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Mental health

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Depression/Anxiety/Alcohol

4 replies

NorthLondonmum83 · 24/10/2018 09:39

I hope this is the right place to post as it's not exactly an alcohol support thing....I have had some issues with depression and in particular anxiety before, but have developed plenty of coping mechanisms (enormous amounts of running, a great therapist, and trying to sleep well despite my children!). CBT has hugely helped me, I've felt generally like I'm on track and I talk openly with friends and family about mental health and things I do to make sure I'm ok.
I suddenly feel a bit derailed...I don't drink very often, having children close together and breastfeeding means I have gone at one point 3 years without. Now that the kids are not babies I've found myself occasionally getting a babysitter, going out with my husband or friends and, well, drinking a bit. Getting I guess a bit drunk? A few glasses of wine...not steaming, more on the tipsy side. And I then feel - and I mean for like about a week, no joke - absolutely horrendous. Weepy. Tired. Unreasonable. It's happened about 3 times - over the past few months every time I go out and drink to what I suppose is excess...So I've stopped doing that.
I've now found that even say a glass of wine, god forbid two, is disrupting my sleep, and causing me to feel like this. Am I over-reacting or have other people felt this way? I realise that excessive drinking often would kind of derail my mental health but I haven't felt that what I was doing was enough to really warrant it! Tbh I wouldn't care if I just gave up altogether, but I wondered if this was common?

OP posts:
NorthLondonmum83 · 24/10/2018 09:42

And sorry just to add...I guess like many, many people I find the thought of giving up altogether difficult, it's so normal socially to drink something! I've been in baby-land for so long I'd forgotten how it's a normal think to have a drink in your hand...I wonder if it might be for some people (i.e. me) kind of incompatible with good mental health?

OP posts:
Over50andfab · 24/10/2018 09:56

Well done for managing effective coping mechanisms for your problems. You don’t say that you are on any medication, otherwise I’d be suggesting that the clash between pills and alcohol could be causing you to feel like this.

Alcohol on its own can cause problems, even small amounts for some. Perhaps you are particularly susceptible to this? I get that you don’t want to stop drinking totally, so how about trying cider or lager instead when you go out and see if that has the same effect.

Over50andfab · 24/10/2018 10:00

Sorry - I misread - you’re not bothered if you stop totally. FWIW when I started drinking after kids I could never drink to the same level as I did before and 1 glass of wine was enough to make me fall asleep

dangermouseisace · 24/10/2018 14:23

I get what you’re saying. I did dry Jan and found that in drinking again, just a couple of units could leave me feeling mentally crap the next day. Alcohol is a depressant, so it makes sense that if you are already vulnerable to feeling that way it wouldn’t take too much to nudge you in that directikn.

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