East Bay Area Therapist Specializing in Depression, Self Esteem, Abuse and trauma, Grieving losses, Relationship Issues, Lesbians & Queer issues, and anxiety, with 25 years of experience.

Dear Cynthia... > Depression and Alcohol

Depression and Alcohol
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sweetpotato
4 posts
May 09, 2010
11:30 PM

Dear Cynthia,

I have been consuming about 2 glasses of wine a night for almost a year. I stopped for 3 weeks in March and then resumed. My therapist feels like this habit is escapism and may be adding to my depression and insomnia. He feels like I use it to slow down my thoughts of worry over the past, present and future. When I stopped I still couldn't sleep through the night. His suggestion, which I am trying, is to have a half a glass and to not multitask when drinking.

What are your thoughts?

Cynthia
290 posts
May 10, 2010
9:07 PM

Hi Sweetpotato,

Your therapist knows you much better than I do, so I couldn't disagree with him readily. I can say that in general, alcohol adds to people's depression and interferes with sleep. There are better ways to get relief from worry too. But people don't always fit the generalities, so you have to see what is true for you. Experiment and notice effects carefully.

Cynthia

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Cynthia W. Lubow, MFT

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