Posted by Meri-Tuuli on January 31, 2007, at 14:30:33
In reply to Re: Drinking Alcohol on Lexapro - WHY NOT ?, posted by Simcha on January 31, 2007, at 13:51:47
The thing is, I think alot of this confusion arises with the words.
'Depressed' means anything which is lower than normal, be it in spirits, pressure (weather systems), ground level, etc etc.
So when people say alcohol is a 'depressant' they mean it lowers the CNS - like Link said about benzos. Benzos are depressants like alcohol is. They lower the activity of the CNS.
Now, having a lowered CNS does not make you 'depressed' in the mental/psychiatric/pscyhological sense of the word, ie you have to have had at least two weeks of lowered mood etc.
Obviously if you're binge drinking or whatever and indulging in behavours that are likely to make you depressed mentally (like having fights/arguing with people/ringing up exs/whatever you do when you lose inhibitions).
And again, obviously if you're drinking too much you may feel depressed as in you're crying your heart out (like some of my girlfriends do regularly) but argubly that isn't 'depression'.
Anyway the point I am trying to make is that when people say 'alcohol is a 'depressant' they often use it thinking that it makes you depressed pscyhologically, when in fact, science says that alcohol is a CNS depressant. Which is different from psychological depression.
Anything can be 'depressed' -- the CNS, ground level, your mood, low pressure weather systems, etc.
Am I making any sense?
Does anyone at all see what I'm trying to say?
poster:Meri-Tuuli
thread:727844
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070125/msgs/728476.html