Why does alcohol make stress and depression “go away” almost instantly but is making it worse in the long run?
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Imagine your brain is like a superhero headquarters. Sometimes, when you’re feeling sad or worried, it’s like there’s a little problem in the headquarters. Alcohol seems like a magic potion that can hide the problem for a short time, making you feel better.
But, here’s the tricky part: while it helps for a little while, it can also make the superhero headquarters weaker in the long run, so it’s harder to fight the problems. So, even though it seems like a quick fix, it’s better to find other ways to help the superhero headquarters stay strong and solve problems.
It’s borrowing from future you to give to present you. Future you will be bankrupt before you even get there
1) Alcohol trips your dopamine buttons a little more than usual : you feel good
2) Alcohol runs out, dopamine goes back down: anxiety, depression, regret
Over time, alcohol becomes the ONLY thing that can get you to even basic levels of dopamine. But you have to keep drinking more and more quantities to get you back to that high you felt in step 1. Eventually, even that doesn’t work, now you’re just drinking to forget about how sad and depressed you are. Or because you’re now physically addicted to it.
Source: am recovering alcoholic
I quit drinking cold turkey. I’d been a heavy drinker for years. I’m now going through severe panic attacks
Who says it’s worse? Not worse just later – my .02
The Answer to and the cause of all of life’s problems. Imagine the worst possible feeling in the world and you aren’t capable of stopping it on your own. Nor are you able to make that feeling the only thing you feel an think about 24/7. It’s incredibly hard I imagine for those who are capable of putting things into perspective, or comprehending being better off or for the best, being thankful for what you do have,get over it, etc,etc is that some people’s brains are not capable of doing that. I can tell you this, and it’s extremely important. More than anything in the world they wish that they could. More than all the riches of the word. It’s never about choosing to wallow in misery etc. (I’m sure there are exceptions, but it’s most likely not the friend or family member you are thinking of right now) Regardless if even the feeling is doing more damage than the situation. If it doesn’t make you feel “better” because of a short respite of time where period of time you “don’t care” or the feelings come out in an uncontrollable weeping torrent. Anything seems like a better option than the overwhelming and 💯constant feeling of wanting to literally claw yourself out of your own body or die.
(Before any comments Iknow it’s proverbial, but I was trying to describe the sensation). I do it so I know this the term “self medicating” is like a candy coat description. It turns into medicine for your sorrows then inevitably your brain and body are completely addicted and it’s for everything.
Edit: sorry. I deleted the 2 sentences of my original answer and it ended up being a… diatribe? Paragraph at best. I really hope one person on the world reads it and takes something from it because it is the most difficult thing I’ve ever written.
I mean lets say my problem is that I have to take care of my families pet all the time and that I have a sexless marriage. Seems like the only way to go is just forget?
ELI5: as you drink alcohol your brain heightens the chemicals in your body to help keep you alive. The more alcohol the more its trying to keep you alive. It takes awhile for those heightened levels return to normal (anywhere from a few days to a week or two). In that heightened state your body is more prone to things like the shakes and anxiety. Alcohol makes stress easier to bear but will mess your body up in the long run.
TLDR: Alcohol makes you think the internal boo boos are gone but they are still there when the alcohol wears off.
The same mechanisms apply to most substances that are introduced to the body that have a psychoactive effect – neurotransmitters.
When you take a substance, it can have multiple ways of interacting with those messenger systems.
But remember, the body is constantly fighting to have a balance of them. Once you upset that balance, the body has to try hard to keep it’s balance.
Take for example ecstacy, a well-known dopamine releasing agent. After the brain releases more dopamine than it’s used to, users frequently report a “hangover” or “depressed” effect the next day. The body’s reserves are depleted in a sense and it has to work hard to either reuptake them or produce more, which is why most users will feel better after a few days.
This same principal applies to most substances humans commonly consume for a psychoactive effect. The difference may be found in what transmitters are affected and abuse potential – a whole nother story, but essentially any substance that produces a profound effect on conciousness can be addictive)
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