From genetics, biochemical factors, and illnesses, to aging, stressful events, and long-term pressures, depression is a complicated and highly serious medical illness that is actually more common than we realize. A poll taken in December of 2020 found that over 22% of surveyed Canadians report that they had been diagnosed with a form of depression throughout their lifetime. We can assume that these harrowing statistics have increased by now since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

 

Remember too, the numbers reported are only those who have been clinically diagnosed. Too often depression goes untreated and underdiagnosed for various stigmatic reasons.

 

One prominent factor contributing to depression is one’s over-reliance on alcohol. For starters, alcohol abuse accounts for a high number of fatalities in the United States, with an estimated 95,000 people dying from alcohol abuse-related accidents each year. In Canada, drunk driving is the country’s deadliest crime, accounting for an estimated 1,500 fatalities each year. With that being said, what a lot of people fail to account for are the deadly long-term effects that alcoholism brings, not just in accidents, but in situations where it causes depression and anxiety. 

 

The Alcohol & Depression Link

 

This brings us to the question: Is there a link between a high consumption of alcohol to episodes of depression? Research tells us the answer. In recent studies, it has been shown that there is a bi-directional relationship between alcohol abuse and depressive disorders. In fact, it has been noted that they end up both contributing to an extremely vicious cycle. Both alcoholism and depression can exist together, and the presence of one increases the risk and worsens the condition of the other. In other words, alcoholism can elevate the chances of depression, and depression can trigger someone’s desire to over use alcohol. 

 

This back-and-forth cause-and-effect situation is a common problem. The risk for someone who is depressed is to use alcohol to numb the pain of depression. While in the short term, you feel less pain, using alcohol for this purpose on a regular basis increases the severity of the pain of depression. In other words, a short term gain, but long term pain. Commonly enough, it can also ignite an episode of depression in people who weren’t supposedly suffering from a mental illness in the first place. Alcoholism can be extremely dangerous, and people who suffer from it are usually caught in an endless spiral from which they can hardly escape without constant support and professional help. 

 

How Depression Clinics Can Help

Alcoholism-induced depression is an extremely serious issue, and no one should go through it alone. That is why depression clinics such as My Winnipeg Therapist are here to help. My Winnipeg Therapist is a therapy and counselling service located in the charming city of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Our trained therapists are very effective in curbing many anxiety and depression-related issues and in turn improving the lives of people who suffer from a mental illness. 

 

If you are suffering from bouts of depression, or feel the need to talk to someone because you feel a weight on your chest, please don’t hesitate to reach out. The therapists at My Winnipeg Therapist believe that depression is never to be taken lightly, and that such a problem requires professional help, constant support, and valuable assistance from well-trained personnel. 

 

If it feels like everything is too much right now, we’re here for you.

 

For more information, please submit a no-obligation appointment request today.

Alternatively, you can reach out to us via phone at (204) 504-6976 or email info@mywinnipegtherapist.com.