Mental Health and Alcohol: Understanding the Connection Between Anxiety, Depression, and Drinking

Millions of people look to alcohol as a way to cope when they’re feeling anxious or depressed.

It feels like it helps in the moment… But in reality, it only makes matters worse (and fast).

You see, mental health disorders and alcohol use are closely connected. Too often, one problem leads to the other and forms a pattern of self-destructive behavior that’s difficult to overcome.

This guide breaks down the powerful connection between mental health and alcohol. From understanding how anxiety and depression fuel drinking to learning how alcohol makes anxiety and depression worse. Let’s dig in!

Table of Contents

• What You’ll Learn
• What Is the Connection Between Mental Health and Alcohol?
• Why Self-Medicating With Alcohol Doesn’t Work
• Alcoholics Make Anxiety and Depression Worse (Here’s How)
• Breaking the Cycle: Treatment Methods That Actually Work
• Connecting Mental Health and Alcohol: Final Thoughts

What You’ll Learn

• The Connection Between Mental Health and Alcohol Use
• Why Self-Medicating With Alcohol Almost Never Works
• How Alcohol Causes Anxiety and Depression to Get Worse
• Breaking the Drinking-Anxiety Depression Cycle For Good

What Is the Connection Between Mental Health and Alcohol?

Did you know 1 in 8 people have AUD?

According to SAMHSA’s 2024 survey, 27.9 million Americans age 12 or older had AUD in the past year. Millions of these people also struggle with anxiety and depression.

So why are mental health disorders and alcohol use so intertwined?

Studies show individuals with AUD have doubled the odds of having anxiety, depression, or another mental illness. That doesn’t just happen by chance.

Many people who suffer from depression or anxiety turn to alcohol to self-medicate. At the same time, many people who drink heavily are at risk of developing mental health problems.

Look at how the two are connected:

Alcohol triggers changes to the brain chemicals associated with mood regulation. When someone abuses alcohol for a long period of time, their brain adjusts. The brain starts to rely on alcohol to produce those feel-good chemicals.

When they don’t drink, they become prone to anxiety and depression.

So if you drink enough, you can develop mental health problems. On the flip side, if you have mental health problems, you may drink too much. It’s a vicious cycle.

To effectively recover from AUD, you need help from professionals who understand both sides of the coin. This is why addiction recovery centers that offer alcoholism treatment new jersey programs treat both AUD and mental health conditions simultaneously.

Why Self-Medicating With Alcohol Doesn’t Work

Think your alcohol habit has nothing to do with anxiety or depression?

Think again.

Studies estimate that between 21.9% and 24.1% of people with mood or anxiety disorders engage in self-medication with alcohol or drugs. In other words, they use substances to deal with or cope with their disorder.

Drinking allows them to dull the pain, quiet the voices in their head, and escape their depressive state… if only for a little while.

But as anyone who abuses alcohol knows… It never lasts forever.

Here’s what happens when you continue drinking to cope:

• You develop a tolerance to alcohol and have to drink more to feel the same effects
• You experience withdrawal symptoms when not drinking, which typically include anxiety and depression
• You become physically and emotionally dependent on alcohol to function “normally”

Self medicating anxiety with alcohol actually increases your risk of developing an alcohol dependence. Research shows that those who turn to alcohol to cope with anxiety are over five times more likely to become dependent on alcohol.

Overall, scientists estimate that self-medication with alcohol accounts for between 12.7% and 33.4% of alcohol dependence cases.

Not to mention the damage that drinking has on anxiety and depression.

Alcohol Makes Anxiety and Depression Worse (Here’s How)

If you have AUD, you already know drinking doesn’t improve your mental health.

But did you know that it actually makes both anxiety and depression worse over time?

Let’s start with anxiety.

When a person drinks alcohol, it throws off the brain’s chemical balance. In response to the excess alcohol, your brain produces more excitatory neurotransmitters to counteract the depressive effects of alcohol.

But once the alcohol leaves your system, those chemicals remain at high levels. The result? Someone who feels more anxious than they did before drinking.

Depending on their anxiety level, they may then drink more to feel better. And the cycle continues.

Here’s the result of that vicious cycle:

• High-functioning anxiety
• Severe anxiety
• Panic attacks
• Full-blown anxiety disorder

Drinking has a very similar effect on depression.

When a person drinks too much on a regular basis, their brain starts to run low on serotonin and other neurotransmitters responsible for mood regulation. Basically, drinking causes your brain to become depressed.

Over time, scientists have found that quitting alcohol leads to significant reductions in depression and depressive symptoms.

This tells us that alcohol is a direct cause of depression.

A dual diagnosis treatment center can help you manage both depression and your alcohol use disorder at the same time.

Breaking the Cycle: Treatment Options That Work

Luckily, there is hope for recovery.

But when it comes to treating mental health conditions and alcohol use at the same time, you can’t put all your eggs in one basket.

Here’s what an effective treatment program looks like:

You’ll first go through detox to wean yourself off of alcohol safely. From there, you’ll begin receiving therapy for your mental health condition.

For anxiety and depression, cognitive behavioral therapy is the most effective approach. You may also be prescribed antidepressants to help speed up your recovery time.

You’ll also have access to support groups full of people who understand your exact situation.

Studies show that treating mental health conditions and addiction together leads to more favorable outcomes than treating one or the other alone.

You can break free from anxiety, depression, and alcohol with the right help.

Finding ways to healthily cope with your anxiety and depression is one of the most important steps you can take.

You may have relied on alcohol as a way to cope for so long that building new habits feels impossible. But with time and practice, healthy coping mechanisms will become your new normal.

Joining support groups will allow you to learn from others who have been in your shoes. Never be afraid to lean on your support network when you need extra help.

Success in recovery is possible as long as you don’t go at it alone.

Connecting Mental Health and Alcohol: Final Thoughts

There’s no doubt about it: Mental health conditions and alcohol use are closely related.

But now that you know how anxiety depression and drinking are connected, you can start taking steps toward recovery.

While self-medicating your mental health symptoms with alcohol feels like a solution, it’s only temporary. Before you know it, you’ve developed a full-blown addiction on top of your anxiety or depression.

Here’s what you should know:

• Drinking and mental illness frequently occur together
• Self-medicating with alcohol significantly increases your dependence risk
• Drinking makes anxiety and depression worse
• You can successfully recover from both with the right treatment program

You have to treat both your alcohol use disorder and mental health condition to recover from AUD. Never try to self-diagnose or self-treat your condition.

If you’re ready to live an alcohol-free life free of anxiety and depression, reach out to a recovery center near you today. Your recovery starts now!