There is some evidence associating light alcohol consumption with better physical health in some adults. Between 1 and 3 drinks daily have been found to help protect against heart disease, dementia, and Alzheimer's Disease, and a little glass of red wine everyday may diminish risk of stroke in females.
There is far more evidence indicating that drinking excessive alcohol leads to serious physical and psychological illnesses.
Put very simply, a major reason for drinking alcohol is to change our mood - or change our mental state. Alcohol can temporarily alleviate feelings of anxiety and depression; it can even help to temporarily relieve the symptoms of more serious mental health conditions.
Alcohol problems are more common among people with more severe mental health conditions. This does not necessarily mean that alcohol compels severe emotional disorder. Drinking to deal with difficult feelings or symptoms of emotional disorder is sometimes called 'self-medication' by individuals in the mental health field. This is often why individuals with mental health issues drink. But it can make existing mental health issues worse.
Evidence demonstrates that people who consume high amounts of alcohol are vulnerable to higher levels of mental ill health and it can be a contributory factor in some mental diseases, such as depression.
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How does drinking affect our moods and mental health?
When we have alcohol in our blood, our mood changes, and our behaviour then also changes. How these change depends on how much we drink and how quickly we drink it. Alcohol depresses the central nervous system, and this can make us less inhibited in our behaviour. It can even help 'numb' our emotions, so we can avoid difficult issues in our lives.
Alcohol can also reveal or magnify our underlying feelings. When drinking, this is one of the reasons that many individuals become aggressive or angry. If our underlying feelings are of anger, unhappiness or anxiety, then alcohol can magnify them.
What about the after-effects?
One of the main conditions associated with using alcohol to deal with anxiety and depression is that individuals may feel much worse when the effects have worn off. Alcohol is thought to use up and reduce the amount of neurotransmitters in the brain, but the brain needs a certain level of neurotransmitters needs to ward off anxiety and depression. This can lead some individuals to drink more, to ward off these difficult feelings, and a dangerous cycle of dependence can develop.
Alcohol problems are more common among people with more severe mental health issues. If our underlying feelings are of anxiety, unhappiness or anger, then alcohol can magnify them.
One of the main problems linked with using alcohol to deal with anxiety and depression is that individuals may feel much worse when the effects have worn off. Alcohol is thought to use up and reduce the amount of neurotransmitters in the brain, but the brain needs a certain level of neurotransmitters needs to ward off anxiety and depression.
