There are many ways that cutting back or cutting out alcohol can make a positive impact on our mental health and overall wellbeing.
Drinking alcohol can have a negative effect on your mood, thoughts and feelings.
Over time, it can contribute to the development, or worsening of, mental health conditions including depression.
Cutting down or cutting out alcohol can boost your energy, improve your mood and build positive mental health.
Alcohol is a depressant that disrupts the brain’s chemical balance. It slows down the brain and central nervous system.
In the short-term, this can make you feel less inhibited and more relaxed. But these effects wear off quickly and can leave you feeling worse than before.
Good brain function relies on a balance of chemicals and processes that help regulate how you think and feel.
Over time, alcohol use can deplete the chemicals in the brain that naturally help maintain your mental health and wellbeing.
This can lead to:
The Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol advise that to reduce the risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury:
Depression affects 1 in 13 Australians every year. Depression has a variety of impacts and in serious cases it can make it difficult to go about your everyday life.
Experiencing sadness and low moods from time to time is often a natural response to life events. However, if you feel down and sad for no reason at all, and these feelings don’t resolve over time, this is a sign you might need some support.
Signs and symptoms of depression can be different for everyone.
They might be physical, emotional or behavioural. They can even impact the way you think and make decisions.
If feelings of depression remain for some time and interfere with your everyday life, seeking support early can be helpful to stop symptoms becoming worse.
The input and support of health professionals is key to treating depression. There are other things you can do which may help you to feel better:
While the input and support of health professionals is key to treating depression, there are things you can do for yourself. Some lifestyle changes that help relieve depressive symptoms and build positive mental health include:
There are many ways that cutting back or cutting out alcohol can make a positive impact on our mental health and overall wellbeing.
There are lots of changes you can make to help you manage life’s stresses without alcohol.
Alcohol can cause “hangxiety” and contribute to the development, or worsening, of anxiety.
Be Nice to Brain is a project developed by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE), endorsed and funded by the Tasmanian Government.
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