Drinking and depression

Ashmita Chakraborty explains the dangers of drinking and depression…

We all know that (binge) drinking in the UK is on the rise. Used in games and nights out as a form of bonding, socialising and measuring up to what ‘fun’ is defined to be; young 18, 19 and twenty-somethings’ like us are thrown into the rollercoaster that is university with a bottle of vodka, complimentary condom and invites to every club night henceforth.

Many agree that alcohol is the key to a fun freshers’ fortnight. A little drink can definitely take the edge off a new, quite intimidating environment filled with people we don’t know and are forced to go out with. It makes you feel more comfortable in a strange place you now call home and bonds you instantly to the stranger down the hall. However, drinking centred socials often mean that alcohol is increasingly prevalent throughout university life. And, when ‘letting off steam’ means “letting us get through half a bottle of Tesco’s value rum”, the culture seems almost dangerous.

Did you know that according to the NHS, about 1 in 3 men and 1 in 6 women may develop some sort of health problem caused by alcohol? Even more relevant are the results of the Student Beans 2011 survey, which found that out of 2000 students;
– 37% could not remember how they got home after a night out
– One in two have missed a lecture or a seminar because they drank too much the night before
– And more than a third have been injured after drinking.

It is extremely likely that you or someone you know can identify with one of these statistics. But, it is also very possible to know someone connected to the even darker aspects of binge drinking at university: it is a complete lifestyle change and has the potential to uproot one’s mental health. According to the Guardian, the number of students who took their own lives in England and Wales rose by 50% between 2007 and 2011, despite the number of students as a whole rising by only 14%. Pairing this rise in mental illness with budget cuts in the NHS, it is no wonder why students fall victim to depression and the binge drinking culture of today.

The relationship between alcohol and depression is complex. Alcohol can be used as a coping mechanism and ultimately exacerbate underlying or previously undetected depression. Because alcohol is a depressant, it decreases the body’s capability to reduce anxiety naturally – meaning that the more you drink, the more alcohol needed to ‘numb’ the feelings associated with anxiety. For anyone, this binge drinking can become cyclical and in many cases is the reason for depressive episodes in students. For those with depression; estimating the right amount to drink in order to maintain the initial feelings of euphoria becomes much harder. On the other hand, it becomes even more likely to crash down into anxiety due to alcohol’s depressive traits. It is clear that students often find themselves harming their mental health by falling victim to the vicious cyclicality of drinking culture.

The International Business Times stated that in 2015, a quarter of the UK population will suffer from a form of mental illness, with mixed anxiety and depression being the most common. Because of this, it is really important that we as students are more conscious of how common mental illness is and adapt our culture to support those who endure it. Alcohol should by no means be the central focus of the modern university experience. It is the universities, students unions and students themselves that are responsible to make this a reality.