Does Depression Lead to Alcohol Use – Or is it the Other Way Around?
In a normal state, when we feel generally calm, the level of dopamine in our bodies is considered at baseline. When we experience pleasure, our dopamine spikes above baseline, and when we experience pain, it dips below baseline.
Our body (and brain) seeks homeostasis, the drive to maintain a condition of balance or equilibrium. If we chronically expose ourselves to substances or behaviors that release large amounts of dopamine in our brain’s reward pathway, we lower our dopamine baseline as the brain compensates for the spikes to reestablish homeostasis. The artificial stimulation from drinking makes us neurologically unable to experience the pleasure from everyday activities, such as friendship, reading, or sex. If we are unable to find joy in a situation, it’s not the lack of alcohol, but rather it’s because of alcohol abuse. This is the big lie of addiction – that alcohol provides benefit or enhances a pleasurable experience.
As our brain works to bring the spike back to baseline (in both short term and long term), feelings of depression occur. Furthermore, toxins from alcohol cause poor sleep, mood imbalance, personality changes, anxiety, and depression.
A study by Schuckit and Brown: A group of depressed men who also were addicted to alcohol, were put in a hospital where they received no treatment for depression and they had no access to alcohol. After four weeks, only 6% remained clinically depressed and 80% of them no longer met the criteria for major depression.
By depriving ourselves of a high-dopamine substance (in this case, alcohol), we allow our brain to again generate natural dopamine, so we can enjoy other things in a normal way, as before the chronic spikes.
The good news
is that our amazing brain can recover from alcohol abuse (in most cases) and returning to a normal state of thinking and feeling. Though it takes about 10 days for alcohol to completely leave the body, it will take many months to return the neural pathways to their normal state.
Depression will likely show up in the recovery period, but don’t let yourself believe it’s the absence of alcohol causing it. Just remind yourself that your brain is simply working on getting back to your pre-alcohol state.