[SophiaG]

and seems to be the only thing besides snow cones that does.

[Jazz007]

I know exactly how you feel. In fact I'm having a glass of wine now!
I know I shouldn't be but it helps the pain.
How bad are you with the alcohol? Do you need it daily? I find myself drinking about 3x per week. I have to arrange my drinking for when my kids are out of the house.
Do you have children? Married? Sorry if these are personal questions, you don't have to answer if you are uncomfortable talking about it.

Margarita snowcones How is your depression the morning after?

Really? It makes mine waaaay worse. Weed helps a lot more, except sometimes it doesn't. Haven't figured out why yet.

[Shadow-world]

Hmmm, it can be a dangerous path to take. I used to drink alcohol pretty much on a daily basis to suppress the anxiety, stifle the pain and hurt inside and stop the thoughts.
Whilst this worked to a certain extent, I often felt quite bad the morning after and after years of doing this I had to admit to myself that I had dependency issues and was on the way of ruining my health and life.
Loneliness is also a big factor.

These days I hardly drink any alcohol (although I still like wine) and I know that when I do I have to be careful. It took me a while to get there though so please be careful about using alcohol in a self-medicating kind of way.

[littleyellowspider]

I agree full force. It is one of the few things that helps. It shouldn't be though. It's probably not the best idea we have.

[Jazz007]

Hey Sophia, sorry I'm just now responding. I've been MIA for a couple of days.

I feel terrible the day after I drink. Even if I don't have a hangover or anything, I feel so freakin guilty because I drank. The thing to be careful with is drinking an doing stupid things, since the alcohol can make u feel more depressed. That's what happened to me when I tried to commit suicide. I drank myself into such a depression that I took a lot of pills on top of it...wanting to end it all. Without the alcohol I probably wouldn't have done it.
So now I'm a lot more careful not to drink too much. Just learn from my mistake, never mix alcohol with drugs or ur meds.

[SophiaG]

It's just been one beer (which I tend to drink all at once instead of spreading it out) guys...per night, but i didn't drink last night. I do think it could progress though. Especially if i feel consistently miserable and sad.

Weird because i was woken up by my brother last night (and i still haven't slept yet) who had been drunk driving and had an accident.

He was shaken.

*le-sigh*

Everyone's okay.

[SophiaG]

Originally Posted by George H.

Margarita snowcones How is your depression the morning after?

Well....i feel fine in the mornings.

Maybe a bit dehydrated. I don't know how alcohol would affect my depression.

Would it make me feel okay for a few hours, and then make me more depressed during the day than I otherwise would be?

I really don't know the dynamics of the substance. It's subtle if anything I guess.

I have contacted my therapist to see if I can't get an appointment during the summer while i'm home from college.

[SophiaG]

Originally Posted by Jazz007

Hey Sophia, sorry I'm just now responding. I've been MIA for a couple of days.

I feel terrible the day after I drink. Even if I don't have a hangover or anything, I feel so freakin guilty because I drank. The thing to be careful with is drinking an doing stupid things, since the alcohol can make u feel more depressed. That's what happened to me when I tried to commit suicide. I drank myself into such a depression that I took a lot of pills on top of it...wanting to end it all. Without the alcohol I probably wouldn't have done it.
So now I'm a lot more careful not to drink too much. Just learn from my mistake, never mix alcohol with drugs or ur meds.

The first time I got drunk....i felt sooooo depressed. I was crying all over the place. So i can relate to this.

I think small amounts of alcohol though, actually elevate mood? but as you progress in quantity it depresses your mood more. I forget where I read this.

Alcohol has been explained to me, as being a nervous system depressant, rather than a mood depressant. As in, it's a drug that affects your nervous system, slows down reaction time. But i guess it can mess with your mood as well?

[Jazz007]

Originally Posted by SophiaG

The first time I got drunk....i felt sooooo depressed. I was crying all over the place. So i can relate to this.

I think small amounts of alcohol though, actually elevate mood? but as you progress in quantity it depresses your mood more. I forget where I read this.

Alcohol has been explained to me, as being a nervous system depressant, rather than a mood depressant. As in, it's a drug that affects your nervous system, slows down reaction time. But i guess it can mess with your mood as well?

*******************************************************
When I first start drinking I'm a happy camper, but if I drink to much I become depressed. My docs and therapists have always told me that alcohol does affect your mood...a downer.

[Tonyh]

Uhh, folks. I am a 47 year old man that is still living memories of my childhood. Why? Because at an early age my dad suffered from depression and took to alcohol as an escape. Needless to say by the time I was born he was an alcoholic and that is the only dad I knew. Either drunk in bed, or in physical fights with my mother. I suffer from depression, but will NOT take my dad's route. That will only make you feel as if the next drink will be the one that will make you better, etc. It never cured my dad's depression, it only made him think it did. The rest of us suffered looking at it.
The snow cone idea sounds like a much better one..

[SophiaG]

So we're triggering your trauma.

Sorry.

[Atlantis]

Originally Posted by Jazz007

The thing to be careful with is drinking an doing stupid things, since the alcohol can make u feel more depressed. That's what happened to me when I tried to commit suicide. I drank myself into such a depression that I took a lot of pills on top of it...wanting to end it all. Without the alcohol I probably wouldn't have done it.
So now I'm a lot more careful not to drink too much. Just learn from my mistake, never mix alcohol with drugs or ur meds.

I've said it before but I'll say it again...just because alcohol (ethanol) is a depressant doesn't mean it makes you more depressed. It merely shuts down the function of your brain and CNS, and lowers you inhibitions, which may cause you to do stupid things, or at least things you wouldn't do otherwise. At the other end of the spectrum, it reduces worrying and forefront thoughts that may be feeding your depression, hence its (temporary) antidepressant effect.

I'm not familiar with but have read about a certain depression caused by alcohol misuse, since it is a potent drug that does alter brain function, hence the depression when things go awry over time.

Ethanol in small doses does cause euphoria. Following the withdrawal the next day does increase anxiety and a feeling of "crushing sadness", but this is just your brain chemicals adjusting to the withdrawal, and things do get better. Dangerous, yes, but a solution, also. It's all about use verses misuse.

[Hellion]

Originally Posted by Atlantis

I've said it before but I'll say it again...just because alcohol (ethanol) is a depressant doesn't mean it makes you more depressed. It merely shuts down the function of your brain and CNS, and lowers you inhibitions, which may cause you to do stupid things, or at least things you wouldn't do otherwise. At the other end of the spectrum, it reduces worrying and forefront thoughts that may be feeding your depression, hence its (temporary) antidepressant effect.

I'm not familiar with but have read about a certain depression caused by alcohol misuse, since it is a potent drug that does alter brain function, hence the depression when things go awry over time.

Ethanol in small doses does cause euphoria. Following the withdrawal the next day does increase anxiety and a feeling of "crushing sadness", but this is just your brain chemicals adjusting to the withdrawal, and things do get better. Dangerous, yes, but a solution, also. It's all about use verses misuse.

There you have it, I mean it seems some people think CNS depressants are the polar opposite of SSRI anti-depressants which is not the case. Anyways I think its more the hangover that might contribute to more depressed feelings or over-use of alcohol can probably make one feel rather lethargic which can feed already existing depression in some ways.