Alcohol and mental health

Last updated: December 2025

Some people use alcohol to try to manage symptoms of stress, anxiety, or low mood, but drinking alcohol carries risks and can make symptoms worse. Managing your alcohol consumption and getting the right support are crucial to good mental health.

Alcohol has been described as ‘the UK’s favourite coping mechanism’, and many of us do drink alcohol to try and help manage stress, anxiety, depression or other mental health problems.[1] [2] [3]

In a survey commissioned by Alcohol Change UK, over half of people who drink alcohol (53%) said they did so for a mental health reason – such as feeling anxious, stressed or worried, feeling bored, having trouble sleeping, or feeling sad or low – at least once in the past six months.

Unfortunately, although alcohol can help us feel relaxed initially, the effects are short-lived and can lead to long-term negative consequences.

Alcohol can affect our mental health in many ways. The survey mentioned above found that four in ten people (44%) said drinking alcohol had made their mental wellbeing worse, experiencing increased anxiety, trouble sleeping, memory issues, sadness, or irritability.

• As the immediate feeling of calm after drinking fades over time, you may feel worse than before.
• Over time, alcohol can lead to low mood and anxiety, by making symptoms of many mental health problems worse.[4] [5]
• Alcohol can disrupt your sleep cycle, making you feel less rested and more vulnerable to mood changes.[6]
• Hangovers can be particularly difficult, with the usual headache and nausea being accompanied by feelings of depression or anxiety.
• Using alcohol in this way can mean that the underlying mental health problems aren’t addressed.
• Relying on alcohol to manage mental health problems can mean that drinking alcohol gets in the way of other activities or puts a strain on your relationships – further undermining your mental wellbeing.

Alcohol use can be both a cause and a consequence of mental health problems, with some using alcohol to self-medicate, creating a cycle which can be difficult to break.

For that reason, managing your alcohol intake is one way of reducing your risk of developing mental health problems.

In the UK:

• Studies of the general public and large groups of workers show that people with common mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, or phobias, are around twice as likely to have an alcohol problem or to drink in harmful ways, compared to people without these conditions.[7]
• Young adults who drink in harmful ways are much more likely to have depression and other inward-focused mental health problems, suggesting that the link between harmful drinking and these conditions starts early in adulthood.[8]

Reducing the amount of alcohol you drink may help you manage or improve your symptoms. This does not necessarily mean that everyone must stop drinking alcohol completely.

If you do have mental health concerns, it may be helpful to consider the following:

• The UK Chief Medical Officers’ low risk drinking guidelines recommend that adults should not drink more than 14 units of alcohol each week, spread evenly over three or more days. That is roughly equivalent to about six pints of lager, or six standard glasses of wine, spread out over three or more days, and with a few days off alcohol each week.
• If you are taking any kind of medication, for a mental or physical health condition, it’s always worth asking your doctor or pharmacist whether you can drink alcohol while you’re taking it, and whether they’d advise changing your drinking habits in any way. This is because some medications can interact with alcohol and affect how you respond to them, for example by making them less effective.[9] [10] [11]

Only you will know what works best for you, but you may wish to discuss things with your doctor or with someone at your local alcohol service.

If you are feeling anxious, sad, or think alcohol might be negatively affecting your mental health, you deserve support. You are not alone, and help is available. You can:

• Speak with your GP
• Get advice and help from:
  • The Mental Health Foundation
  • Mind

Use the NHS services directories to find an alcohol support service near you:

• NHS England
• NHS Direct Wales
• NHS Inform, Scotland
• Health and Social Care Northern Ireland