A man looking sad while sitting on a white couch and drinking alcohol.

Why drinking alcohol is bad when you’re depressed

Alcohol is a depressant both in terms of its classification and its effects on the brain.

Why is alcohol a depressant?

Alcohol slows down activity in the central nervous system (CNS).

More specifically, it:

  • Increases GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), a neurotransmitter that inhibits brain activity, leading to relaxation or sedation.
  • Decreases glutamate, which normally excites the brain.
  • Lowers serotonin and dopamine over time, despite giving you a temporary boost.

At first, alcohol might make you feel relaxed, more social, even euphoric, but that’s short-lived.

The sedating and numbing effects kick in more heavily as your blood alcohol level drops.

By the way, that’s why you “need” to keep drinking if you wish to maintain the same “high” that alcohol gives you.

Why is alcohol bad when you’re depressed?

Drinking can make things worse if you already struggle with depression.

Here’s how:

  1. It worsens mood in the long run

Alcohol disrupts brain chemistry, particularly serotonin, which is crucial for mood regulation.

Regular or heavy drinking can aggravate depressive symptoms over time by lowering baseline serotonin concentrations.

Boden and Fergusson (2011) discovered that alcohol misuse considerably increased the risk of major depressive disorder and vice versa.

The relationship is bidirectional, meaning each makes the other worse.

  1. It affects sleep quality
    Image of a man lying awake in bed, unable to sleep, with the clock reading 4:24.

Alcohol might help you fall asleep faster, but it disrupts REM sleep and increases nighttime awakenings.

While it helps me fall asleep a bit faster, I do notice that I wake up more frequently during the night.

  1. It increases rumination and hopelessness

Many people experience increased anxiety, guilt, or emotional numbness when the initial buzz fades.

Alcohol can amplify negative thoughts during the hangover or comedown phase.

  1. Higher risk of self-harm or suicide

Depressed individuals are already vulnerable, and alcohol can lower inhibitions and impair judgment, leading to impulsive actions or self-destructive behaviors.

Darvishi et al. (2015) found a strong link between alcohol use and suicide risk in those with mood disorders.

  1. It interferes with treatment

Image of a failed psychology session.

Alcohol can blunt the effects of antidepressants and make therapy less effective.

People might also skip medication or miss therapy appointments when drinking is involved.

  1. Alcohol fuels the depression-anxiety cycle

Depression and anxiety often go hand-in-hand.

While alcohol might initially calm nerves, it rebound-triggers anxiety, particularly the next day.

I know that drinking alcohol eases my anxiety by making me not care as much about my problems, but I always end up feeling even worse the next day.

This creates a vicious cycle:

Drink to ease anxiety or sadness → feel temporarily better → wake up more anxious, irritable, or emotionally flat → feel worse → drink again.

This cycle heightens both emotional instability and dependence.

  1. It causes inflammation

Chronic alcohol use increases systemic inflammation in the gut-brain axis.

Recent research shows that inflammation (elevated cytokines like IL-6, TNF-alpha) is linked to depressive symptoms in some people.

Felger and Lotrich (2013) reviewed how inflammation contributes to altered neurotransmitter metabolism, neuroendocrine function, and brain circuits involved in mood.

If you’re already struggling with inflammation-related depression (common in chronic illness, stress, poor diet), alcohol just adds more fuel to the fire.

  1. It damages the gut microbiome
    A woman suffering from stomach pain in bed.

A healthy gut is closely tied to mental health.

Alcohol disrupts gut bacteria, increases intestinal permeability (“leaky gut”), and adds to neuroinflammation, which affects how your brain regulates mood.

Gut bacteria help produce neurotransmitters like serotonin and GABA. An imbalance (dysbiosis) can worsen depressive symptoms.

  1. Financial stress and lifestyle spiral

Regular drinking can lead to:

    • Increased spending.
    • Missed work or low productivity.
    • Neglect of daily routines (nutrition, exercise, hygiene).

While these consequences don’t seem huge at first, they slowly erode mental health and strengthen feelings of worthlessness, shame, or hopelessness.

  1. It emotionally numbs you
    A sad dark skinned woman drinking alcohol.

While some people drink to feel less, emotional numbing is a double-edged sword:

    • You also feel less joy, less connection, less purpose.
    • This leads to emotional blunting over time, where even the good things don’t feel good anymore.

This numbing effect can stall healing in therapy, where emotional processing is key.

  1. Alcohol affects brain structure

Long-term drinking affects:

    • The hippocampus (memory + emotion regulation).
    • The prefrontal cortex (judgment, impulse control).
    • Neuroplasticity (your brain’s ability to adapt and heal).

These brain regions are already compromised in people with depression. Alcohol further slows or reverses brain recovery.

  1. It masks symptoms, delaying real treatment

If you use alcohol to manage emotions, you might avoid facing the root cause of your depression.

This can delay proper diagnosis, therapy, or medication, allowing things to worsen over time.

  1. Alcohol reduces motivation and drive
    A woman drinking alcohol on the couch with a laptop on her lap while holding her head.

Depression already makes it hard to get out of bed, stick to routines, or pursue goals.

Alcohol makes this worse by:

    • Increasing apathy.
    • Draining energy the next day.
    • Making small tasks feel even harder.

This intensifies the sense of failure and helplessness that many people with depression already struggle with.

  1. It impairs communication and relationships

Alcohol can cause:

    • Increased irritability or mood swings.
    • Poor decision-making during arguments.
    • Withdrawal from loved ones (notably when drinking alone).

This can lead to conflict, isolation, and broken support systems right when connection is most needed.

  1. It lowers resilience to stress
    A distressed man smoking a cigarette while sitting on his bed.

You’re more likely to manage stress through coping strategies such as talking, exercising, and problem-solving when sober.

But under alcohol’s influence, you:

    • React more impulsively.
    • Struggle to regulate emotions.
    • Avoid rather than address problems.

This shrinks your emotional coping capacity over time, making you feel overwhelmed even by small things.

  1. Alcohol interferes with neuroplasticity and therapy progress

Therapies like CBT and EMDR rely on your brain’s ability to form new connections and reprocess emotions.

Unfortunately, alcohol:

    • Dampens neuroplasticity.
    • Makes it harder to absorb new insights or behavioral changes.
    • Can cause memory lapses that limit therapy effectiveness.

It can basically slow down or stall the therapeutic process.

  1. It affects hormonal balance

Alcohol disrupts essential hormones like:

    • Cortisol (stress hormone).
    • Testosterone and estrogen (mood and motivation).
    • Insulin (affects energy and mood via blood sugar).

Even moderate drinking can throw your endocrine system off, making mood regulation even harder in those already vulnerable.

  1. It increases impulsiveness and risk-taking
    Image of a couple arguing.

This can lead to:

    • Unsafe sex.
    • Reckless decisions.
    • Escalated arguments or violence.
    • Self-harm or suicide attempts.

Alcohol can remove just enough inhibition to turn a passing thought into an action when someone is already depressed.

  1. Emotional hangovers can last longer than physical ones

Even after the physical hangover ends, many people report:

    • Emotional numbness.
    • Lingering guilt or shame.
    • A dip in self-worth.

These “emotional hangovers” can last days and pull you further into depressive thinking.

  1. Drinking culture often reinforces avoidance
    A group of friends drinking alcohol on the couch.

Society often normalizes drinking as a way to:

    • Escape.
    • Unwind.
    • Cope.

But joining in can reinforce the idea that you must numb pain instead of facing it when you’re depressed.

It keeps you stuck in a pattern of avoidance rather than growth.

Why do people with mental struggles often drink?

Many people with depression self-medicate by drinking to numb pain, ease anxiety, or escape, but that relief is short-term and backfires.

It’s like putting a band-aid on a deep wound. It doesn’t fix the root and might even make it worse.

For me, it dulled the pain and worries in my head, making it an attractive option to deal with my issues.

Healthier alternatives to alcohol
Image of a young woman running in nature while listening to music.

  • Exercise (boosts endorphins and serotonin).
  • Mindfulness or meditation.
  • Therapy (especially CBT, which targets negative thought patterns).
  • Journaling or creative outlets.
  • Support groups or talking with trusted friends.

Final note

Alcohol is a depressant, and drinking can intensify the low, sabotage recovery, and increase emotional risk if you’re dealing with depression.

It may feel like relief in the moment, but it’s more like quicksand in disguise.

Alcohol is not just unhelpful; it’s actively working against you. True recovery often begins when you stop numbing and start feeling again, even if it’s messy at first.

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