In America, about 14.1 million adults suffered from alcoholism.

In addition to that, about 1 in 4 American adults also have a mental health disorder. With that many people having both disorders, there are bound to be some adults that have both disorders.

What’s the relationship between alcohol and mental health? Does one trigger the other? Read here for everything you need to know about these two issues.

1. People With Mental Health Issues are More Likely to Have Alcohol Problems

Mental health disorders and alcohol abuse go hand in hand. Sometimes the alcohol abuse will make mental health problems worse, and then the mental health problems can lead to more alcohol abuse.

It’s not uncommon to see both problems in patients, which is why people with mental health problems should be careful when consuming alcohol.

2. Alcohol Affects Mood

Alcohol affects mood a lot, and drinking can lower your inhibition. When you drink a lot, that means that you will have lower personal constraints.

Alcohol can also affect your ability to rest and recuperate, which your body will really need help with if you have a mental illness.

If you can’t sleep, you will have lower energy which can be a trigger for making your mental health worse.

As a depressant, alcohol will also affect your central nervous system which can affect your mood and numb your emotions.

3. Alcohol Can Affect Your Mood Even After You’re Done Drinking

Even when you’re done drinking, it can affect your mood as well.

It will even change the chemistry of your brain which can really make your mental health problems even worse.

It will decrease the level of serotonin, which is the main chemical that plays into depression.

4. There Are Different Treatments for Alcohol and Mental Health

There are all kinds of different treatments to help with alcohol and mental health.

If you want to treat both issues at the same time, you can check out these dual diagnosis treatment centers.

You can get a sequential treatment which will consist of six weeks to develop coping skills. And then there will be six weeks of processing trauma.

You can also get concurrent treatment. This will treat a mental health disorder or your alcohol abuse first and then treat the other problem next. That way you have enough time to focus on both problems.

You can also opt for integrated treatment. This treatment focuses on CBT, which has been effective in treating mental health problems.

5. Alcohol Can Actually Make Stress Worse

If you are stressed, this can be a big trigger for making your mental health disorder.

However, some people turn to drink when they are stressed.

However, studies have shown that alcohol affects the release of stress hormones, which can make it worse and lead to a harder recovery and worse mental health issues.

Get Help for Alcohol and Mental Health

If you feel like you have issues with alcohol and mental health, you should try and seek help.

Without treating these two issues, they can snowball out of control and make things even worse.

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