Alcohol Is the Enemy of the Bipolar Brain
Combining bipolar illness with alcoholism may make both conditions much worse
As a former mental health nurse and recovering alcoholic, I write a lot about alcohol use and mental health. To my mind, not enough has been done to educate the general public about the dangers of alcohol use combined with mental illness. I have witnessed many people fall through the cracks in the health care system and I myself have struggled with severe depression and anxiety that resolved when I quit drinking.
Experts have found that mental health disorders (particularly anxiety) are exacerbated by alcohol use. This is because the same symptom of alcohol withdrawal is anxiety, and this symptom can occur after only one episode of heavy drinking (defined by more than one drink for a woman and two drinks for a man on one occasion). Anxiety is a symptom that is often at the root of many mental health disorders. Research is beginning to show that anxiety may even plague those who drink moderately. However, when alcohol use turns to binge drinking (defined by more than four drinks for a woman and five for a man in one episode), anxiety symptoms become even more pronounced.
The effect of alcohol on the brain and nervous system can be severe. Alcohol withdrawal causes the nerves to be extra…
