Best Treatment For Alcoholism And Depression

How Alcohol Changes Your Brain Chemistry

Any drug or substance that changes your brain chemistry can almost always fit into one of two main categories: depressants or stimulants. Depressants are substances that slow down or reduce the functioning of the nervous system.

These substances are known to relax you, but they can also worsen systems of depression. On the other hand, stimulants are substances that excite the nervous system. Stimulants make you feel more energetic, alert and can improve your mood.

Today, it is common knowledge that alcohol has many qualities of a depressant, but it does not fit solely into that category. When alcohol first enters the system, it acts more as a stimulant.

Alcohol triggers an increase in neurotransmitters associated with positive emotions such as dopamine as it enters the bloodstream.

Due to this increase, people have a greater sense of pleasure and feel freer to let go and have fun. This is why so many people believe self-medicating with alcohol works.

Unfortunately, the positive effects stop before long, and as soon as someone stops drinking and their blood alcohol content begins to decrease, the depressive qualities start to kick in.

Alcohol lowers the functionality of neurotransmitters that regulate energy, causing your overall energy level to drop, but this alone does not necessarily make depression worse. Alcohol also has the ability to mimic GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter.

Who Can I Call For Help With Alcohol Use Disorder

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration offers a hotline, 24/7, 365 days a year. Call 1-800-662-HELP .

Alcoholics Anonymous is available almost everywhere and provides a place to openly and non-judgmentally discuss alcohol problems with others who have alcohol use disorder.

A note from Cleveland Clinic

No matter how hopeless alcohol use disorder may seem, treatment can help. If you think you might have a problem with alcohol, call SAMHSA or talk to your healthcare provider. They can help you cope, make a treatment plan, prescribe medications and refer you to support programs.

Best For Teens: Memorial Hermann Prevention And Recovery Center

Memorial Hermann Prevention and Recovery Center

• Teen program located only at Houston, Texas, location

• No Medicare or Medicaid coverage

While the Memorial Hermann Prevention and Recovery Center does have programs for young adults and adults, its program for teens ages 13-17 helps it stand out. Treatment options include a medical detox, 30-day in-patient program, partial-day program, and the intensive out-patient program.

While there are out-patient PaRC programs in Houston, The Woodlands, Sugar Land, Clear Lake, Cypress, Pearland and Katy, the Houston location is the only one that offers services for teens. Accredited by The Joint Commission, there is a holistic approach to care. In-patient treatment includes shared rooms, nutritional education and recreational activities including equine therapy, art therapy, access to a music room, and field trips to local museums. Both in-patient and out-patient treatment include access to an on-site high school.

Throughout the program, you can expect teens to learn to use the 12-step system, while taking part in individual, group and family therapy. Once the program is completed, a year of aftercare is offered to keep teens on track for recovery. PaRC accepts over 20 insurance plans, including Aetna, Blue Cross of Texas, and Cigna Medicare and Medicaid are not accepted. To inquire about immediate admission or find out which program may be best for your teen, call 939-7272.

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The Main Types Of Depression

There are many forms of depression and we shall outline the most common forms of depression below:

• Chronic depression: this is when you feel depressed for two or more years. Chronic depression is typically mild in nature. However, because of the long-term nature of chronic depression, it typically has a negative impact on your life. Another name for chronic depression is persistent depression disorder
• Major depression disorder : this is the most common form of depression. MDD is characterised by feelings of unhappiness and sadness. For MDD to be diagnosed, you must continue to feel unhappy for more than two weeks. Your GP may recommend you take a short-term prescription of anti-depressants
• Bipolar disorder: this disorder is characterised by severe mood swings
• Post-natal depression: this occurs following the birth of a child. Giving birth is overwhelming and this overwhelm may cause some women to feel depressed. Its believed that around 20% of all women will experience some form of mental health issue following childbirth

Dual Diagnosis: Alcoholism And Depression

Alcoholâs depressant nature can cause or exacerbate depression, and this could have disastrous long-term effects.

âDual diagnosis of depression with alcoholism is a vicious cycle in which one reinforces the other. That is, one drinks to cope with depression as well as is depressed because of problematic drinking,â Matt Glowiak, PhD, LCPC a practicing therapist in Chicago, says, âWhen one depresses the mind of an already depressed individual, symptoms ultimately intensify.â

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Environment & Childhood Experience

A disorderly home environment or a history of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse in childhood can increase the chances of developing depression in adolescence or adulthood.12 Trauma therapy can be extremely useful for processing unresolved memories and healing the suppressed emotional wounds that can contribute to depression later in life.

Clinical Evidence Of Auds Contributing To Hippocampal Neurogenesis Deterioration

The lack of techniques to assess adult HN in vivo in AUD patients limits the available information in this regard essentially to postmortem or neuroimaging studies. To date, we have only found one study that has shown that alcohol would have a negative effect on HN in humans . Authors reported reduced numbers of three biomarkers representing different stages of the HN process: Ki67, as marker for cell proliferation, the sex determining region Y-box as stem/progenitor cell marker, and doublecortin as marker of neural maturation in the dentate gyrus in subjects with ongoing alcohol abuse. These results converge with previous findings in human with a history of drug abuse . Otherwise, neuroimaging studies allow the detection that alcohol abuse could also impair hippocampal volume. Indeed, some studies have revealed decreases in hippocampal volume in AUD patients, although these changes have been shown to revert with abstinence . There is also evidence of impairment in hippocampus-related functions as consequence of problematic alcohol consumption, effects that, similarly to those found in volumetric studies, could improve with abstinence .

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Knowing The Signs Of Clinical Depression And Alcoholism

Feeling sad from time to time is a normal part of the human experience. Also, alcohol is legal and consumed by a majority of adults in the United States. The point is that brief instances of sadness and mild-to-moderate alcohol use arent necessarily red flags but extended periods of grief and excessive drinking can be causes for concern2.

If you think your family member, close friend, or partner may have diagnosable co-occurring conditions, its important to be aware of the signs of each disorder. That way, youll be able to discern between normal and problematic behaviors and help your loved one get the care they need.

A person with clinical depression might:

• Lose interest in hobbies or activities they used to enjoy
• Become socially isolated
• Perform poorly at school or work
• Drink frequently or use drugs

If you observe these signs and behaviors but your loved one hasnt been diagnosed with clinical depression, the best thing you can do for them is help them seek proper treatment. A clinical psychologist or psychiatrist can diagnose and treat depression. Though if problematic drinking is also at play, dual diagnosis treatment will be the most effective course of action.

A person with alcohol use disorder might:

Alcohol Use Disorders And Hippocampal Neurogenesis Deterioration

Years ago, the proposal arose that alcohol abuse might exert its negative effect in the human brain through an induction of neuronal loss on the hippocampus. In agreement, animal models of chronic alcohol exposure have shown consistently that alcohol is toxic to hippocampal neurons, inducing cell loss. Subsequent studies have led to suggest that alcohol may result in hippocampal pathology and deterioration through effects on adult HN .

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Treatment Options For Alcoholism & Depression

Below, we briefly outline some effective treatment options that assist in helping you overcome alcoholism and depression:

• Medication: This has to be discussed between someone and a doctor, whether that be a primary care physician or a psychiatrist. You can use medication to help with recovery from AUD and MD, but it must be done in a safe, controlled manner and alongside a medical professional

• Rehabilitation: Going into rehab has a lot of different stereotypes surrounding it, but it can be an excellent way for someone to remove themselves from temptation and kick-start their recovery. Before choosing to check into rehab, it can be smart to research different facilities if you have the frame of mind to do so

• Therapy: There are a lot of kinds of therapy that can be helpful to someone recovering from AUD and MD. Some options are group therapy, DBT , one-on-one talk therapy, coaching, etc. The goal of all kinds of therapy is to give a person the chance to talk out what they are going through, receive the skills they need to overcome their disorders, and support them through challenges. Often therapy will be used in conjunction with one or more other treatment options

• Support Groups: This is the best way to build up a support system if someone does not have one. It allows them to meet other people that are going through similar things, who will not judge, and are from all different places in their journeys. For many people, support groups are the best way to find recovery

What Is Alcohol Use Disorder

Not everyone who struggles with alcohol misuse is addicted to it, but it can be helpful to understand warning signs and symptoms that put you at risk of developing an AUD. Alcohol use disorder is when a person can no longer control their alcohol use, compulsively abusing it despite its negative ramifications, and/or experiences emotional distress when they are not drinking.9

AUD is diagnosed based on an individual meeting criteria outlined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders . To be diagnosed with AUD, a person must meet at least 2 of the following criteria within a 12-month period: 6

• Drinking more alcohol than intended.
• Unsuccessful attempts to cut back or stop drinking.
• Experiencing symptoms of withdrawal when they stop drinking.
• Developing a tolerance for alcohol, which requires them to drink more and more to achieve the same level of intoxication as before.
• Drinking and engaging in risky behaviors, such as driving.
• Drinking even though they know it makes a physical or emotional problem worse.
• Engaging in the use of alcohol, even when it increases family conflict.
• Drinking to the point that the person cannot fulfill their roles at home or work.
• Giving up activities they previously enjoyed to drink.
• Spending a significant amount of time drinking or recovering from drinking.
• Strong cravings to use alcohol.

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Ad Treatment In Alcohol Use Disorders Depression And Hippocampal Neurogenesis

Several studies have led to the suggestion that reversing depressive symptomatology and HN deterioration could be a therapeutical option in cases of comorbidity between AUDs and depression. Given the potential of ADs to improve affective symptoms and promote HN, it is reasonable to assume that such treatment would benefit AUD patients. The following sections attempt to clarify these aspects.

How Alcohol Abuse Can Factor Into Depression

Can alcohol cause depression or vice versa? Research has shown that there seems to be a bidirectional relationship between alcohol use disorder and depressive disorders both disorders can exist together, each disorder increases the risk for the other disorder, and each disorder can worsen the other.7 Regardless of the order of which came first, AUD or a depressive disorder, both issues are among the most prevalent psychiatric disorders and co-occur often.7,8,9,10

Are you in need of substance abuse and co-occurring mental health treatment? Plenty of American Addiction Centers locations across the nation offer specialized co-occurring disorder treatment. today to discover your treatment options.

Its important to note that the co-occurrence of AUD and depressive disorders, specifically major depressive disorder and persistent depressive disorder, is associated with greater severity and worse prognosis than either disorder alone. This includes a heightened risk for suicidal behavior.7

Its a vicious pairing that can be difficult to overcome, however, treatment can be effective.

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How To Seek Treatment

If youre ready to seek treatment for alcohol addiction and/or are struggling with depression, American Addiction Centers can help. Alcohol.org is a subsidiary of AAC which includes a nationwide portfolio of rehab centers equipped to treat co-occurring disorders.

AACs therapeutic staff will address the comorbidity and can tailor your mental health and recovery treatment plans to offer you a comprehensive approach to manage your symptoms and start you on a path toward recovery. If youre interested in learning more about your treatment options, our admissions navigators are available to chat with you 24/7. Call our hotline at to get started today.

• Resources about addiction and recovery
• Information about our treatment process

Types Of Depressive Disorders

Depression can take several different forms based on the severity, duration, and cause of its symptoms. Depression may be best understood as a spectrum of moods rather than a series of separate, clearly defined categories.5

For the sake of diagnosing and treating this serious disorder, psychiatric experts have identified several categories. Along with these categories, there are a number of depressive disorders associated with specific life stressors, psychological conditions, or emotionally taxing situations. These situational disorders share many of the symptoms of general depression, but they occur under specific circumstances and may resolve once these situations are changed.

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The Role Of Antidepressants

Antidepressants definitely play a major role in treating depression, but you must not use medications as a crutch. If you suffer from alcoholism, its important to understand that alcoholism is itself a depressant.

It, therefore, does not make logical sense for you to consume an antidepressant if you also consume a depressant simultaneously. A much better idea is to treat the alcoholism before you look to tackle the underlying depression.

Whilst antidepressants may be effective for treating depression for many, not everybody will benefit from their use. If your antidepressants are not working, your GP may be able to increase your dose.

It may take up to two months before the symptoms of depression begin to improve whilst taking antidepressants.

Further, its always a good idea to analyse your life and look at ways of promoting your happiness in natural ways such as taking up a hobby or some form of physical activity.

Clinical Evidence Of Hippocampal Neurogenesis Deterioration Contributes To The Risk Of Alcohol Relapse

In the same way as in the previous sections, human studies provide indirect indicators of the role of HN, such as the volume and functionality of the hippocampus. In this regard, clinical studies found that deficits in hippocampal volume in AUD patients compared with healthy controls normalize over an abstinence period of 2 weeks and that hippocampal volume did not constitute a predictive factor for relapse risk in abstinent alcoholics . On the other hand, it has been observed that the hippocampal-dependent functions could continue to be altered even in prolonged abstinence , which could be a factor that, as other authors propose, would alter cognitive aspects linked to the risk of relapse . Information from clinical studies shows that the course of the AUD would be related to the functionality of the hippocampus and not so much with alterations in its structure. Unfortunately, like the previous section, we are faced with a lack of clinical evidence in this regard, since we do not have information on the role that newly generated neurons in the hippocampus would play on the learning and memory processes involved in prevent relapse.

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Will I Go Through Detox

You can expect to go through a detox, which involves stopping the use of alcohol . Detox is the first step to seeking treatmentbut should not be mistaken for treatmentand in many cases, will involve symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. Whether or not this detox takes place under the supervision of a medical professional is up to your treatment team. In some cases, alcohol withdrawal can be accompanied by severe symptoms, which should be a consideration when choosing supervised or unsupervised detox.

The Relationship Between Alcohol And Depression

Alcohol abuse and depression are very closely correlated. Many depression sufferers, especially ones who have not been properly diagnosed, often turn to alcohol to escape. Desperate to feel better or numb the pain, even for a little while, depression sufferers often use the pleasurable effects of alcohol for that purpose. Alcohol abuse is rampant among sufferers of depression. At least 30%-40% of alcoholics also experience a depressive disorder.

People are often seduced by the sedating effects of alcohol and use it as a kind of medication to help distract them from persistent feelings of sadness. Alcohol may appear to temporarily relieve some of the symptoms of depression. However, it ultimately worsens depression on a long-term basis. As consequences of alcohol abuse persist, depression worsens. This often leads to a damaging cycle of abusing alcohol to self-medicate symptoms of depression while the depression worsens due to the continued alcohol abuse.

Alcoholism can also cause depression in some circumstances. Prolonged alcohol abuse can drastically change and rewire the brain as well as impact many other chemical balances in the body. This is particularly true of the brains neurotransmitters, which send electric and chemical impulses and control a great deal of the body and minds functioning. These systemic changes can cause depression.

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