Why do I feel sad after drinking?

After a session of heavy drinking, most people feel a certain amount of sadness or depression as part of a “hangover” the following day. Feeling sad after drinking is common and the intensity of the sadness may even strengthen as you get older.
Avoiding negative feelings that come after heavy drinking could be as unavoidable as dodging heat rays while standing under strong sunshine. That being said, there are ways to mitigate and manage the sadness that comes after drinking.

What causes sadness and depression after drinking?

“Sadness” is a broad, personal and subjective term, but it describes a negative outlook and state of mind. For most people, a night of heavy drinking almost guarantees that they experience varying levels of sadness throughout the following day.

Extended periods of sadness can lead to classifiable depression. Drinking usually puts us in a different or altered state of mind. We might choose to drink to celebrate or commiserate over the night, and the way we feel before and after our drink can be unpredictable.

For a long time, medical professionals have been interested in what causes the days after drinking to be filled with sadness and the relationship between alcohol and depression. One such historical example is the term “blue devils,” which was a 19th-century phrase used to describe upsets and hallucinations brought on by severe alcohol withdrawal. The term “the blues” came to be associated with the melancholic music we know today.

There are likely both physical and deeper, psychological causes for the state of sadness after a period of drinking.

Physical contributors to sadness after drinking

Some of the pervading sadness that comes after drinking can be attributed to physical reactions in the body. These can include:

Impaired physical ability the next day: Alcohol’s relationship with human physiology is negative. Research shows it hinders the brain’s signals to the body, slowing your movements and impacting your cardiovascular system. The day after drinking often feels like you’re in a detached state, where it’s harder for your body to listen to your brain’s messages to move.

Alcohol disturbs sleep regularity: After finishing drinking and choosing to go to bed, you’re likely going to experience major disruptions in the quality of your sleep. Research from the Sleep Foundation highlights how alcohol impairs the secretion of the sleep hormone melatonin. While some people believe alcohol helps them to fall asleep, alcohol ultimately damages sleep quality. This could contribute to feelings of sadness and despondency the next day.

Alcohol dehydrates you: Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it promotes water loss through needing to urinate more often. When waking up after a session of drinking, your brain might immediately scramble to think of where the nearest drinking water is. Being in a state of thirst can make you more irritable, needy and depressed.

Psychological contributors to sadness after drinking

On top of the physical contributors to sadness and depression the day after drinking, there can be a host of dark psychological reasons. These can be harder to pin down as they’re often more personal and specific to the person drinking. They can include:

Chemical imbalance in the brain: As you drink alcohol, especially during the first couple of drinks, you likely feel a surge in happiness, relaxation and confidence. This is because alcohol increases the activity of dopamine neurons in the mesolimbic reward pathway, or the “reward system.” These feelings are fleeting and can quickly make way for negative feelings of anger, depression and anxiety, leading to disorienting mood swings after alcohol. 

Amplifying emotions: Leading on from alcohol causing illusory happiness, you might find that alcohol can amplify or multiply the feeling or mood you already had before you took that first drink. Alcohol alters inhibition in the brain and many of us try hard to control our emotions. For example, if something happens to us that makes us angry, we don’t necessarily want to sit and seem angry as we drink with a friend. This is disrupted as we drink.

Alcohol leads to other unhealthy coping mechanisms: Alcohol’s inhibition-loosing ability can often carry us into decisions that aren’t good for our mental well-being. Your decision-making ability is impaired as you drink, and you might be more likely to take other drugs as you drink. In a drunken state, this might feel like a good decision, whereas you wouldn’t choose to take other substances when you’re free of alcohol. This means alcohol can instigate a dark cycle of dependency on other drugs or further drinking, leading to alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction.

What can I do to reduce sadness after drinking?

The physical and psychological contributors mentioned earlier might work in conjunction with one another. 

For example, you might drink with a friend on a night out to try and cheer up and alleviate something that is troubling you. The night felt fun, but the next morning, you feel hungover and physically impaired, so you give up on the day’s activities and responsibilities. Let’s say you choose not to go to a sports session, like boxing class, which is something you’ve been enjoying for the past few months. 

You experience more sadness through resigning from the things that have been giving you a sense of pride and achievement. Here we see how alcohol’s consequences can figuratively compound your sadness, or create a chain of negativity.

Combating these triggers of negativity isn’t easy, and there usually isn’t a silver-bullet solution or miracle cure. That being said, there could be a few actions to take that might make you less sad or depressed after a night of drinking. If you’re going through feelings of depression during a hangover, trying some of these activities might soften the blow:

• Fill your water bottle: This is probably the most common and practical advice. You’re going to feel dehydrated on a hangover, so make the effort to immediately drink more water in the morning. You could even apply a bit of pressure on yourself before you sleep, and force a pint or two of water into your system. This might make the morning feel more manageable.
• Get a snack into your system: Your appetite is likely to be disturbed on a hangover, and you can feel nutritionally imbalanced. Dry, or relatively bland snacks like toast and crackers may boost your blood sugar, and settle your stomach.
• Aim for recreational happiness: You might benefit from seeking a positive distraction. Making a conscious effort to absorb something positive like a cute animal video or comedy film can help a hangover. You could try setting a 15-minute timer and reading a good book, doodling, or learning to program music. Creative recreation isn’t easy while hungover, but it might provide some cathartic relief.
• “Accept” your state and talk to someone: We’ve seen how a hangover leads many people to resign from the day. While giving up on important responsibilities isn’t recommended, you might find that mentally accepting the fact that you’re in a compromised state could help you find relief. Some people find an abstract form of happiness in taking things as they are and accepting the outcomes of their choices, the hangover being the “consequence” and drinking alcohol being the “choice.” Then asking a loved one or relative to talk to you about your hangover or state of sadness might be beneficial.

These actions might help reduce or mitigate the pervading sadness or depression you feel after drinking. It may be the case however, that the sadness you feel is an indicator of a deeper physical or psychological issue that needs the support of trained psychologists or physicians. If you feel this could be the case, you may need to reach out.

I need help with the sadness I feel after drinking

If you’ve experienced any of the negative consequences or emotions mentioned today, we’d like you to reach out to us. You might tell yourself that feeling sad after drinking is manageable and you can deal with it alone.

But as we’ve seen, alcohol can have dire consequences and knock-on effects that damage your personal life and relationships. This might even be the relationship you have with yourself and your capacity for self-care.

Here at UKAT, we specialise in alcohol detox programmes. Our trained professionals offer medical support to remove the damaging effects of alcohol from your life. Our personalised care system gets to the core of the physical and psychological aspects of addiction. 

Reach out to us today to start your journey toward a healthier, alcohol-free life.