Alcohol & Mental Health: The Connection You Shouldn’t Ignore
At Abbington House, we don’t just ask how much you drink, we ask why. Because behind most alcohol struggles is a deeper story. One of stress, sadness, anxiety or trauma that’s been quietly building. And for many, alcohol is how they’ve been coping.
If this sounds like you, you’re not weak for needing relief, but you do deserve better than a cycle that keeps you stuck in a toxic relationship with alcohol.
The Invisible Link Between Alcohol and Mental Health
Many people drink to cope with feelings of anxiety, depression, stress or past trauma — but over time, alcohol can actually make those issues worse. This creates a never ending cycle:
- You feel anxious or low, so you drink to take the edge off
- The drink works for a while
- Over time, alcohol changes your brain chemistry, disrupting sleep, increasing stress and lowering your mood the next day
- Now you feel worse, so you drink again.
The longer it goes on, the harder it is to tell which came first, the drinking or the distress.
Alcohol & Mental Health Disorders are Common
Nearly half of problematic drinking is associated with co-occurring mental health disorder. At Abbington House, we’ve worked with thousands of people facing both alcohol addiction and mental health conditions like:
- Depression – Low energy, loss of joy, guilt, and emotional numbness
- Anxiety – Panic, intrusive thoughts, restlessness, fear of social situations
- PTSD – Flashbacks, hypervigilance, emotional shutdown
- ADHD – Impulsivity, emotional overwhelm, executive dysfunction, chronic burnout.
Many people don’t even realise they’ve been living with a mental health issue.
Why Mental Health Must Be Part of Alcohol Rehab
You can’t treat alcohol addiction in isolation if it’s been someone’s only way of coping.
That’s why our approach at Abbington House is:
Mental Health-First
Before we talk about alcohol, we look at your stress load, trauma history, emotional regulation, and mental health symptoms. We build a picture of the person, not just the addiction.
One-to-One Trauma-Informed Therapy
Our therapists are trained to recognise the signs of trauma and long-term mental health struggles, even when you’re not sure how to talk about them yet.
Nervous System Rebalancing
Anxiety and emotional distress aren’t just in your head, they live in your body. That’s why we use breathwork, somatic practices, and mindfulness to help you feel safe again without the need to reach for alcohol.
Root Cause Exploration
Instead of just helping you “stay sober,” we help you understand why alcohol became a crutch in the first place and what needs healing underneath it.
When You Don’t Know If It’s Mental Health or Alcohol Causing the Problem
The truth? It’s often both.
- Anxiety may push you to drink.
- Drinking makes anxiety worse.
- Depression may feel numbed by alcohol.
- But alcohol deepens the depressive crash.
It’s a two-way street, unless both issues are treated together, neither gets better.
At Abbington House, we don’t treat the alcohol separately from the mental health. We treat the human being in context with compassion, clarity, and care.
You Deserve Support That Sees the Full You
If you’ve ever thought:
“I don’t even know why I drink, I just feel awful.”
“I’ve been on antidepressants but still end up drinking again.”
“I’m scared if I stop drinking, everything will come crashing down.”
You’re not alone, many people who come to us for treatment struggle with these issues.
At Abbington House, we help people gently untangle the emotional and psychological knots behind their drinking, but also provide the necessary tools to build resilience.
Ready to explore what’s really going on beneath your drinking?
We’re here to listen, without judgement. If alcohol has become your coping mechanism, it’s time to find new ways to feel safe, supported, and whole.
Contact us today for a confidential chat.