Why is alcohol a “depressant”, but makes you feel less depressed while drinking it?

Question

Why is alcohol a “depressant”, but makes you feel less depressed while drinking it?

In: 105

Answer 1

A *depressant* slows your chemical signals – you can see this in drunkenness by the way you’re slower to react to things, you’re slower to think of something, your words slur.

Now compare that with a *stimulant* like cocaine. People high on coke often talk a mile a minute, they bounce around the room, they’re making new connections and coming up with a dozen new ideas a minute, etc.