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Alcohol, alcohol abuse, alcoholic, alcoholism, Anxiety, Anxiety disorder, bipolar, commiting suicide, depression, Mental Health, panic attacks, Panic Disorder, suicidal thoughts, suicide, suicide attempt
alcoholism (Photo credit: JoeBenjamin)
Learn-about-alcoholism.com has written a very interesting article about the connection between alcoholism and depression. An excerpt from the article:
“Research shows that between thirty and fifty percent of individuals with alcohol dependence also suffer from major depression, during one or more of the stages of the disease.
In addition to the array of debilitating alcoholism-related symptoms, the individual also may experience excessive fatigue, lack of energy, anxiousness and suicidal thoughts when their condition is layered with depression.”
Source (and more on this topic) can be found from: http://www.learn-about-alcoholism.com/alcoholism-and-depression.html
Related articles
- Depression and Substance Abuse (everydayhealth.com)
- Overcoming Depression and Alcoholism (everydayhealth.com)
- Depression and Suicide – Breaking the Link (everydayhealth.com)
- Substance Abuse and Suicide Risk in Untreated Childhood Depression (everydayhealth.com)
- Depression and Substance Abuse (addictionts.com)
I know that I have struggled with depression my entire life. I have used alcohol (and in my younger years, drugs) to avoid my depression. And without it, I am left with having to face up to the depression I have been self medicating for so long. I think I am ready to deal with it now but everyday is a struggle. Thanks for this reminder that its not uncommon. I think the guilt is what keeps a lot of us drinking.
Thank you, Renee! I agree, forgiving ourselves is probably the hardest thing in all healing journeys, but we must do it. I got rid of anxiety, panic attacks and depression last year…I did it through a very deep and thorough self-analysis of my subconscious mind and thought patterns. There is so much baggage that we carry around with us and this is exactly what makes us ill. Once you let all that baggage go, you never want to go back…this light feeling that follows is unbelievable. I never knew before that it really is possible to just be happy all the time. Now I know.
Much love and strenght to you Renee! And remember, you are never alone. There is always someone around you, who can support you and help you heal. And the infinite universe that created us all, loves us unconditionally forever and always.
Thank you!
Renee I know exactly what you are saying, I have learned a good way to think about guilt and shame. Guilt says I did something bad. Shame says I am bad. Learning the difference between these two emotions gave me a starting point to understand I am not a bad person, I’m just an alcoholic.
Gosh, that was like sitting and reading about my cousin….
Luckily he is slowly getting help.
This is great that he is getting help. Unfortunately most alcoholics do not even admit having a problem and they live their whole lives in their depressed state of mind…my father is one of those types. Much love to you and your cousin! I hope he gets cured.
I have ask this. Do you really believe there is a cure, or that there is a solution? I have never found a cure, in AA I have found a solution.
Yes, I do really believe that there is a cure also for alcoholism, as well as for all other illnesses.
It is called awakening to your true self (finding love towards yourself) and it happens through becoming aware of your subconscious limiting beliefs that take place in our subconscious minds before the age of 5. This is exactly the key that I discovered for myself in order to be healed from lifelong depression and anxiety disorder…I did heavy soulsearching for a year and finally found my truths in life, love towards myself and love towards life and others in general.
I do believe that any kind of illnesses can actually be cured the same way because these subconscious limiting beliefs are behind and the true causes for all illnesses. I know that it might seem like just some new-age mumbo-jumbo at first, if you have never been in touch with these topics before, but I can honestly say that awakening to your true self (i.e. getting rid of all those limiting beliefs) has nothing to do with any mumbo-jumbo’s or religion (some people do not wish to here about these issues because they associate it with religion). It means finding your true self – finding out what you really love to do and what you are really meant to do with your life. I am not religious in the common sense of religion – I believe in myself and in the Universe. And these topics seemed a bit weird to me too at first, but now that I am healed because of all this energy work and awakening work, I know that this helps. I started studying these topics through Dr. Joe Vitale’s books and I would recommend all his books to you (and everyone else) as well.
Much love and many blessings! I hope you find your truths and love!
Eva
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“All that truly matters in the end is that you loved”
– Regina Brett
#38 from 45 Lessons in Life.
And isn’t it a miracle that we survived. We survived and then courageously and many times painfully, moved forward in our journey. And what did we discover….Love!
Narcissism (defined as a mental illness), certainly a by-product from the childhood trauma that I suffered, blocked me from any real understanding or experience of love. I understood it intellectually. But I was never more than a “human doing” rather than a “human being”. Wikipedia’s definition of narcissism says it all.
My life and my journey in recovery elevated to a completely new level when I worked through my destructive narcissism. I am so grateful for my family, friends and the professional support that I received when I started this journey. Without it, I would not be alive today!
Best
Thank you so much for sharing your story! Much love and many blessings to you and your loved ones!
Glad I came across your blog, I will recommend it to as many people as I can.
People need to be consciously aware of these facts for it to positively impact their lives.
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you!
Much love!
Ugh, I know this all too well. Not only in dealing with my husbands acloholism, but his depression as well. I know these are problems for him, but he does not. He does not see an issue at all. Although, he does currently take medication for his anxiety…he does not seem to see how it is all related. And does not see how it has hurt our marriage. Now we are on the rocky road to divorce and can no longer help him or subject our child to his “condition”. I also think that because of his addictions when we met and began dating, I wanted someone to need me. He fit the bill. I believe much of our relationship was based on addiction, substances and to each other. Now that we have a son, I no longer need that addictive relationship because my priority has turned to my kid and preserving his innocence and childhood. I certainly hope my relationship with my son doesn’t take a turn for addiction. I hope it’s healthy. I hope.
Thank you for sharing your story! I know exactly what you mean – my father is a lifelong alcoholic, who has never admitted having any problems and since he is now 62 years old, I know that there is no hope for him anymore. He will be dying with the same beliefs that he is absolutely okay and probably with a bottle on his side.
Stay tough during your divorce, because you need to get rid of your alcoholic husband. Your kid needs this too very much. My mother did not through out my father until I was 15 and I can say that the emotional damage that living with an alcoholic did to me was quite horrible. A child cannot see that his/her mother/father are separate persons, instead a child thinks of his/her parents as one with him/her. And this is exactly why having an alcoholic parent around damages the child in a very severe way. I felt guilty for my fathers alcohol addiction for many many years…it felt like it was my fault somehow. Although I always knew on a conscious level that it cannot be my fault, subconsciously I still felt the guilt.
Unfortunately my mother still does not quite fully understand how badly my alcoholic father effected me. Actually, you might have just solved one mystery for me with your story – I think my mother is still emotionally addicted to my father although they have been divorced for almost 15 years now. Also, his depression has rubbed off on her as well….but I guess that is a side-effect of the addiction to another person..the illnesses are emotionally transported to eachother.
Regarding the medication for anxiety – since I have taken a lot of antidepressants and sedatives during my life, I can almost certainly tell you that your husbands anxiety medication does not work at all if he still drinks alcohol during the period that he is supposed to treat himself with this medication. I presume he is still drinking?
I have done a lot of emotional and energy healing work to get rid of any emotional/spiritual connections to my father and I really have only one suggestion to you – get out of your marriage and cut all the socializing cords with your alcoholic husband. You and your kid are much better off without a husband/father, then with an alcoholic one. Your husband needs to find his own ways to healing and if he doesn’t, then he doesn’t..it is his life and his decisions and you do not have to take care of his messes. If he chooses the bottle over people, then let him live with the bottle.
Much love and many blessings to you and your kid! If you need to talk to someone, then you are always very welcome to write to me here or e-mail me (tenter.eva@gmail.com) or we can talk on Skype (Skype ID- evatenter). I am here to help in any way I can.
I too have an alcoholic father. My therapist told me that I was trying to “change the outcome” of that relationship by being with my husband. I do think she was correct, but we both knew I could not change the outcome. Time and time again, he has chosen alcohol and partying over his family and when I bring up this issue, he doesn’t see it the same way. I need to break the cycle. Thankfully, he is on the other side of the country and there is no physical contact, but he calls every night to speak with his son. Last night I needed a break and didn’t take his calls. I am grateful for finding my Coda meetings a while back. I learned a lot from them and began healing my relationships. I accepted that my father will be an alcoholic until the day he dies, but he too is in a different state. My contact with him is limited. My mother still harbors anger and resentment towards him and I feel her behavior to this day stems from that relationship; however, she too feels she needs no help. I have been unable to accept my mother as she is which hurts both of us. I have tried to speak with her about it, but she shuts down and says that nothing is wrong with her and plus, she is too old to change now. That sucks. But I have tried. And I am done trying, all I can do is try to let go and accept my mother….a long road. I hope I can do that before I lose her. But more importantly, I hope I don’t have the same destructive relationship with my son and try to keep an eye out every day. He is only three and it’s difficult to know and understand what impact I am having on his now. At the moment, he is happy and healthy and if my husband calls drunk, I hang up the phone. I have told my husband numerous times not to call while he is drinking because I don’t want our son to know his father like that. I only want him to know the good parts of him. Because I do know, this man is a good man. He is kind and gentle with such a wonderful heart, until he drinks. That all goes out the window. Anyways, I feel a post coming on about this addiction thing. Will need to explore further. Thanks for responding to me and good luck with your battles too.
I never used to drink, but I do now. I am not an alcoholic, but I do drink to dull the pain of sadness.
I did the same thing a few years ago. I was in a total self-destructive mode back then. I finally stopped drinking alcohol, when I no longer felt happy while drunk. Instead I got angry and agressive. Now I do not even think about alcohol anymore, because I just don’t need it for anything. I would sincerely recommend the same for you as well – try to eliminate the causes for the sadness from your life and by doing so find your inner peace and happiness. Drinking alcohol is only a very temporary solution. I do not wish to preach to anyone, because I have been through all sorts of roads in my life as well to dull sadness and depression. I can only say that I would sincerely recommend other solutions. Much love and many blessings to you!
I’m working on it. Thanks. Blessings back!
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Such a great discussion. I, too, believe that there is a cure for alcoholism and any other addiction. If the desire is there, the cure will be found. Each person has to find his/her own path to healing.
I come from a family with alcoholic members, and I’ve had my own bouts of depression. It’s not easy, but as you say, Eva, looking inside is the answer. We all have the power to change our lives. Desire is the first step. My love and support go to all of you on your path to healing.
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I believe alcohol is the cause of depression. Alcohol does not stimulate your mood in a positive manner so its definitely causing melancholy.
I totally agree.