If you’re wondering how alcohol affects your mental health, this page is for you. Many people use alcohol to cope with anxiety, stress, or low mood – without realising that alcohol could be making those feelings worse.
Many people use alcohol to cope with anxiety, stress or low mood without realising that it could be making those feelings worse over time. If you regularly drink alcohol and are wondering how it might be affecting your mental health, this page may provide some insight.
Subtle emotional changes can lead to chronic mental health disorders. That’s because alcohol can have a profound effect on your brain and mood, even if you’re only drinking what seems like a “normal” amount.
Whether you’re concerned about the link between alcohol and depression, struggling with anxiety after drinking or trying to understand how alcohol may be affecting your emotions, we hope this guide can provide some insight.
Connection Between Alcohol and Mental Health
Alcohol is classified as a central nervous system depressant, meaning it slows down brain function, alters neurotransmitter activity and affects how your body processes stress, emotion and energy.
In small amounts, alcohol may seem to reduce social anxiety, help you relax after a long day and temporarily numb emotional pain. In social settings, it can also make you feel more confident or present.
But these effects are always short-lived, and they almost always come at a cost.
As the alcohol wears off, your brain and nervous system enter a rebound phase, which can cause or exacerbate low mood, restlessness or panic, irritability, brain fog and insomnia.
The more frequently you drink, the more your brain begins to rely on alcohol to regulate your mood. Over time, this can lead to mental health conditions that may persist even when you’re sober.
Alcohol and Depression
It’s a common cycle; you feel low, drink to feel better and end up feeling so much worse later. Alcohol may take the edge off your emotions at that moment, but it ultimately disrupts the balance of serotonin and dopamine, the mood-regulating chemicals in your brain.
Why Alcohol Can Make Depression Worse
- It suppresses serotonin production, which is linked with increased sadness, hopelessness, and low motivation
- It disrupts sleep quality which contributes to fatigue, poor concentration, and emotional instability
- It lowers inhibition making you more likely to isolate or act impulsively
- It increases feelings of guilt, especially if drinking affects your relationships, responsibilities, or self-esteem
Long-term drinking is also associated with a higher risk of developing clinical depression, and this often goes undiagnosed because many people attribute their symptoms to stress, burnout or personality.
Alcohol and Anxiety
One of the most misunderstood aspects of alcohol use is its relationship with anxiety. You might drink to calm down only to wake up feeling on edge, your heart racing and your head spinning.
This phenomenon is sometimes called “hangxiety” which is a combination of physical withdrawal and psychological rebound.
How Alcohol Fuels Anxiety
- Increases GABA in the short term (calming)
- Triggers a glutamate surge later (stimulating)
- Spikes cortisol and adrenaline overnight (stress hormones)
- Depletes magnesium, B vitamins, and hydration (all important for mental health)
- Worsens long-term regulation of the autonomic nervous system
Over time, alcohol can rewire your stress response, making your baseline anxiety worse – even when you’re not drinking.
Alcohol and Trauma
If you’ve experienced emotional or physical trauma, alcohol might feel like a way to numb pain or disconnect from distressing memories.
For people with PTSD, childhood trauma, or attachment wounds, drinking can temporarily reduce emotional intensity – but it ultimately delays healing and can intensify trauma symptoms, such as:
- Hypervigilance and exaggerated startle response
- Intrusive memories or flashbacks
- Emotional numbing or dissociation
- Difficulty trusting others or regulating relationships
- Cycles of shame, guilt, and re-enactment
Alcohol also reduces the effectiveness of trauma therapy and can complicate the body’s ability to regulate itself through natural emotional processing.
Alcohol and ADHD / Neurodivergence
Many people with ADHD, autism or sensory processing issues may find themselves drawn to alcohol as a way to slow their thoughts, manage overstimulation or navigate social environments.
However, alcohol can also:
- Worsen executive dysfunction
- Increase impulsivity and risk-taking
- Interfere with ADHD medication
- Decrease overall focus, energy, and emotional regulation
- Create a dependency loop driven by the brain’s need for dopamine
This is especially relevant for people who use alcohol to mask symptoms or regulate overstimulation in neurotypical spaces.
Important: People with ADHD are around five times more likely to develop a substance use disorder than neurotypical peers.
Mental Health Conditions Linked to Alcohol
Regular alcohol use is associated with several diagnosable mental health conditions – even in people who do not consider themselves addicted:
Alcohol-induced conditions include:
- Alcohol-induced depression
- Alcohol-induced anxiety disorder
- Sleep disorders
- Mood swings and irritability
- Substance-induced psychosis (in extreme cases)
- Wernicke Korsakoff syndrome (alcohol-related brain damage due to B1 deficiency)
Even moderate but daily drinking can contribute to these conditions – especially if your body doesn’t have a chance to recover.
Emotional Withdrawal: The Invisible Cost
You don’t need to go through severe alcohol withdrawal to feel the emotional impact of stopping or reducing your drinking.
Many people experience low mood, irritability, fatigue, or anxiety in the early stages of cutting back – even if they aren’t physically dependent.
This is because alcohol artificially boosts your mood, suppresses your emotional responses, and overrides your brain’s natural chemistry.
When that artificial support is removed, the emotional system can feel raw and dysregulated until it finds its own rhythm again.
Recovery is possible, but it requires more than just quitting alcohol- it means supporting your nervous system, rebuilding self-trust and finding healthier emotional anchors.
Is Alcohol Affecting Your Mental Health?
You don’t need to meet the clinical criteria for alcohol addiction to experience severe emotional or psychological consequences from drinking. Even “moderate” or socially acceptable drinking habits can negatively impact your mental well-being over time.
If you suspect that alcohol might be affecting your mental health but aren’t sure about what to look for, here are a few signs: not sure whether alcohol might be impacting your mental health, here are some signs to watch for:
1. You Feel More Anxious the Day After Drinking
If you’re experiencing racing thoughts, agitation, trouble concentrating or feeling “on edge,” this may be alcohol-induced rebound anxiety or the early stages of emotional withdrawal.
2. You Rely on Alcohol to Feel “Normal”
Drinking to relax or sleep, using alcohol to get through social situations, and feeling like you can’t unwind without it is a red flag that your brain is beginning to depend on alcohol for emotional regulation.
3. You Notice Mood Swings or Emotional Blunting
Emotional “flatness” or disconnection from yourself, along with unexplained irritability or impatience, may be caused by alcohol, as it can suppress emotional range and interfere with the brain’s ability to regulate your mood naturally.
4. You Struggle With Motivation or Mental Clarity
Low energy, “brain fog”, difficulty getting started with tasks and apathy or lack of interest in things you used to enjoy are all symptoms and may not be “just stress”. They could be the neurological after-effects of frequent alcohol use.
5. Your Sleep Is Disrupted
Falling asleep quickly after drinking but waking up at 3 am, experiencing night sweats or vivid dreams and waking feeling unrefreshed or groggy could be occurring due to alcohol. Alcohol reduces the quality of REM sleep, which is crucial for emotional processing and memory consolidation.
6. You Feel Increasingly Isolated
Withdrawing from friends, cancelling plans, avoiding responsibilities and hiding how much or how often you drink are all symptoms and side-effects of alcohol-related mental health challenges. And the longer it continues, the harder it can feel to ask for help.
Supporting Your Mental Health Without Relying on Alcohol
Once you recognise that alcohol might be affecting your mental health, the next question becomes:
“What can I do instead?”
For people who’ve used alcohol to self-regulate for years, the idea of coping without it can feel overwhelming. But healing isn’t about going cold turkey overnight, it’s about discovering what actually supports your mind and body long-term.
Here are some sustainable, science-backed ways to protect and improve your mental health without relying on alcohol.
1. Prioritise Nervous System Regulation
Alcohol often becomes a shortcut to switch off stress.
So the first step is to find other ways to regulate your nervous system – without shutting down.
Try building small, calming rituals into your day:
- Breathwork (4-7-8 breathing or box breathing are good ones to try)
- Cold water exposure (cold showers or splashing cold water on your face)
- Gentle movement like yoga, tai chi or stretching
- Tactile grounding tools like fidget items, pressure blankets or textured fabrics
- Walking in nature- ideally with no phone
- Limbic calming: soft music, slow rocking, warm tea
These habits send signals of safety to your brain – and reduce the urge to self-medicate.
2. Create an Emotional Check-In Habit
Drinking often becomes a go-to response to stress or emotional discomfort because we don’t always have another option at the moment.
Start pausing to ask yourself:
“What am I actually feeling right now?”
“What do I need?”
“What would feel kind to myself?”
Even if you still pour the drink, this builds interruption space between impulse and action. This gap is where long-term change lives.
3. Nourish Your Body
Your brain’s emotional centre is highly responsive to what you eat, how you sleep, and how your body’s functioning overall.
If you’re reducing alcohol, focus on:
- Hydration – aim for two or more litres of water a day
- Blood sugar stability – eat protein with every meal to avoid crashes
- Supplements like magnesium, B vitamins, and omega-3s (consult a professional)
- Sleep hygiene – dim lights in the evening, keep a consistent bedtime, limit screens
- Movement that feels good, not punishing – walks, dancing, swimming, even cleaning
When your body feels more balanced, your emotions will too and the pull toward drinking often weakens naturally.
4. Fill the “Reward Gap”
For many people, alcohol feels rewarding so removing it can create a void. This is normal and expected.
Instead of struggling through the absence, intentionally add joy:
- A new hobby you’ve always wanted to try
- Music that lights you up
- Books or podcasts that resonate
- Comedy, absurdity, connection
- Making art, baking, building, journalling.
Your brain still needs a reward. The goal isn’t to eliminate pleasure it’s to reclaim it in healthier, more honest forms.
Talk to Someone Who Gets It
At Abbington House, we provide care on a deeply personal level. Many of our staff can relate to what you’re going through because they’ve been there themselves. They’ve experienced alcohol use disorders, worked through their own mental health struggles, and come out the other side with the help of programmes just like the one we offer.
When you speak to someone at Abbington, you’re talking to someone who truly understands. They’re not just here to help you recover, they’re living proof that recovery is possible.
You don’t have to do this alone. Whether or not you identify with “problem drinking,” your mental health matters, and if you feel as though your drinking is exacerbating your mental health condition and vice versa, it’s time to have a conversation.
Call us today if you would like to learn more about how we can support you.
