If you suffer from anxiety, panic DPDR or any other mental health issue AND you currently drink alcohol there are a few things you should know.
Alcohol can negatively impact mental health in several different ways. It can make depression, anxiety and panic attacks worse, further perpetuating the anxiety and panic cycle.
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I’m not sharing this information to shame you or make you feel guilty. The society we live in today has glamorized and glorified alcohol in so many different ways. It’s called the alcohol trap and a lot of people have fallen for it, including me. I was stuck in the alcohol trap for about 10 years.
The Alcohol trap convinces us that alcohol actually solves or helps our problems, but the truth is it masks our issues for a short time while drinking, only for them to resurface when the effects wear off. Sometimes leaving us worse off than we were before.
For me, alcohol was negatively impacting my mental health in several different ways, I decided to try dry January 1 and a half years ago and I noticed how badly alcohol was affecting my mood that I continued to abstain as the months went on. I’ve now been sober for 1 and a half years and it was one of the best decisions I ever made for my mental health.
Read on to see how alcohol can impact mental health:
Alcohol and Nutrient Deficiencies
Alcohol can cause vitamin and mineral deficiencies, including but not limited to magnesium and vitamin b12. I talk a lot about these two important nutrients because they are vitally important for mental health. Check out these two blog posts: Vitamin B12 Deficiency Anxiety: What You Need to Know. – SoulMedicinals, Magnesium deficiency and Anxiety: 4 Reasons your Body Needs It – SoulMedicinals
Alcohol is also toxic to the gut and can cause disruptions in the guts microbiome which can further worsen deficiencies by leaving the body unable to absorb nutrients. Read about how important gut health is for mental health here.
Alcohol and Sleep
Alcohol has many detrimental effects on sleep. Alcohol consumption reduces the quality of our sleep by decreasing the amount of REM sleep we get at night. REM sleep is important for cognitive function, and it is where the brain processes the information it received during the day, filtering the information between important and non-important. REM sleep is where emotional processing, brain development and dreaming occur. When we don’t get proper REM sleep this can cause irritability, difficulty concentrating, impaired work or performance function.
Not getting enough REM sleep and lack of good quality sleep are also detrimental to the adrenal glands, the organs that sit on top of the kidneys that manufacture and release stress hormones like adrenal and cortisol.
Alcohol and Neurotransmitters
Alcohol can effect the function of several mood stabilizing neurotransmitters like dopamine and GABA. Alcohol causes the brain to release dopamine ( the reward and motivational nuerotransmitter) however, overtime chronic alcohol consumption can actually deplete and lower the amount of dopamine in the brain. This causes you to crave more and more alcohol and this subsequently sets the stage for an alcohol addiction.
Alcohols effects GABA ( the calming neurotransmitter) by reducing the production of GABA, when GABA levels decrease it creates greater sensitivity to stress and lack of resilience to stress causing situations.
Long term use of alcohol can deplete serotonin (feel good neurotransmitter) and disrupt the production of serotonin and interfere with serotonin receptors in the brain.
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For me, at first, I was nervous about giving up drinking because of how much my life revolved around it. Drinking was a part of every occasion of my life. Good or bad, happy or sad, alcohol was there. I wondered if I would be able to enjoy my life without alcohol. You might be wondering the same. That’s why I want to share this book with you that I found really helpful for the fear of missing out. Turns out all you really need to enjoy your life without alcohol is a mindset and perception shift. Check out the book here.
Wherever you are in journey I hope you take the time to become mindful about where alcohol fits into your life, I promise you won’t regret it.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this post is not meant to diagnose or treat any medical condition. If you have any medical or psychiatric concerns, please seek the advice of a licensed healthcare provider.
