depression for a short period of time and that is why it is so seductive. Trouble is that when the juice is leaving your system, the feelings you had when you took that first drink are much more intense....and you want to numb them again because they are so much worse this time. so you pour another glass as soon as you can and the cycle repeats. try this for yourself or your loved one.