Alcohol and depression

First, hello all, glad I found this board. I am a long-term alcoholic in UK, relapsed so many times I have lost count. Just came out of hospital last night following detox after DT's, fits, etc. So I am sober on day 1, once again. There is a 50/50 split among doctors here as to whether the alcohol causes my depression, or whether I drink because I am already very depressed. I agree it is a vicious circle, alcohol worsens my depression. But my drink problem began after a series of very disastrous events in my life, too many to detail in this introductory 'hello' (I will tell you about them in later posts), and the longest time I stayed well after these events was when for several months I had psychiatric help - I saw a mental health social worker twice a week, and it really worked for me. In a way, I became 'too' well, as the the mental health team decided I no longer needed their support as I was doing so well. and discharged me from their community team. Since then I have been unable to get mental health help, and where I live, the community alcohol team have been unable to provide any service for the past 6 months due to lack of funding. Only when I become so ill that I need hospitalization can I get any professional help, and then only for a short medical detox followed by no 'aftercare' support. I know that ultimately it is my own responsibility to get and stay well, but I need a kind of 'kick start' of help in early sobriety, and I cannot seem to resolve my severe depression alone. There are AA meetings, but while I am by no means anti-AA (whatever works for a person can only be a good thing), I have tried many meetings, and it is definitely not for me. I wonder what others think about the alcohol/depression issue? Regards, stay safe all.

strangebrew, first, welcome to psych central!

As far as alcohol/depression goes, yes, alcohol WILL increase the depression... So if you already suffer with depression, the alcohol is just intensifying it, which isn't good at all. Since you are a long-term alcoholic, the best advice I can give you is to get into a treatment facility more than just detox. It may costs you some money, but your life is worth more than money. Every state/country has rehab facilities, some long-term care, some short-term care... Do some research and find some place near you (or even a little drive away), and get yourself into treatment. Also, there should be a local mental health center that will see you. I see you mentioned you were discharged from a mental health center, but go back... Tell them you are not well and need help. They, by law, shouldn't be able to turn you down.

I wish you the best and hope you can find sobriety.