Some people say they drink alcohol to "drown their sorrows" after a bad breakup, job loss, or other major life stress. And yes, because alcohol makes you sleepy, a few beers or glasses of wine can seem to relax you and relieve anxiety. A drink once in a while when you're stressed out or blue is one thing.
Some people drink alcohol to try to help them feel better, but for people who struggle with anxiety or depression, alcohol usually makes these feelings more intense. This can lead to a vicious cycle of feeling bad, drinking to feel better, and then feeling worse.
It can intensify negative emotions
Similar to its impact on anxiety, not only can alcohol worsen depression, it can actually cause it too. When the effects of alcohol wear off, it changes our brain chemistry for the worse.
In addition to being associated with negative or unpleasant feelings, cortisol also interacts with the brain's reward or “pleasure” systems. Researchers believe this may contribute to alcohol's reinforcing effects, motivating the drinker to consume higher levels of alcohol in an effort to achieve the same effects.
Relieving depression linked to drinking
The good news is that reducing or stopping drinking can improve your mood and mental health. In fact, people who are depressed often find that cutting out alcohol entirely for just four weeks makes a clear difference in how they feel.
Some people say they drink alcohol to "drown their sorrows" after a bad breakup, job loss, or other major life stress. And yes, because alcohol makes you sleepy, a few beers or glasses of wine can seem to relax you and relieve anxiety. A drink once in a while when you're stressed out or blue is one thing.
For those struggling with depression, alcohol is sometimes used to suppress symptoms related to their condition, such as irritability, loss of interest, anxiety, restlessness and insomnia. Drinking becomes a way to escape reality and relax.
Wine depresses the central nervous system which means that your senses slow down, including your thought processes. So, if you're mind has been racing all day thinking about all the things you have to do then a glass of wine can help to alleviate your stress, worry and anxiety by decreasing such feelings.
Wine increases the release of dopamine and serotonin in our brain as all pleasurable activities do including, for example, going out with friends, getting a promotion at work, going on holiday, and so on. By raising dopamine levels in our brain, wine can make us feel good.
Wine's Effect on Happiness
One study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology found that people who drink wine moderately are more satisfied than those who don't drink wine[2]. The study participants who drank wine were less likely to experience negative emotions, such as stress and anxiety.
When we drink and our anxiety drops, we're more open to feeling our emotions and less likely to filter or compartmentalize them. Though some people really dislike this effect of alcohol, other people intentionally begin to use alcohol to feel feelings.
To put simply, resveratrol on wine may decrease stress hormones and effectively deal with unnecessary thoughts that can potentially cause anxiety and depression. It's recommended to drink a glass of wine daily.
Drinking beer or wine sometimes seems like a helpful way to ease anxiety. This is because alcohol is both a stimulant and a sedative, meaning it can make you feel more energetic and engaged, as well as calm and relaxed.
Red wine is sultry in and of itself and is the only alcoholic drink that has scientifically been proven to be an aphrodisiac — mostly because it's good for heart health (in moderation).
Alcohol is a depressant. It slows down processes in your brain and central nervous system, and can initially make you feel less inhibited. In the short-term, you might feel more relaxed - but these effects wear off quickly. In fact, if you're experiencing anxiety, drinking alcohol could be making things worse.
Researchers from the University at Buffalo decided to put resveratrol's anti-inflammatory properties to the test, noting this compound is thought to have anti-stress and anti-depression abilities as well.
Do true feelings come out when you're drunk? True feelings may come out when you're drunk, but this isn't necessarily true all the time. Instead, alcohol can make people make fake stories and react with emotions they don't feel.
For many people, depression occurs before alcoholism. Symptoms of depression may set in during childhood or adolescence. If you are feeling depressed, picking up alcohol or other substances at least temporarily relieves feelings of despair.
Brain chemistry rebooted.
Alcohol dependence causes the brain pathways to become altered. The brain became dependent on the dopamine released by the daily drinking. Once sober, brain chemistry will adjust, but it takes time. In the meantime, symptoms of depression can be very common.
Some people may feel that alcohol temporarily numbs emotional pain. But alcohol cannot heal it. Alcohol slows the central nervous system, which may help you feel relaxed in the moment, says Dr. John Mendelson, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of California in San Francisco.
Emotional drinking is a term that refers to the practice of using alcohol as a coping tool to soothe difficult emotions. It is the same concept as emotional eating, where someone overindulges in comfort foods or sugary treats to numb the pain. Both alcohol and food, when overindulged in, can lead to problems.
Relaxation exercises, physical exercise, or yoga can help you cope with these feelings. The best method for improving your mood involves relaxation, stress management, and cognitive restructuring. Relaxation can reduce emotional pain by letting your muscles relax and deepening your breathing.
The best stress-relieving drinks include ginger, chamomile tea, valerian, black tea, coconut water, milk, green tea, coffee, lemon balm tea, water, and vegetable and fruit juice. Aromatherapy is another self-soothing practice shown to have benefits for mental health. You can read more about it here.
Specifically, “Red wine increased pleasure and arousal, decreased the awareness of time, slowed the subjective passage of time, increased the attentional focus on the present moment, decreased body awareness, slowed thought speed, turned imagination more vivid, and made the environment become more fascinating.