The role of alcohol in Mental Health problems

Alcohol plays a major role in many forms of mental health problems. The link is so strong that the government has published guidelines to help people use alcohol in a healthy way. Alcohol is not in itself problematic and the majority of people drink it without any ill effects on their lives. If, however, you are prone to depression or anxiety, or have a family history of alcoholism, then the very same substance can be a source of danger and even death.

Misuse of alcohol (drinking above the recommended limits) is often the result of self medicating to seek relief from depression or anxiety or the stress of everyday life. To some these recommended limits seem small.

***Recommended Weekly Alcohol Intake***
	Beers	Wines	Spirits
Men	10 - 11 pints	2-3 bottles	3/4 bottle
Women	6 - 7 pints	1-2 bottles	1/2 bottle
*Normal Strength Beer* : 12%abv wine : 75cl spirits (40 Proof)

In addition to these limits, the government recommends that people have two or three alcohol free days a week. These recommendations are not arbitrary but are the result of much research and learning.

Any psychiatrist or GP would find it difficult to tell if the symptoms which would be used to define depression, anxiety or panic syndromes were occurring in their own right or were the direct result of drinking above the recommended limits. It is vital to know that using alcohol to self medicate such symptoms will only lead to an increase in the symptoms from which release is sought. There will be a temporary relief but the next day the symptoms will have become a little worse.

If you have any fears about the amount you are drinking please get in touch. There are simple written tests which can help identify the real nature of your problem, and once that is established then meaningful help can follow.

Alcoholism is not the same as misuse and is not simply the result of drinking too much over too long a period of time, even though such behaviour may not be unrelated. It is vital that this illness is ruled out of your diagnosis prior to deciding on the best course of treatment. Our multi disciplinary team comprising both doctors and therapists is well placed to provide direct and proper advice in this area.