Does Drug And Alcohol Addiction Affect Your Mood?

Drugs and alcohol go straight to the brain, the central hub of everything you think and feel. There’s a reason why you feel happy, elated, free, uninhibited, or whatever positive emotions come to you when you are intoxicated on drugs and alcohol. Mind altering substances tweak the dopamine system in the brain which signals your brain about pleasure. There is also a reason why, after using drugs and alcohol repeatedly for some time, you can start to feel less happy, or even depressed- especially when you are not intoxicated on something. Not only can drug and alcohol addiction affect your mood, it can cause permanent disorders. Additionally, drug and alcohol addiction is commonly a side effect of a preexisting mood or personality disorder. When mind altering substances interact with an already-altered mind, there can be a drastic change in mood.

A key indicator that your mind has become chemically dependent upon drugs and alcohol is that your mood is quite different, if not completely opposite than normal. Here are signs that your addiction has altered your mood.

• You are more fearful than you’ve ever been. Drugs and alcohol can induce anxiety, especially when you start experiencing symptoms of withdrawal. An addicted brain uses anxiety as a way to get attention and signal that it needs more substances. However, anxiety can also be a side effect of drugs, particularly amphetamines and other stimulants. Anxiety taken to the extreme can result in paranoia and psychosis.

• You don’t get angry. You can’t even feel anger. Instead, you feel as though you don’t have much a care about anything. Not necessarily depressed, you simply can’t muster up the interest to show emotion. Depressant drugs like opioids can cause this effect in which someone becomes essentially sedated.

• You don’t get angry…you explode into rage. Explosive rage is commonly showed in videos of people who are high on volatile drugs like synthetics. Rage due to cocaine and alcohol are common as well. Unable to regulate emotions of any kind is a sign that your mental health might be suffering under drugs and alcohol.

• You are more impulsive. Impulsivity is a characteristic of addiction and can be an early warning sign that someone is susceptible to becoming addicted. Drugs and alcohol can act as a gateway to impulsivity. You make more reckless, inconsequential decisions which often time wind up hurting you in some way.

Change follows action. If you’re ready to take action in your life when it comes to drug and alcohol addiction, Design For Change Recovery Center is here to show you the way to freedom in recovery. For more information about our life changing programs, call (877) 267-3646.