It’s Alcohol Awareness Week, led by Alcohol Change, and that means we need to get thinking about drinking and campaign for change. This year’s theme is all about alcohol and mental health...
Alcohol is certainly no stranger to the UK. According to Alcohol Change:” alcohol misuse is the biggest risk factor for death, ill-health, and disability among 15-49 year-olds in the UK, and the fifth-biggest risk factor across all ages".
Many of us use alcohol to accompany most emotions - including the highs and the lows. Unfortunately, the euphoric effects of alcohol are only short-term, and there are many long-term problems to be considered. Alcohol can worsen the symptoms of pre-existing mental health problems and unhelpfully mask underlying issues that prevent those suffering from addressing them.
Essentially, excessive drinking is likely to leave us feeling a lot worse than when we were sober.
More specifically, it can contribute to low mood, anxiety, and depression. The relationship between alcohol and depression can be vicious. This is because they have a mutually reinforcing relationship, which means exposure to one condition is likely to increase the chances of experiencing the other.
There are an estimated 586,780 dependent drinkers in England, but only 18% are receiving treatment. It’s so important to reach out for help with alcohol dependency, alcohol misuse, and mental health problems.
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