Checking Alcohol & Drugs

Do you self medicate with alcohol or drugs?

If so, you know you're not alone! Using alcohol, in particular, to 'feel better' is a widely accepted part of student (and wider) culture. This culture creates a win-win situation for depression - excessive alcohol and drug consumption is likely to make you feel worse not better, and a recent study of UK students* showed that not drinking can also lead to isolation and depression.

How alcohol & drugs can contribute to the depression habit spiral

Alcohol

• Small quantities of alcohol do initially briefly lift mood levels BUT larger amounts of alcohol tend to have a chemically depressive effect.
• Our bodies learn to tolerate alcohol, so greater and greater quantities are needed to provide the brief mood lift. Heavy alcohol consumption comes with many other risks in addition to depression.
• Alcohol is known to compromise judgement. Have you ever noticed how opinions become more extreme when drunk? In other words, alcohol makes you more prone to all-or-nothing and other types of depressed thinking.
• Alcohol loosens inhibitions and increases impulsivity, raising the risk that someone might impulsively enact suicidal thoughts.
• Drinking heavily to try to get to sleep makes things worse, because alcohol disrupts quality sleep and makes sleep problems worse in the long run.

Drugs

• Cannabis tends to intensify whatever mood the person is in - so not great when you're affected by depression!
• Heavy cannabis use can lead to loss of drive and motivation, irritability, insomnia and reduced appetite - very similar symptoms to depression, and likely to contribute to a depression habit spiral.
• Heavy use of other recreational drugs such as opioids (heroin etc), amphetamines (and related drugs), cocaine, ecstasy and LSD all have potential risks in withdrawal of lowering of mood and triggering depression, as well as of suicidal thoughts.
• It is not possible to predict whether or when you might experience withdrawal effects, but if you are already affected by depression, especially suicidal thoughts, then these drugs are obviously especially risky.
• When heavy drinking or drug taking is a cultural norm and there is a lot of pressure to conform, then not participating can be isolating - another contribution to depression.

Strategies

• Be realistic

  No need to be all-or-nothing about it - make realistic goals for cutting down, rather than vowing total abstinence.

• Broaden your social activities

  Try to engage in some social activities which do not involve alcohol/drugs.

• Get friends to help

  Stick with friends who do not pressurise each other too much and get your friends to support you in cutting down (you don't have to give your reasons).

• No need to stop socialising!

  Remember that you can cut down on drinking without cutting out socialising: make every other drink a soft drink, or drink low-alcohol beer or "club sodas" that don't look different.

• Build good support networks

  Work on building up new, constructive friendships and support networks.

• Evaluate the culture

  As a general strategy, take a step back and evaluate what role drug and alcohol habits play in student and wider culture - see depression in student life and a depression-inducing culture?.

• Get help for addiction

  If you do feel that you may have a problem with addiction, seek professional help from a specialist drug and alcohol agency (your doctor can advise).

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