Alcoholism or Depression
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 15
Alcoholism or Depression
Hi All,
I'm not in a good place right now, I need some advice.
After a "normal" night out 10 pints I would never remember getting home, wouldn't remember much of the night and generally wet the bed - pathetic i know.
The following week i cant sleep (I'm talking maybe 1-2 hours per night), become impulsive, have violent intrusive thoughts, depressed out of my mind and so anxious sometimes i wont leave the house.
This is probably a stupid question, but I'm going to ask it anyway - Does this sound like alcoholism or depression?
Cheers
I'm not in a good place right now, I need some advice.
After a "normal" night out 10 pints I would never remember getting home, wouldn't remember much of the night and generally wet the bed - pathetic i know.
The following week i cant sleep (I'm talking maybe 1-2 hours per night), become impulsive, have violent intrusive thoughts, depressed out of my mind and so anxious sometimes i wont leave the house.
This is probably a stupid question, but I'm going to ask it anyway - Does this sound like alcoholism or depression?
Cheers
Member
Join Date: May 2014
Location: liverpool, england
Posts: 1,708
when i went down hill with my drinking i couldnt leave my flat unless i was drunk i can remember clearly how i would be full of fear and paranoia, i couldnt face people at all and at one time i could with ease but that was before drink took its toll on me
i am not a dr i can only share my own experience with you i ended up in aa only when i had enough of it all, this is why i owe so much to the people in aa as they would keep me company at times and take me to meetings etc they soon got me into the habit of getting out of my flat and around meetings
i went to meetings day and night my parinioa vanished the longer i was sober and started to learn the truth about me etc and i only heard it by being with good sober memebers of aa who never tried to convert me or anything there only interest was to see me get well as they knew how sick i was i didnt
like i said i am no dr and no one can tell you what you are or anything like it unless there a dr
but if you hear enough from other people who have had the same experience as you it might help you make your own mind up
thats what aa did with me i heard peoples own experiences shared at the meetings and it helped me make my mind if i am an alcoholic or not
as for depression i dont know really what it is i know people to me have said i have been depressed over the death of my son, as i lost the will to live and didn't want to do anything but its the same thing i suffered when i was in early recovery so i treated it with some hard efforts of doing things i never wanted to do and it worked for me
i got out and about but only after a good few months of doing nothing but feeling so sad etc then i pulled my socks up. i dont ever want to be dependant on anything in terms of drugs or chemicals again in my life time so i have no choice but to keep on pushing on even when i dont feel like i want to if that makes sense ?
good luck to you
i am not a dr i can only share my own experience with you i ended up in aa only when i had enough of it all, this is why i owe so much to the people in aa as they would keep me company at times and take me to meetings etc they soon got me into the habit of getting out of my flat and around meetings
i went to meetings day and night my parinioa vanished the longer i was sober and started to learn the truth about me etc and i only heard it by being with good sober memebers of aa who never tried to convert me or anything there only interest was to see me get well as they knew how sick i was i didnt
like i said i am no dr and no one can tell you what you are or anything like it unless there a dr
but if you hear enough from other people who have had the same experience as you it might help you make your own mind up
thats what aa did with me i heard peoples own experiences shared at the meetings and it helped me make my mind if i am an alcoholic or not
as for depression i dont know really what it is i know people to me have said i have been depressed over the death of my son, as i lost the will to live and didn't want to do anything but its the same thing i suffered when i was in early recovery so i treated it with some hard efforts of doing things i never wanted to do and it worked for me
i got out and about but only after a good few months of doing nothing but feeling so sad etc then i pulled my socks up. i dont ever want to be dependant on anything in terms of drugs or chemicals again in my life time so i have no choice but to keep on pushing on even when i dont feel like i want to if that makes sense ?
good luck to you
Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Ireland
Posts: 25,826
Could be either, alcohol compounded the depressed feeling I had about myself and life, I don't have diagnosed clinical depression, but alcohol certainly increased my depression and anxiety more and more as time went on, it affected my moods, my thoughts, my emotions, it was a strong influence on my general state of mind on a daily basis.
In hindsight I know all of this now, because taking away alcohol has improved and cured all of these things, my self esteem has improved, my outlook on life, I'm generally happier and I have grown to like myself again.
It might be time to think about your drinking, it's causing problems in your life aside from the depressed feeling, and who knows all of the other things may go by the wayside also!!
In hindsight I know all of this now, because taking away alcohol has improved and cured all of these things, my self esteem has improved, my outlook on life, I'm generally happier and I have grown to like myself again.
It might be time to think about your drinking, it's causing problems in your life aside from the depressed feeling, and who knows all of the other things may go by the wayside also!!
Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: LA - Lower Alabama
Posts: 5,068
Alcohol *is* a depressant. To tell if this is depression or not, you're going to have to stay sober for a while. I won't go any farther than this, as I am not a Dr.
Have you heard of the 30 day challenge?
Have you heard of the 30 day challenge?
Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Earth
Posts: 1,791
By putting quotes around the word normal you pretty much answered your own question. Week 1 abstaining is usually different levels of tough for habitually heavy drinkers, with sleep problems and other associated issues.
My thought is that it makes no difference at this point, you need to carry on abstaining beyond a week and see how you feel. Consulting a doctor about quitting is the safest course, they can sometimes provide assistance.
My thought is that it makes no difference at this point, you need to carry on abstaining beyond a week and see how you feel. Consulting a doctor about quitting is the safest course, they can sometimes provide assistance.
p***enger
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NYC
Posts: 19,021
Before I started getting sober, I couldn't figure out if my problem was alcoholism or depression. After a long time just kind of frantically worrying about that, I realized I would never know unless I got sober.
In my case, after another long time sobering up, with considerable help from SR and AA, I realized it was both. Alcohol made my depression much, much worse but I have both problems. So now I have additional support.
I suggest you take steps to get help here and face-to-face to get sober, and after some time -- maybe 6 months to a year -- take stock and see if you need medical help. My life is pretty good now -- you'll be amazed at the changes if you take action!
In my case, after another long time sobering up, with considerable help from SR and AA, I realized it was both. Alcohol made my depression much, much worse but I have both problems. So now I have additional support.
I suggest you take steps to get help here and face-to-face to get sober, and after some time -- maybe 6 months to a year -- take stock and see if you need medical help. My life is pretty good now -- you'll be amazed at the changes if you take action!
bona fido dog-lover
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: SF Bay area, CA
Posts: 99,746
I drank to self medicate depression and anxiety. Both got worse from drinking. It wasn't until I'd been sober a few months that I realized my antiD's were helping my depression. Drinking made my medicine useless. Now that I'm sober, the depression is manageable with meds.
Go sober for a few months and see if you still are depressed.
Go sober for a few months and see if you still are depressed.
Cat Lady Extraordinaire
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: MN
Posts: 263
It could very well be either, my therapist and cd counselor both said, does alcohol cause depression or is the depression causing the alcohol. You just never know. I have a long history of depression and I'm an alcoholic, instead of trying to figure out if one caused the other, I go to a dual purpose recovery center, it focuses on depression AND alcoholism.
Self recovered Self discovered
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Toronto Canada
Posts: 5,148
I thought I had been drinking because I was depressed, but it turned out to be the other way round. I was depressed because I had been drinking. I quit drinking and that big black dog found somebody else to sit on. The anxiety left too.
I realize that this is only a correlation, but I think there is causation too. Living at the bottom of bigger and bigger bottles of cheaper and cheaper booze is nothing like an uplifting experience. The self-loathing, shame, guilt, anger, all pool forces to get you stuck circling the drain.
In the same way, though, this scenario can work for us too. I quit, I quit for good, and the feeling of relief was incredible. I cried and I laughed and cried some more to know deeply that I never had to drink again. It was over because I said so. And it was.
You can do it too, Harpoon. You can make it happen for you. Make that choice, accept nothing less and never look back. You will not regret this, you have my promise.
I realize that this is only a correlation, but I think there is causation too. Living at the bottom of bigger and bigger bottles of cheaper and cheaper booze is nothing like an uplifting experience. The self-loathing, shame, guilt, anger, all pool forces to get you stuck circling the drain.
In the same way, though, this scenario can work for us too. I quit, I quit for good, and the feeling of relief was incredible. I cried and I laughed and cried some more to know deeply that I never had to drink again. It was over because I said so. And it was.
You can do it too, Harpoon. You can make it happen for you. Make that choice, accept nothing less and never look back. You will not regret this, you have my promise.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Indiana
Posts: 174
I'm still fairly new to sobriety and far from a doctor but it's a fact that laying down the bottle has let me be better physically and mentally.
I'd bet it would do the same for you as well if you give it a try.
I'd bet it would do the same for you as well if you give it a try.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 43
Hi, I think it sounds like both and they kind of interlink and whilst drinking it's difficult to separate them into different 'issues' it could be you drink to self medicate your depression orake yourself feel better, but as drink is a depressant it then makes you worse in the long run! The withdrawals from alcohol are horrible and cause feelings of anxiety, my advice would be to try stop drinking and go to doctors see if you can get some professional advice :-) good luck
Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Toronto
Posts: 3,195
I was miserable all the time when I was a daily drinker. I woke up horribly depressed each morning and dragged myself to work only to stare at a computer while I counted down the hours until 5pm. By 6pm, I was usually on my 3rd vodka tonic and everything was fine again.
Alcohol releases a ton of 'feel good' chemicals in the brain such as dopamine. However, when the booze wears off, the brain is depleted of these chemicals and results in depressive moods. I was artificially depressed for years due to my drinking.
I entered rehab for 35 days to break the hold alcohol had on me and by my 3rd week in there, all my depression and anxiety had faded away.
You'll never know if you suffer from clinical depression or not until you eliminate alcohol from the equation.
Alcohol releases a ton of 'feel good' chemicals in the brain such as dopamine. However, when the booze wears off, the brain is depleted of these chemicals and results in depressive moods. I was artificially depressed for years due to my drinking.
I entered rehab for 35 days to break the hold alcohol had on me and by my 3rd week in there, all my depression and anxiety had faded away.
You'll never know if you suffer from clinical depression or not until you eliminate alcohol from the equation.
as a sober contributor
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: California
Posts: 1,312
Sounds like Alcoholism and Depression to me.
I was there at one time.... and also had anxiety and panic attacks.
Once I got clean and sober, the anxiety and panic attacks stopped and I have been able to deal with the trauma's that cause my depression.
Hope you will give an honest try at getting sober.
I was there at one time.... and also had anxiety and panic attacks.
Once I got clean and sober, the anxiety and panic attacks stopped and I have been able to deal with the trauma's that cause my depression.
Hope you will give an honest try at getting sober.
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