Find support for Alcohol and Mental Health
It’s now unfortunately very common to experience mental health issues or symptoms alongside an alcohol addiction. Caused by a range of pressuring stimuli, diagnoses of depression, anxiety and panic disorders are especially high.
Through experiencing mental health conditions, it’s easy to see why many individuals require a personal coping technique, to work through spikes of symptoms.
Alcohol consumption is often used as a stress reliever and as a suppressant. Unfortunately, it can amplify mental health vulnerabilities when consistent misuse of alcohol is apparant. Are you trying to cope through alcohol consumption?
Alcohol consumption has been normalised to the point of binge drinking and its use as a coping strategy, which’s in fact inducing addictive behaviours for many individuals.
Discount pre-existing mental health issues in this situation, but excessive alcohol exposure is, in fact, causing many concerns, damages, and consequences
One of those consequences again highlights the relationship between alcohol and mental health, where excessive traces of alcohol are found to increase the risks of mental health issues for users.
The stark realism of alcohol and mental health is that they are dual diagnosis, both causing a multitude of problems for one another. For those who are struggling through either, without support or treatment, a dual diagnosis can easily amount.
If you are managing your mental health with alcohol or have found that alcohol abuse is impacting your mental health, treatment is available for you here at Asana Lodge.
Offering a safe and personal process, aiming for physical and psychological recovery, consider dual diagnosis treatment from our reputable centre.
Get In Touch
Are you suffering from alcohol addiction and mental health issues and need help? If so, Asana Lodge is a leading UK based experts in Dual Diagnosis Treatment. Find out how we can help by getting in touch with our friendly team today. You can either call our confidential helpline or request a callback by clicking on the below form.
The Effects Of Alcohol On Pre-existing Mental Health Issues
Living with depression, anxiety, panic disorders and further compulsive behaviours can be extremely tough. Numbing to the symptoms of mental health issues is therefore a common step for sufferers. As symptoms can become life-altering, opting for a quick but effective coping strategy is also usually the aim.
Seen as just that, alcohol is found to be one of the most supportive coping strategies for sufferers, down to its accessibility and ability to taper down the severity of outlooks and feelings.
While in the moment of consumption, alcohol will provide support, on withdrawal, it can in fact worsen mental health symptoms, while also increasing the requirement of greater alcohol levels.
By feeding into such feelings, to combat symptoms and to fulfil cravings, here’s where alcoholism can develop in tandem with mental health problems, doubling the degree of suffering, side effects and damages.
Every individual who experiences mental health issues will not look towards alcohol for respite. However, it is sadly an attractive asset throughout dark and uncontrollable feelings, showcasing the connection between alcohol and mental health.
In the midst of such advancement, where mental health issues have influenced an alcohol use disorder, dual forms of treatment will be required.
Mental Health Symptoms Of Alcoholism
Consuming consistent and excessive levels of alcohol can lead to an addiction diagnosis. Such diagnosis will ultimately mean that users will be moving through a cycle that includes initial influence, consumption, withdrawal, remorse, and emotional response, soon returning to influence.
Throughout the ongoing movement of such a cycle, it’s clear to see how much of an emotional roller coaster that this process creates. Such emotional responses, paired with the influence of alcohol are known to aggravate the development of mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression.
The highs of alcohol abuse are always followed by the lows, which fully backs the toxic relationship that alcohol and mental health have. Such adaptations with the results of alcoholism are known to place users into a negative spiral, suppressing mental health, self-awareness, and perspective.
Again, such a relationship will need professional intervention, in the form of treatment, to unravel the causes, side effects, motivators and consequences of dual diagnosis.
Symptoms Of Common Mental Health Conditions
There is a vast amount of mental health conditions that are diagnosed regularly. Each condition will carry unique causations, symptoms, and consequences. However, there are a broad range of symptoms that do reflect many common mental health conditions, which should be made aware of.
- Low in mood
- Irritability
- Withdrawal from everyday life
- A drastic change in behaviour and attitude
- Sleep problems
- Physical health problems
- Low energy
- A lack of motivation
- Panic and anxiety
- Jumping to conclusions
- Irrational and illogical responses
- Isolated from others
- The use of suppressants, such as alcohol
As mental health conditions can vary in form and degree, it is important to be aware of such symptoms and whether alcohol is playing a part in your experience.
Treating A Reliance On Alcohol And Mental Health Issues
To recover from and lead a quality life, treating both reliances on alcohol and mental health issues will need to be aimed for. This is something we specialise in here at Asana Lodge, by offering dual diagnosis treatment programmes.
The key asset to our offering is that we will assess your mental health, to understand the type and degree of condition that you’re encountering. We will also consider the role that alcohol plays, and whether it has been a primary or secondary influence.
From here, we can recommend treatment services that benefit both alcohol and mental health problems yet target each individually for optimal recovery. For example, cognitive behavioural therapy will benefit both conditions, yet will work at its best through separate approaches. Relapse prevention will again benefit both yet will be activated separately to strengthen efforts.
Through this approach, health, wellbeing, and recovery can be secured, along with long-term recovery prospects.
Aiming For Physical And Psychological Recovery
Throughout dual diagnosis treatment, both physical and psychological recovery must be aimed for. There’s a high chance that you may feel like your alcohol fixation may be affecting you physically and that your mental health issues on a psychological basis.
To truly heal, both your body and brain will need to restore and realign to reach a state of compressive recovery. This is something we are very passionate about here at Asana Lodge, ideal to target a dual diagnosis.
Look to work through your problems, before they amount to dual conditions. Alternatively, if you’re already struggling through both alcohol and mental health problems, it’s vital to understand the severity of such a diagnosis.
Contact our team for appropriate treatment and support.
Dr. Olalekan Otulana (Advanced Practitioner) - Clinical Reviewer - Last Reviewed: 17/12/2023 6:00 pm
Dr. Otulana is a highly skilled General Practitioner and Addiction Specialist. He possesses extensive expertise in the field of Substance Misuse Management and boasts a diverse background in evaluating, overseeing (including detox procedures), and overseeing the residential recovery of individuals grappling with various drug and substance addiction issues. His primary goal is to conduct thorough assessments of patients dealing with addiction issues and determine their medical detoxification and psychological treatment requirements. Dr. Otulana is well-versed in caring for patients who need dual drug and alcohol detoxification therapies.
In addition to his medical qualifications, Dr. Otulana is a proficient healthcare professional who holds a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree from the prestigious Cambridge University Judge Business School.
