Alcohol is part of our culture and is often found in most social situations. While in moderation drinking doesn’t cause many problems the number of those who drink to excess has risen dramatically. People are starting to drink at a younger age and we are drinking more.

How does alcohol actually affect our brain? Well alcohol has something in common with most other drugs and this is that it affects our brain and we like it. Unfortunately our system becomes tolerant to small quantities of alcohol, so we start drinking larger quantities to maintain the same effect. The consequence being that we drink more and more to feel the same and there’s nothing that is going to stop us from becoming an alcoholic.

Alcohol can also cause;-1) Dementia - Whereby we loose our memory, similar to Alzheimer’s dementia. 2)Psychosis - Nasty as you begin to hear voices.

3)Dependence - if you stop drinking, you get withdrawal symptoms such as shaking, nervousness and (sometimes) seeing things that aren’t there. 4)Suicide - 40% of men who try to kill themselves have had a long- standing alcohol problem. - 70% of those who succeed in killing themselves have drunk alcohol before doing so.

Are alcohol and suffering from depression related in any way? We do know that there is common ground between the two when to comes to people who inflict pain on themselves and those who attempt suicide. There is also evidence that proves that the brain undergoes chemistry changes while under the effects of alcohol. Other alcohol related problems include depression, family problems, poor work performance and both memory and sexual performance have a negative affect.

Alcohol is a great instrument for helping us to just blank out our problems, but the effect won’t last for ever. Alcohol really can make us feel relaxed and is a great aid when it comes to socializing. We can really open ourselves up to people and it really can help you to meet someone, but we can’t maintain the charade for very long.

Being depressed is not a nice way to feel and people tend just reach out for alcohol as it always seems to be the best option for coping with life. Unfortunately alcohol will just turn into another form of medicine for depression and the only result in to drink more and more and more. So should you feel that the time has come to stop drinking, first just admit that you have a problem with booze. Then look for help and I would recommend that you start taking a look at a blog that is provided by stopdrinkingadvice.org and you will soon see why.