Will Quitting Alcohol Cure Your Depression? (Transcript)
This is purely from a layman’s perspective, I’m not a doctor… so it’s not medical advice.
In my experience, a lot of people drink because they’re depressed and other people become depressed when they’re drinking, or once they’ve started drinking. I used to have a bit of both. Sometimes I’d start drinking because I was depressed and other times I’d become really depressed [because of drinking]. Mostly the day after, when I had the dirty big hangovers.
Treatment and Causes of Depression
When it comes to the causes and the treatment of depression, everybody is different… no two people are the same. The one thing that caused depression in one person is not going to cause depression in another person.
Some people are able to cope with life better than others. It depends whether you’ve got a job that you like doing or you hate doing. Or whether you’re unemployed.
It depends on your social circumstances. Your family circumstances, whether you’ve got a family to look after. Whether There are people around who you can talk to.
The same goes with treatment. One treatment might work for you but it might not work for someone else.
It just depends on who you are, it’s an individual thing.
My Vicious Circle
Alcohol and depression, the more you drink alcohol, the more you’re relying on alcohol for your emotional support, your crutch, so regardless of your emotional level, you choose to drink. That’s the way I used to do it.
If I felt depressed… I’d drink, if I felt happy… I’d drink, if I felt sad… I’d drink. It really got down to a point that it was any excuse for a drink.
And for me, it was getting to the stage where it was these big blocks in my week that were being lost to the drink. I’d start drinking, go out for a full days drinking session in the afternoon and just drink all the way through. But then it was the sday after as well. And progressively it went to the day after that. Sometimes because of one day’s drinking I’d lose three or four days.
It was never one days drinking. As soon as I could feel OK to go out and sip a pint of Guinness, I’d do it the next day. It just became that vicious Circe. And that’s where the depression was for me.
My partner, on her days off, we used to go down for a walk on the beach. And all I could think about was where the pub was. I could either see it in the distance, or it would be in my head and I’d know exactly what I was going to order when I got to the bar. And as I was walking towards the bar, the taste buds would start going, and my mouth would start salivating [Pavlov’s dog!].
It was just one of those things. A holiday away just wasn’t a holiday without being pissed. It was all encompassing. And once you get to that stage, it’s a bad thing for anyone’s mentality.
Photo Credit
Darron Birgenheier on Flickr
Will Quitting Alcohol Cure Your Depression?
Will [quitting] alcohol cure your depression? Only you’re going to know that. For sure if it gets you out of that bind, out of that vicious circle, then… for me it did help!
Do I still get depressed? Of course I do, it’s just a natural part of life. You have those days where it goes up and down, one day you’re feeling really high, and the next day… There are a lot of things that cause a person to feel down.
But I have to say, for myself, when I feel depressed, if I sit down it the same as if I’m feeling bored. If I sit down and do nothing and think about it, and mope about it, and whinge about it, it doesn’t get any better. The only way I can cure my own depression is by getting up and doing something.
Exercises are a great thing for me. And I’m not saying that I go out and do a three, four, or five mile walk and come back and I feel full of ecstasy, it doesn’t work like that. But I feel better than if I didn’t do it. And maybe I can work through some of the things that are pushing me down, while I’m walking.
What’s Your Passion?
My Answer to the question again, will quitting alcohol cure your depression… I think drinking holds you back from so much, from so much opportunity. It keeps you imprisoned in this cell. It’s like you’re locked in this room where you can’t get out. Everything revolves around staying within these confines.
I think, once you quit drinking, you have to find other things to do. Otherwise you’re going to go back on the drink again. And once you find other things to do, it puts your mind into a different perspective. You think differently about things.
I think you’re opening yourself up to different opportunities. It takes a lot of work, it takes hard work, to move beyond the drinking and to move into other areas of your life. But I think the secret of happiness in this life is to find something that you’re passionate about. And to pursue that passion with all your heart. And if you do that, I think all depression goes, I think your boredom goes, it’s a recipe for a good life. No more addictions, just passion!
You’re not going to be passionate all the time about everything that you do, but it’s definitely drinking that’s [one of the things] holding you back. Giving up the drink is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
Thanks for visiting the site.
Until next time…
Onwards and Upwards!
Kev
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I must say this made me almost cry, I’ve been battling with drinking for a long time and up until the other day I realized I dont want to drink anymore cause it definitely holds you back from doing what’s passionate to you and it hurts people you truly love. I’m taking your fine words and going the extra mile this time. Thank you.