Alcohol and Suicide

Suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 50 in the UK. [1]

It’s also an extremely sensitive topic, because lots of people have been impacted by suicide in one way or another, or know someone who has been impacted.

It is a huge social issue that impacts countless people. However, what lots of people don’t realise is that suicide has links to the use of alcohol.

Specifically, people with an unhealthy relationship with alcohol – whether that’s an alcohol use disorder (AUD) or clinically diagnosed alcohol addiction – are more likely to struggle with suicidal thoughts.

What causes suicidal thoughts?

Suicidal thoughts are complicated, and deeply personal. Everyone who experiences suicidal thoughts does so in their own way, and it’s incredibly difficult to make broad, sweeping generalisations.

However, there are some similarities between people who have experienced suicidal thoughts, and their experiences and circumstances.

There are also some factors that can directly link in with the onset of suicidal thoughts:

• Low self-esteem: a person can have low self-esteem for a variety of reasons, whether because of their achievements, their physical appearance, or other beliefs about themselves. This can lead to a decline in a person’s perception of their own self-worth, which can in turn progress to the experiencing of suicidal thoughts.
• Abuse: whether its bullying, or domestic or sexual abuse, abuse can have a serious impact on a person’s wellbeing. It can make you feel small, and worthless, and it can be a serious cause of stress. For these reasons, abuse is related to suicidal thoughts.
• Trauma: if abuse, or other shocking personal events, aren’t fully dealt with, this can sometimes lead to trauma. Trauma is another condition that people often believe they know about, but in reality, it is a serious mental health condition, which can lead to a decreased wellbeing and suicidal thoughts.
• Pressure: everyone reacts differently to pressure, and some people find that pressure can be a huge source of anxiety. This anxiety can have a significant impact on stress, which is the next cause of suicidal thoughts.
• Stress: money problems and homelessness are two examples of circumstances that can lead to major forms of stress. If the problems feel like they can’t be tackled, this can lead to suicidal thoughts.
• Self-doubt: there are lots of factors that can lead to self-doubt, and this can include uncertainty about yourself. If you’re struggling to figure out or come to terms with your sexuality, or gender identity for example, this can lead to serious self-doubt, and that feeling can spiral out of control.
• Grief: grief is difficult to define, but everyone is likely to experience it in some form, at some point in their life. Grief can arise from the death of a loved one, or, even at the loss of a close personal relationship (i.e., the end of a romantic relationship).
• Mental illness: certain mental health conditions, such as clinical depression and anxiety, can lead to a person experiencing suicidal thoughts because their condition is so overwhelming. Not everyone with these conditions will experience suicidal thoughts, but mental illness does make this more likely.

So how is alcohol involved?

Alcohol is involved because alcohol abuse, or alcohol addiction, is often a major driving cause of some of these causes of suicidal thoughts and it can make plenty of them much worse.

For example, if you are already stressed about your financial position or your low self-esteem, an unhealthy or abusive relationship with alcohol is only going to make this worse.

Perhaps even more directly, alcohol is related to the onset of clinical depression and anxiety, and these are both major factors to consider when thinking about suicidal thoughts.

At Rehab 4 Alcoholism, we offer free advice from a team of non-judgemental professionals, many of whom are in recovery and understand how hard can be to change your relationship with addiction.

For more information about alcohol and suicide, simply reach out to our 24/7, confidential hotline on 0800 111 4108.

Alcoholism and depression

Alcohol is linked to depression in a variety of complex ways that aren’t necessarily straightforward.

There has been lots of research conducted on how the two are linked, and what is clear is that there is a relationship between alcohol and depression.

People with depression are more likely to have an alcohol use disorder or an otherwise unhealthy relationship with the substance, and people who already struggle with alcohol are more likely to have depression.

This is complicated, because it’s very difficult to separate how these two intertwined factors actually feed into one another.

But researchers who have studied the topic do believe that the two factors create a vicious cycle of behaviour whereby alcohol use worsens depression, and as depression worsens alcohol use increases.

So, while it isn’t automatically clear exactly how alcohol and depression are linked, research does show that people who drink heavily and have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol are more likely to struggle with depression.

This is relevant because as we know, depression is connected to the likelihood of experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Alcoholism and other mental health conditions

Depression isn’t the only mental health condition that is worsened or triggered by alcohol use and abuse.

In fact, many mental health conditions, like anxiety, OCD, bipolar disorder, and borderline personality disorder, are all connected to alcohol in some way.

Anxiety is a relatively common and diagnosable mental health condition that can be treated through therapy or medication.

However, due to the effects of alcohol and the symptoms of anxiety, alcohol is sometimes used by people as a form of self-medication.

This is because it is a depressant and can in the short-term decrease feelings of nervousness, and numb other uncomfortable feelings too.

Despite the short-term relief, using alcohol as a form of self-medication can worsen the symptoms of anxiety in the long-term, and it can create an alcohol dependency.

This can take the form of alcoholism, which is linked with higher rates of suicidal thoughts.

With OCD, bipolar disorder, and borderline personality disorder, alcohol is used in a similar way, as a form of self-medication.

Like with anxiety, this creates unhealthy patterns of behaviour, and relying on the substance as a coping mechanism can lead to alcohol use disorders.

The use of alcohol itself can also worsen the mental health conditions, and make it harder to receive successful treatment.

When alcohol is consumed alongside any mental health condition, it is of extreme importance that it does not interfere with or impact any medication that a person may be taking for those conditions.

When it is combined with medication, alcohol many nasty side-effects can be triggered, ranging from mild to extremely severe.

At Rehab 4 Alcoholism, we offer free advice from a team of non-judgemental professionals, many of whom are in recovery and understand how hard can be to change your relationship with addiction.

For more information, simply reach out to our 24/7, confidential hotline on 0800 111 4108.

The relationship between alcohol use disorders and suicide

Alcohol use disorders, or AUDs, are the broad category which encompasses the spectrum of alcohol-related issues from alcohol abuse to alcohol dependency.

Alcohol abuse is a term for an unhealthy and damaging relationship with alcohol.

It could include frequent binge drinking sessions, or the consumption of lower amounts daily.

It is intentionally a broad term, as it aims to capture the wide range of experiences of someone who is struggling with their relationship to the substance.

Alcohol dependency, alternatively referred to as alcohol addiction or alcoholism, is a disorder characterised by signs and symptoms such as intense cravings for alcohol, and the presence of withdrawal symptoms when it hasn’t been used.

Alcohol dependency can come from years of alcohol abuse, or a shorter period of time, and will result from an excessive or too-frequent consumption of alcohol.

It takes a heavy toll, both physically and mentally, and is linked with a wide range of physical and mental health conditions.

Both alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency, as alcohol use disorders, are related to an increase in suicide rates and suicidal thoughts.

This is through their impact on other mental health conditions (such as increasing the likelihood of depression) and through their impact on the causes of suicidal thoughts: loneliness and isolation, low self-worth, and stress.

Are alcohol and suicide connected?

With a vast quantity of research on the topic, as well as the lived experiences of countless people, it is abundantly clear that alcohol and suicide share a dangerous link.

It isn’t immediately obvious, or clear why they are linked, but research shows that alcohol use and abuse feeds into the causes of suicidal thoughts, and is also linked to the onset and worsening of many mental health conditions.

At Rehab 4 Alcoholism, we offer free advice from a team of non-judgemental professionals, many of whom are in recovery and understand how hard can be to change your relationship with addiction.

For more information, simply reach out to our 24/7, confidential hotline on 0800 111 4108.

What are the main alcohol and suicide statistics

• Research has shown that people who abuse alcohol are up to 8x more likely to die by suicide.
• In addition to this, people living with alcoholism are at between 10% and 15% risk of suicide over their lifetime – well above average figures.
• Finally, over 20% of alcohol related deaths are attributed to suicide.

At Rehab 4 Alcoholism, we offer free advice from a team of non-judgemental professionals, many of whom are in recovery and understand how hard can be to change your relationship with addiction.

For more information about alcohol and suicide, simply reach out to our 24/7, confidential hotline on 0800 111 4108.

Age as a risk factor

The people who are most likely to die by suicide in the UK are men. Men are also more likely to suffer from alcohol use disorders.

Another significant risk factor is age. Younger people are more likely to attempt suicide – and are also some of the most likely age groups to bring drink – but older adults are the most likely age group to complete a suicide.

Therefore, age is a complicated risk factor, and it isn’t immediately clear how alcohol interacts with that.

The consequences of alcohol and suicide

The consequences of suicide, whether it’s linked with alcohol or not, can be devastating for families, friends, and communities.

People can feel guilt and blame associated with suicide, and worryingly, this can lead to alcohol use and abuse as a method of dealing with grief, bereavement, or those feelings of guilt.

Alcohol use as crutch to deal with emotions is never healthy, and often leads people to make wrong decisions or deal with things in an unhealthy way.

If you have had to deal with the consequences of suicide, and you notice that you’re not feeling how you expect, you should seek professional support from a mental health practitioner.

They can help you to come to terms with the way you’re feeling in a health way that does not rely on substance abuse.

At Rehab 4 Alcoholism, we offer free advice from a team of non-judgemental professionals, many of whom are in recovery and understand how hard can be to change your relationship with addiction.

For more information, simply reach out to our 24/7, confidential hotline on 0800 111 4108.

How drinking less can help

If you are concerned about your own alcohol use, and you are aware of the link between the substance and suicide, the main step you can take to help yourself if to reduce your consumption of alcohol

Seriously reducing your alcohol consumption will help you to gain control over your life.

It’s likely that you will also, with time, find that symptoms of mental health conditions (such as depression) start to become more manageable, and less pronounced.

However, you may find that any level of alcohol use at all is harmful for you, especially if you are also living with a mental illness.

In that case, you should consider accessing professional help and support.

Getting help for yourself or a loved one

If you are experiencing an alcohol use disorder, or suicidal thoughts, a referral to a mental health practitioner may be helpful.

You may be able to access therapy to help with your thoughts and feelings, and this might also help you to manage your relationship with alcohol.

If you’re finding that your alcohol use is preventing you from successfully accessing help, this could be a sign that you require professional help from a rehab clinic.

A rehab clinic will help you to recover from your negative relationship with alcohol, through medical treatment, cognitive behavioural therapy, in addition to support groups.

After your time in rehab, you may find that you’re more able to manage any mental health conditions (including suicidal thoughts), and you could even find that symptoms lessen because you’ve stopped using alcohol.

There are lots of options should you want help for alcohol related concerns about suicide, so researching the topic will help you to find the best fit for you.

At Rehab 4 Alcoholism, we offer free advice from a team of non-judgemental professionals, many of whom are in recovery and understand how hard can be to change your relationship with addiction.

For more information about alcohol and suicide, simply reach out to our 24/7, confidential hotline on 0800 111 4108.

There are also emergency hotlines that you can contact if you are experiencing a mental health crisis and believe you are at imminent risk of harming yourself, such as Samaritans who can be contacted for free, any time, by calling the number 116 123.

References

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/men-urged-to-talk-about-mental-health-to-prevent-suicide

[2] Alcohol and depression https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2010.03351.x?casa_token=gDDqd-SnBugAAAAA%3AfBQkzbUCBuxJj5mMwlDxOYpEhb5UY7cQr6N_kTXpn8jDUb_WMWXXer780vjqh98R5Y23R3xCqiMN4Xuj

[3] Suicidal Behavior and Alcohol Abuse https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2872355/