By Introduction
Alcohol is a psychoactive substance in wine, beer, or a liquor that can radically change someone’s mood, behaviour, and thinking. We used to consume a pint of wine at dinner or beer at parties with friends to feel happy and chilled, but in reality it’s a central nervous system (CNS) depressant.
Is alcohol a Depressant? The clear answer is YES, but not a right healing option for treating depression. Primarily people start drinking alcohol for its ‘stimulant’ effects to enjoy the gathering and moments without any social inhibition. On the other hand, some people drink for its ‘depressant’ effects to alleviate anxiety or stress for achieving a sense of calm and relaxation. Whatever the attention is, they become dependent and develop an addiction to switch their mood, which later on worsen both physical and mental health.
However, what effect an alcoholic may experience depends on the way and amount of alcohol he/she drinks. Drinking slowly and in a limited amount is more likely to develop a sedating effect, while drinking rapidly or too much tends to develop stimulation.
Warning: Overdrinking alcohol (alcohol poison) can cause dangerous effects including severe depressant symptoms, dehydration, inability to feel pain, slow or irregular breathing, low blood pressure, unconsciousness, blue skin, cold, or even potentially can lead to death.
Is Alcohol a Depressant?
Our brain contains a number of chemicals that are responsible for carrying the information of feelings and sensation. These chemicals are called neurotransmitters. Alcohol (psychoactive substance) temporarily stimulates neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and inhibits glutamate, which are responsible for maintaining the balance of the central nervous system (CNS).
GABA is responsible for providing the feelings of calmness, relaxation, and sedation by slowing down the nerve activity. Glutamate is responsible for maintaining alertness, facilitating learning, and enabling the formation of new memories.
Through blinding these natural neurotransmitters, alcohol slows the central nervous system (CNS). At the same time, alcohol also releases dopamine (neurotransmitter) which is responsible for developing feelings of pleasure and reward.
In this way, alcohol makes people feel good and also causes them to drink more to increase their good feelings. As a result, more depressive effects developed, which can badly impair the brain functionality.
Relationship Between Your Mood, Mental Health and Alcohol
People drink alcohol to reduce depression, stress, and anxiety symptoms and impair the brain chemistry to feel good feelings of pleasure and reward. But all these effects are temporary and stay shorter. Even after passing this period, the brain chemistry rebounds and leaves the person more anxious and depressed.
In addition, regular consumption depletes the brain’s natural reservation of serotonin and dopamine. This prevents them from experiencing the feelings of pleasure and excitement without taking alcohol. Furthermore, alcohol strongly interrupts sleeping routines which lower their emotions and mental resilience.
Alcohol addiction leaves a person with endless mental illness including depression, anxiety, restlessness, memory loss, and sleeping disorder. Over time, the brain develops a “tolerance” by reducing its sensitivity to alcohol’s effects, forcing the person to drink larger amounts to achieve the same mood shift. When the alcohol wears off, the brain enters a state of “withdrawal,” where the central nervous system becomes hyperactive.
This leads to physical tremors, intense cravings, and a severe spike in anxiety, often trapping the individual in a cycle where they drink simply to avoid the pain of sobriety rather than to feel pleasure.
Clinical Side Effects of Alcohol and Depressant Drugs
Like alcohol, there are some medications either prescribed due to their tranquilizer effect to reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders. Some of these popular depressant drugs are Xanax, Valium, Ativan, Halcoin, and Librium.
Abusing these depressant medications and alcohol can terribly disrupt both mental and physical health. Some of these health issues may be difficult to recover from and their symptoms remain progressive with time. Those addicted with alcohol or abusing depressant medication are at high risk of:
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Low or High Blood Pressure
- Cardiovascular Issue
- Slow or Irregular Breathing
- Nausea and Vomiting
- Depression
- Unconsciousness
- Seizures
- Articulatory Impairment
- Impaired vision
- Delayed Reaction Time
- Loss of Concentration
- Memory Loss
- Death
The Progression and Symptoms of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)
Anyone around you can get addicted to alcohol due several reasons. However the main reasons for someone being associated with alcohol use disorder (AUD) include casual or binge drinking, history of drinking at an earlier age, traumatic events, major depression, genetic and psychology.
Alcohol addiction isn’t just a bad habit, in fact it’s considered as a serious mental health disorder as it lasts prolonged physical changes in the brain’s chemistry. But it’s difficult to recognize someone with alcohol use disorder from a crowd because it is widely available and consumed.
Moreover, alcohol addiction is a progressive disorder and it gets worse with time. That’s why spotting signs and symptoms earlier can be helpful for someone to prevent various mental problems. Among the signs and symptoms of alcohol use disorder (AUD) are the following:
- Rapidly increase alcohol consumption.
- Start drinking at an inappropriate time and location.
- Hiding or lying about drinking.
- Showing anger or sometimes brutal behavior to loved ones who are trying to suppress their drinking.
- Spiking depression and anxiety symptoms.
- Weaken memory and the problem of staying concentrated.
- Poor hygiene.
- Frequently having a hangover.
- Lack of performance at work, school, and normal daily activities.
- Liver damage and pancreas problems.
- Avoiding non-alcoholic events.
- Dependence on alcohol for normal daily activities.
- Show highly irritable behaviour and aggression.
- Alcohol bottles left around in the house and working place.
- Facing legal problems including arrest, getting fired, and facing rejections.
- Refuse taking family responsibilities.
Note: Remaining addicted with alcohol without seeking professional help may lead to face serious effects and consequences including nerve damage, liver damage, heart failure, coma, and other negative effects on health.
Seeking Professional Support and Treatment
If you or your relative consume alcohol frequently as depressant or struggling with alcohol addiction, do not hesitate and immediately seek professional help. By this act or bravery, you just are not saving yourself but your closed ones too. These are many alcohol treatment facilities available nowadays that provide professional care through life adjustments, therapies and prescribe medications.
Alcohol is a depressant but not a solution for depression, even later on it worsens the symptoms. Avoiding treatment for alcohol use disorder is like putting your life at risk on your own.
FAQs
Why does alcohol make you feel good?
Alcohol makes you feel happy by slowing your central nervous system (CNS) and producing dopamine chemical—a neurotransmitter that is responsible for producing feelings of pleasure and reward.
What type of drug is alcohol?
Alcohol is a psychoactive substance that depresses the Central Nervous System (CNS).It alters brain chemistry by stimulating the neurotransmitter GABA and suppressing Glutamate, resulting in impaired coordination, slurred speech, and slowed reaction times.
Why is alcohol a depressant?
Alcohol stimulates the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) which is a chemical in the brain. GABA is responsible for producing feelings of calmness, relaxation, and sedation by slowing down the central nervous system (CNS). In this way your depression goes away temporarily and turns back even worse than before.
