Most people drink alcohol to alter their moods or their mental state because alcohol can ease a person’s feelings of depression and anxiety but only temporarily. Alcohol abuse or having too much to drink can have adverse effects on our physical and mental health. People with more severe mental health problems tend to have more alcohol problems than the rest of the population.  Long term misuse of alcohol can cause a wide range of mental health effects. Alcohol misuse not only harms the individual but is damaging to relationships and society in general in terms of violence and crime.

The adverse effects of alcohol on mental health are following:

• Alcohol misuse is not only toxic to the body but also to brain function and thus psychological well being can be adversely affected by the long-term effects of alcohol misuse.
• Long-term drinking can result in permanent brain damage and serious mental health problem.
• Binge drinking can cause blackouts, memory loss and anxiety.
• Alcohol affects the parts of your brain that control judgment, concentration, coordination, behavior and emotions.
• Alcohol alters the chemistry of a person’s brain, helping to ease some negative feelings.
• Alcohol depresses the Central Nervous System, and this can have the effect of making us less inhibited in our behavior.
• Alcohol can reveal the underlying feelings we have. This is the reason why people who drink become aggressive or angry when they become intoxicated
• Chronic alcohol misuse can cause panic disorder to develop.