Self-Medication With Alcohol is Widespread
The Mental Health Foundation has today released Cheers? — a new research report outlining the relationship between alcohol and mental health. The report reveals that many adults in the UK use alcohol to deal with feelings of stress, anxiety and depression, and highlights evidence that excessive drinking increases vulnerability to a range of mental health problems.
We received this press release from the UK’s Mental Health Foundation.
National Opinion Poll on Alcohol Use
National opinion poll research carried out to identify reasons for drinking shows that people say alcohol makes them feel relaxed (77 per cent), happy (63 per cent), more able to fit in socially (44 per cent) and more confident (41 per cent). The results also reveal that drinking alcohol makes people feel less anxious (40 per cent), less depressed (26 per cent) and more able to forget their problems (30 per cent). This is consistent with the theory that people use alcohol to cope with feelings of stress, anxiety and depression.
Evidence outlined in the ‘Cheers?’ report also shows that people who drink high volumes of alcohol are vulnerable to mental ill health. Over the last 50 years, alcohol consumption has doubled in the UK, mirroring an increase in the number of people experiencing mental ill health. Regular drinking changes the chemistry of the brain and depletes the neurotransmitters the brain needs to prevent anxiety and depression naturally. According to the World Health Organisation, enough evidence exists to show alcohol can contribute to depression.
According to the Mental Health Foundation, physical health concerns related to increasing alcohol consumption are being reflected in Government policy developments, yet very little attention has been given to the links between alcohol and mental health, with little debate about why people drink alcohol.
Dr Andrew McCulloch, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation, said:
The research confirms our worries that people are drinking to cope with emotions and situations they can’t otherwise manage, to deal with feelings of anxiety and depression.
Drinking alcohol is a very common and accepted way of coping — our culture allows us to use alcohol for ‘medicinal purposes’ or ‘dutch courage’ from an early age. But using alcohol to deal with anxiety and depression doesn’t work as alcohol can weaken the neurotransmitters that the brain needs to reduce anxiety and depressive thoughts. This is why lots of people feel low when they have a hangover.
The Mental Health Foundation believes that the public has a right to information about the hazardous effects that alcohol misuse can have on their mental as well as physical health. The report makes a number of Government policy recommendations.
Key Facts About Alcohol Consumption
- The UK ranks 22 out of 185 countries in alcohol consumption.
- 38 per cent of men and 16 per cent of women drink above recommended limits and can be classed as having an alcohol use disorder.
- 1.1 million people in the UK are dependent on alcohol.
- 70 per cent of men who commit suicide have drunk alcohol before doing so.
- Almost a third of suicides amongst young people are committed when a young person is intoxicated.
National Opinion Poll Findings
- 88 per cent say they would find it difficult to give up alcohol completely
- 77 per cent say alcohol makes them feel relaxed
- 63 per cent say alcohol makes them feel happy
- 51 per cent say alcohol makes them feel less inhibited
- 41 per cent say alcohol makes them feel more confident
- 44 per cent say alcohol makes them able to fit in socially
- 40 per cent say alcohol makes them feel less anxious
- 31 per cent say alcohol makes them able to make friends more easily
The Science: How Alcohol Affects the Mind and Body
Alcohol is a toxic substance. The initial impact of a drink — the “winding down” or relaxing feeling — is a reflection of immediate chemical changes occurring in the brain’s nerve cells in response to alcohol. As more alcohol is consumed, increasingly sensitive parts of the brain become affected and behaviour changes accordingly. The first drink for many people (although not all) depresses the parts of the brain that are associated with inhibition, increasing talking and self-confidence and reducing social anxiety. As more alcohol enters the bloodstream, the areas of the brain associated with emotions and movement are affected, often resulting in exaggerated states of emotion such as anger, withdrawal, depression or aggressiveness, and uncoordinated muscle movements. Alcohol then depresses the nerve centres in the area that controls sexual arousal (which increases) and performance (which doesn’t).
About the Mental Health Foundation
The Mental Health Foundation is the leading UK charity working to improve services for both people with mental health problems and people with learning disabilities. It is the only charity to fund and work with both service users and providers and plays an important role in funding research and new approaches to promotion, treatment and care.
Additional Information About Gauging Your Alcohol Consumption
Also see our self-tests called the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST) and the CAGE Questionnaire.
Other articles by Dr Greg Mulhauser, Managing Editor
This article was last reviewed by on Tuesday, 18th April 2006. You can leave a reply below.
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27th March 2007
I have manic depression and am on anti-depressants, generalised anxiety disorder and also an anti-psychotic, so why can I not choose to have a little alcohol when I want it or need it. I am fed up with the drug companies saying watch the alcohol consumption because that is what they want to promote that you use their drugs. What I find is that life goes in stages, or in fits and starts, and we are on medication, but also need to look after ourselves. I am saddened that people who commit suicide have maybe drunk too much befoe they do it, but what is important is that we realise we are dealing with emotions here. Emotions can be repressed, or just out of the picture for a long long time because we are dealing with a situation which has to be dealt with. Maybe alcohol gives us a bit of time to relax from the pressure and to start to see things again as they should be. So, drink should be allowed to continue, as is cannabis use. I am not an advocate of excessive use. It needs to be controlled and if on any occasion it is getting out of control then please help us. That is what we are saying. Statutory services may not be enough, we need the personal touch. So please help us if you can.
23rd January 2009
I suffer from major depression disorder. By the time I was 24, I turned into full blown alcoholic, because I did’nt know what was actually wrong with me. Many doctors have told me that it is really hard to tell if someone is really depressed when using alcohol on a regular basis. I have been alcohol free for just over eight months.I’m not my usuall self, but I feel I have much more control over myself and my actions. My opinion is to make alcohol and siggarettes all illegal, although I’m a smoker myself. The medication does not seem to be as effective as I hoped, but over time I’m am sure I will find the right cocktail of medicines and the right habits. That is the only hope that I can cling onto.
3rd August 2009
You cannot spell correctly (cigarettes). You have major depression, (you do not state what it is), and I feel for you but do not make statements such as you would like to see cigarettes (not siggarettes) and alcohol become illegal. There are those of us who are social drinkers and do not partake in smoking, or believe in second hand smoke (in other words I do not care if other people smoke). It is called freedom of choice, but thanks to people like you, who give drinking and smoking a bad name, the rest of us have to pay the price. We pay the price for your disease and symptoms after you clean up, become a “do gooder,” and start attacking everything you couldn’t handle. Then you write about it and the rest of the ill begotten people, of the world, jump on your “do gooder” band wagon and start rallying against that which none of you could handle and want it (drinking and smoking) banned. Back off, keep and maintain your own backyard, and stay out of the rest of our backyards!
4th August 2009
Deborah, your attack is slightly personal, does it matter if someone has mis-spelled a word?
Also, this is an article written about consumption in the UK, I live in the UK and there is a major problem with booze. So I can’t see how most people can be seen to be drinking responsibly (re-read the figures above on those who could be classed as having an alcohol use disorder if you think it’s not an issue). And yes, it does affect others if someone drinks too much, it can ruin families, those in the street involved in fights, as well as physical and mental health. It’s not just a matter of tending to your own backyard if your partner/parents drink, their behaviour affects you as well. And if you are a small child it’s not as if you can pack your bag.
Even small amounts of alcohol can alter your brain chemistry if drunk regularly, a glass or two of wine is within the daily limits (if small) but if you have depression it doesn’t help. There are also recent studies showing a link to breast cancer from just having one drink a day, and smoking should be banned, I don’t like second hand smoke, and sure there are a lot of people who don’t, not just “do-gooders”.
And I’m not a do-gooder, I drink, I smoke when younger, I just think people should be aware of the facts, which this is article is trying to promote, I don’t think there’s any point in banning alcohol now, but I think cigarettes should be. Major cause of cancer, ask any doctor. But a lot of people were hooked in the past when facts weren’t known.