How does alcohol affect your mental health?
The repercussions can go deeper than a killer hangover as Maria Micha, a Singapore-based psychologist, psychotherapist and hypnotherapist reveals
Text: Tiff H
When the going gets tough, the tough often resort to a chilled glass of white or a G&T to relax and unwind from daily stress. A Chardonnay a day won’t hurt, right? Yet, our consumption of alcohol shouldn’t be taken lightly. A Singapore Mental Health Study discovered that 4.1% Singaporeans are affected by alcohol abuse and several hundreds of Singaporeans and expats seek out professional help for problem drinking each year.
According to the National Addictions Management Service, that ‘one glass a day won’t hurt’ mindset can cause more harm than good. As alcohol is a depressant drug, it can slow down brain function and neural activity, induce anxiety and increase stress. Over time, it can negatively affect your thoughts, feelings and actions, contributing to the development or worsening of existing mental health issues.
“If we use alcohol consistently as a way of dealing with our problems it becomes a conditioned response,” explains Lindley Craig, NLP trainer at All in the Mind. “A bad day means we grab a bottle of wine or vodka. Someone else’s bad day means we grab another bottle. After a while, any kind of day will lead to grabbing a bottle. We’ve conditioned our brain to equate one with the other.”
While the effects of alcohol can often have an apparent positive impact on our mood in the short term (dancing on tables, anyone?), the longer-term effects of alcohol on mental health can be detrimental.
We spoke to Maria Micha, a Singapore-based psychologist, psychotherapist and hypnotherapist about the complex relationship between alcohol and mental health in Singapore.
Why is alcohol is often seen as a coping mechanism to drown sorrows?
Alcohol is often used as a means to help and manage symptoms of stress, anxiety or depression. Due to the brief feeling of euphoria and short-term relaxing effect it has, it’s seen as a suppressant of negative emotions. Those who experience high levels of stress and anxiety often start self-medicating through the consumption of alcohol.
What are the long-term effects of alcohol on mental health?
Regular, heavy drinking leads to high levels of toxins in the body which ultimately affect the balance of hormones in the brain. Additionally, alcohol causes inflammation in the intestines and impairs the body’s ability to regulate that inflammation, with the liver needing tremendous amounts of energy to detoxify. The body is therefore focused on detoxifying rather than restoring vital organs and cells. As a result, the body grows weaker with lowered blood sugar levels that can subsequently induce anxiety and depression. Additionally, long-term consumption of alcohol leads to the depletion of natural chemicals in our brain that help reduce anxiety, leading to a higher dependency on alcohol. Depression and heavy drinking have a mutually reinforcing relationship, meaning that either condition increases a person’s chances of experiencing the other, creating a vicious cycle.
Are there any benefits of alcohol when it comes to mental health? Can small doses help with relaxation?
Studies have shown that light to moderate consumption of wine is associated with better cognitive performance. When consumed with meals, small amounts of red wine (200ml a day) may be associated with reduced symptoms of depression. However, using alcohol as the sole means to alleviate anxiety is unsustainable, no matter how small the dose. There are much healthier ways to deal with mental health issues such as meditation, counselling, natural supplements or prescribed medication for more serious cases.
What are the myths about alcohol and mental health?
The main one is that alcoholism leads to depression. Usually, it’s the other way around, with pre-existing mental disorders making an individual more susceptible to alcohol abuse. This phenomenon is known as ‘comorbid disorder’ or ‘dual diagnosis’. It’s when an abuser or substance-dependent person not only suffers from an addiction, but also from a mental health issue.
If you are concerned about your alcohol intake, you can call the NAMS All Addictions Helpline at 6-RECOVER (6-7326837) to speak to trained NAMS counsellors on a confidential basis for advice on alcohol addiction or binge drinking. You may also visit the NAMS website at http://www.nams.sg.
