Feeling down after drinking too much alcohol

It is common to feel down after drinking too much alcohol.

When you drink, alcohol increases the activity of brain chemicals, such as serotonin and dopamine. These can make you feel relaxed and happy.

But as alcohol leaves your system, the level of these chemicals drop. This can lead to low mood or anxiety.

Some people call the effects of alcohol the next day 'the fear'. This is when you feel a general anxious feeling of dread. It is also sometimes called alcohol-induced anxiety or hangxiety.

How alcohol affects your brain

Regret

When you are drunk, your sense of right and wrong can change. Your judgement may not work so well.

This can lead to behaviours that you may regret. You may wish you could turn back the clock and avoid some of the consequences of your actions.

Guilt and shame

Alcohol reduces your inhibitions. When you are drunk, you may do things that you would not do when you are sober.

When the effects of alcohol wear off, it can be hard accept or deal with the consequences of embarrassing behaviour.

You might feel upset about drinking too much. Maybe you did something you regret or spent more money than you intended. You may have disappointed someone because of your drinking.

Relationship worries

You may be worried that something you did has harmed your relationship with a friend or loved one.

You may have said or done something you regret.

Feeling unable to function

It can take your body hours to get back to normal after heavy drinking.

Alcohol also affects your sleep. Even if you do not feel sick after drinking too much, you will probably feel very tired.

You may:

• have to cancel plans or miss commitments
• feel annoyed that you wasted your day
• find it hard to meet your other responsibilities

Benefits of cutting down or giving up alcohol

Tips to ease a hangover

How to avoid feeling down after drinking

The best way to avoid feeling down after a night out is not to drink alcohol.

But if you decide to drink, try to:

• stick to the weekly low-risk alcohol guidelines
• avoid binge drinking
• avoid drinking to help you cope with difficult emotions
• drink less - tips for drinking less

To find out what type of drinker you are, try our self-assessment tool. This can be a good starting point for making changes to your drinking habits.

How to cut down or stop drinking alcohol