Are 2 Shots of Vodka Every Morning Safe for a Teen with Anxiety and Depression?
#TeenAlcoholUse #Anxiety #Depression #HealthRisks
– Looking for advice on daily vodka consumption before school
– Concerned about being labeled an alcoholic
– Impact on mental health and well-being
– Searching for clarity on potential health issues
– Seeking guidance and support for coping without alcohol
There is no “safe amount” of alcohol to have, it’s a poison and while there are saf*er* amounts to drink no amount is really that great for you.
The issue is that by drinking alcohol to get through the day you are cultivating emotional dependence on a substance to deal with distress which is troublesome especially when the distress gets bigger than school – and that’s how plenty of people begin their journey into alcoholism downing an entire bottle when a particularly stressful event occurs. You’re also robbing yourself of the opportunity to learn to self-regulate without the alcohol.
If you feel like you truly need chemical aid to get through the day, it’s time to see your doctor for a talk about mental healthcare options which can include medications which are actually intended to help you through things like this (and are far less harmful than alcohol).
Absolutely there is a risk. Like another fellow medical student said, any amount is toxic to your body, there isn’t a “maximum” your body can handle without getting some kind of damage. Drinking in the long-term will take a toll on your liver, gut, brain, blood vessels, kidneys, and other key organs as they are either trying to constantly filter the toxin out of your body, or are directly damaged by it.
You’re a young person, at your age it is very easy to catch onto lifelong habits, drinking alcohol is a very potent and I’d say often deadly habit I’ve had the displeasure of seeing be the cause of palliative care too many times. I’ve seen a 35 year old man get told by a doctor that he is going to die due to his alcoholism, his liver was completely failed and he wasn’t going to qualify for a replacement due to the shortage of livers being reserved for non-alcoholics, as alcoholics can’t be trusted to take care of their replacement either. The patient’s mother was sat right next to him and had to hear him say that to her own son.
It seems like a small amount, but it adds up over a year, and you will become dependent on it as well. I can’t stress enough that you seek medical help from a doctor, your mental health will not improve with alcohol. It is a short-term solution that brings a much worse long-term problem caused by dependency on a psychological and biological level. I don’t know what having MDD is like and I’m sorry you have to suffer with it, I’ve been told people with it would rather lose an arm than live with it. But please don’t go down the path you are going, there are people who can and are more tha happy to help you any way they can, I can guarantee that as a future doctor. Please take care x
Can you clarify your full med list? If you’re taking lithium and morphine like you mentioned in another comment, alcohol use could be much more dangerous.
Based on your descriptions, you would very much so likely meet criteria for alcohol use disorder. I also am worried you are 18 and taking opium daily. I would encourage you to take this pattern of alcohol use very seriously–being only 18 and using alcohol like this is very very concerning. Although 2 drinks a day could already cause problems, if your use escalates from this at all (even weekends, weeknights, etc) or you experience tolerance and start using more, you likely will begin having very real damage to your liver and other organs. I promise, death from alcohol use disorder is very nasty. Please tell your psychiatrist
Having an ‘eye opener’ most days is a major sign of alcohol abuse.