Alcohol and mental health are closely related. People with problem drinking often have mental health difficulties. It is also common for people with mental health difficulties to drink in a harmful way.
Using alcohol to cope with difficult feelings or problems may seem like a tempting solution. But it can lead to mental health difficulties or make existing problems worse.
Signs alcohol may be affecting your mental health
You may not realise that drinking is affecting your mental health.
But there can be early warning signs, including:
- constantly feeling hungover
- feeling down after drinking too much
- memory and concentration difficulties
- feeling tired all the time or having sleep problems
- finding it hard to learn new things
- personality changes
- hazy thinking
- withdrawal from friends and social events
- lack of motivation to do everyday things
Talk to your GP if you have any of these symptoms. Over time they can lead to mental health difficulties. Getting help early can stop this happening.
Non-urgent advice: Get help with problem alcohol use
For confidential advice, freephone 1800 459 459.
Mental health difficulties
Alcohol can make symptoms of mental health difficulties worse. Mental health difficulties include depression and anxiety.
Cutting down or stopping drinking has the direct effect of improving your mood.
Using alcohol to manage social anxiety can prevent you from developing social and coping skills.
You may also:
- start to rely on alcohol
- feel very anxious in social situations where alcohol is not available
- start to avoid social situations
Social anxiety is more than shyness. It's a fear that continues after the social event.
Social anxiety (social phobia)
Using alcohol to cope
If you use alcohol to try to cope with stress and worry, you miss out on developing healthy coping skills.
When you face an overwhelming challenge, it may be tempting to turn to alcohol. By developing coping skills, you can stop that happening.
Coping skills include:
- talking about your problems
- getting professional help
- using stress management techniques
Poor sleep, hangovers and health problems can also make you feel less able to cope.
Using alcohol to numb emotions
Drinking to feel numb or 'drown your sorrows' is a common reaction to difficult emotions.
Sometimes you might not even know what’s bothering you. You just know that you feel bad and want to forget for a while.
Alcohol may appear to give you some relief, but this is brief. It soon lowers your mood and increases your anxiety.
You also may find that over time you need to drink more to stay numb and avoid your emotions. This can lead to alcohol tolerance.
Tips to avoid alcohol tolerance
Releasing emotions
Alcohol can lower inhibitions and make bad feelings come to the surface or make them feel more intense. This is one of the reasons you may become upset, angry or aggressive when drinking.
Trying to manage these feelings when you have been drinking can lead to:
- arguments
- violence
- self-harm
- thoughts of suicide
Get urgent help for severe distress or thoughts of suicide
Alcohol and anger
Alcohol can cause you to release pent-up feelings, such as anger and frustration. It can be hard to control these feelings when you drink. This can lead to arguments or fights. It can also lead to deep regret if you cause any hurt.
Understanding and managing anger
Alcohol and low self-esteem
Having low self-esteem can cause problems for your:
- quality of life
- achievements
- relationships
- ability to be happy
Alcohol is a temporary and sometimes damaging response to a longer-term problem. It may stop you from finding ways to cope and improve your self-esteem.
Your drinking may become heavier or you may start to rely on alcohol. You may start to behave in a way that makes you feel worse about yourself.
Alcohol and stress
You may drink alcohol in the hope it will relieve stress or help you relax.
Alcohol may make you feel relaxed at first. But when the effects of the alcohol wear off, the stress and the problems that are causing stress are still there. They may also seem worse, causing a greater need to drink.
Causes of stress and how it can affect you
Alcohol, self-harm and suicide
Alcohol can make you more likely to act in an uncontrolled or impulsive way.
There is a strong link between harmful drinking, self-harm and suicide. Your risk of suicide increases if you have problem drinking.
Emergency action required: Call 112 or 999 if:
- you or someone you know is about to harm themselves or someone else