A qualitative study of drinking to cope with depression

This paper is part of a larger presentation titled 'Novel approaches to understanding and treating comorbid depression and alcohol misuse' which will be presented at a scientific meeting. The presentation will inform attendees of the theories linking depression and problematic alcohol use, will outline the evidence on the potential explanations for this association, and will discuss new ways to prevent and provide treatment to individuals struggling with both depression and alcohol misuse. The research presented will feature results of studies conducted with individuals ranging in age from adolescence to adulthood. The present paper describes the results of an analysis of interviews of individuals in late adolescence and early adulthood who reported drinking to cope with depression. This analysis aimed at identifying the common ways alcohol affects depression in these individuals. 16 participants (12 women and 8 men), aged from 18 to 25 years old who drink to cope with depression were interviewed. The analysis revealed that participants reported effects of alcohol on their thinking, their relationships with others, their mood, their interpretation of events that happened to them, and their sleep, and reported that some of these effects persisted the day after drinking. These results highlight important treatment targets for psychological interventions designed for young people and aimed at addressing depression and alcohol misuse that occur simultaneously.