Have you been drinking and partying a lot lately? Or do you drink every now and then on the weekends to relieve stress and have a good time? Either way, you need to know the long term effects of alcohol use and how alcohol addiction can harm your mental health.
The impact of alcohol on the brain
There is plenty of research that has proven that alcohol can impact your mental and gut health. Drinking alcohol can change chemicals in the brain, which can further impact your energy level and turn your good mood into bad mood and aggressive behavior.
The impact of alcohol on chemicals in the brain can be understood because you feel drowsy after having had a few drinks. However, many people believe that a few glasses of wine induces a good night’s sleep, which is far from the truth.
Alcohol can seriously disrupt sleep patterns, which can lead to severe mood swings. You might fall asleep with a few glasses of wine. However, it will make you wake up with a headache, feeling tired and lacking rest. If you drink regularly you may want to understand how to stop drinking and restore the health of your vital organs.
Drinking can put you in a vicious cycle, which can affect your health, mood, and body. What’s more, poor quality is also linked to depression, anxiety and stress.
The impact of alcohol on the intestines
Heavy drinking can also have a severe impact on your gut feelings. You may have heard of leaky gut caused by leaky gut from drinking alcohol. That said, alcohol consumption can hamper certain vitamins, thiamine and folate, which allows more bacteria to enter your bloodstream freely, leading to inflammation in the body. So, the disastrous impact of alcohol on the gut can lead to certain mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety and stress.
The impact of alcohol on mental health
You may be wondering if smaller amounts of alcohol can harm your mental health. The point is, if certain alcohols, like beer, are taken in small amounts and in moderation, like one or two beers on the weekend, it won’t be harmful to your mental health. Some studies even support that when red wine is consumed in smaller amounts with meals, it can improve your mental health by curb depression. Nonetheless, if you think you tend to over-consume and have more wine than you need, you should avoid wine and instead rely on fresh grapes, as grapes contain healthy antioxidants similar to wine itself. and will not be addictive.
Understanding the vicious cycle of alcohol consumption
Did you know that a few drinks of alcohol every now and then can turn into a vicious cycle of alcohol consumption that leads to addiction and dependency problems? Heavy drinkers are prone to depression. It can be difficult to first differentiate the cause and effect of depression; However, many studies have proven that alcohol consumption causes depression due to the effects of alcohol on the brain and nervous system which are important in regulating our mood and behavior. That said, many studies have proven that by stopping or reducing alcohol consumption, mood can be improved and depression can be controlled.
People also make the mistake of taking antidepressants with alcohol, which leads to more addiction to alcohol. Antidepressants should only be taken if prescribed by your healthcare professional. Alcohol is also linked to self-harm and suicide. He makes people behave without judgment and act recklessly on their impulses.
Simply put, alcohol can induce impulsive actions and reactions, such as self-harm and suicide. Suicidal thoughts and suicidal behavior are strongly linked to alcohol problems – you will find countless cases where people who committed suicide were heavy drinkers. Excessive alcohol consumption can also cause hallucinations and serious mental illnesses, such as psychosis. It is important to note here that psychosis can also be the side effect of alcohol withdrawal.
Change Your Attitude Toward Alcohol With Mindful Consumption
While understanding that alcohol doesn’t solve any of your problems, on the contrary, it makes things worse than they are – you can commit to something better: mindful drinking. Start reducing your drinks, especially when you are a social drinker. You can, for example, decide to have only two drinks or to continue drinking only on weekends. After a few tries, you might feel strong enough to completely eliminate our alcohol from your life.
Conclusion
Although it is recommended to avoid alcohol and tobacco altogether if you do not want to become addicted to any of these substances, you should not drink more than two standard drinks once a week if you still feel like it. to consume alcohol. However, before you feel the urge for another drink, think about the harmful effects on the mind and body caused by drinking alcohol.
Interesting Related Article: “Tips for Detoxifying From Alcohol”