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Ending Moderate Drinking Tied To Depression
sciencedaily.com — New research shows that stopping drinking -- including at moderate levels -- may lead to health problems including depression and a reduced capacity of the brain to produce new neurons, a process called neurogenesis.
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- gskill, on 07/10/2008, -2/+41Just like when you're already addicted to something, it's hard to let go of it and of course the residual effects that comes along with it.
- toastybeast, on 07/11/2008, -0/+18OMG I'm addicted to moderate drinking.
- geardosdotnet, on 07/11/2008, -1/+11apparently quitting moderate meth use causes depression too.
- JapaneseEconomy, on 07/11/2008, -0/+3Quitting ritalin gave me depression.
- bipolarruledout, on 07/11/2008, -1/+3Light weight.
- juliehardman, on 07/10/2008, -2/+40Why do they spend all these millions on these tests when they could just ask me!
- ironeus, on 08/01/2008, -0/+9Now they'll know: ask juliehardman.
- sockpuppets, on 07/11/2008, -1/+9From the moment her parents named her she was destined for porn.
- juliehardman, on 07/11/2008, -5/+1hey ***** I am a guy and thats my wifes name. Have some respect!
- JKAL, on 07/11/2008, -0/+2Well, on a serious note even though it seems logical to most.
By saying they spent millions on tests and research it is much easier then plug a drug to combat said illness or disease, so basically these type of articles are adds for drug companies.
"But the study also found that treatment with an antidepressant drug ..."- tjmb9, on 07/11/2008, -2/+1That wasn't very clearly stated....
- ironeus, on 08/01/2008, -0/+9Now they'll know: ask juliehardman.
- allengeer, on 07/11/2008, -1/+22Seinfeld was right. You have to drink so that you kill off the old, unfit neurons so you can produce new ones.
- Br3ach, on 07/11/2008, -4/+8Awesome, now I have a scientific excuse for my heavy drinking. It makes me very happy :D
- allengeer, on 07/11/2008, -2/+8so they use a "does the mouse like to swim" metric to determine if a mouse is depressed. I can see it now,
::mouse put in water::
::mouse swims for a bit::
::mouse stops::
mouse says , "whats the ***** point, this would be so much better with a shot of tequila." - thepretext, on 07/11/2008, -0/+18*Throws away AA chip.*
- sockpuppets, on 07/11/2008, -0/+6*Picks up AA chip to pick up on girls at AA.*
- Duncan3, on 07/11/2008, -9/+3Yea, and 10 minutes of exercise a day will fix that right up, and since all that time spent drinking, sleeping, and recovering from the hangover will be freed up, you're set :) More alcohol industry "research".
- geardosdotnet, on 07/11/2008, -1/+12"moderate" drinking would imply you don't get so sh*tfaced that you have a hangover at all. Heavy drinking is always unhealthy.
- sergcafe1, on 07/11/2008, -3/+1Exactly! I bet 10 minutes of exercise would be a million times better. Not to mention the money you'll save and the added bonus of feeling and looking better.
- wezults, on 07/11/2008, -2/+5Drink up, but only moderately.
- BoneStamp, on 07/11/2008, -1/+3Rock | Hard place
- stopbrorape, on 07/11/2008, -0/+3you can't tell me what to do MOM!!1
- Import98, on 07/11/2008, -4/+6At first I thought this meant "drinking" in general. Alcohol should be added to avoid all confusion (Especially for those already drunk).
- sockpuppets, on 07/11/2008, -1/+6You're already drunk aren't you?
- skidme, on 07/11/2008, -13/+5Jeezus....The people on digg just latch onto any reason not to quit boozing or smoking weed. You guys have to understand that only weak-willed people will do either.
- toastybeast, on 07/11/2008, -1/+2Only weak-willed won't quit, or only weak-willed partake? Subtle difference.
- skidme, on 07/11/2008, -4/+1Good point. In my opinion it's both, but then again, I don't think I can judge.
- FasterGun, on 07/11/2008, -2/+5Assholes preach.
- HigherLogic, on 07/11/2008, -4/+6Why would you want to quit drinking alochol and smoking marijuana? You must be a pretty boring person.
- marius404, on 07/11/2008, -3/+2If getting drunk and smoking pot are the things that make your life interesting then I would argue that you are the boring person.
As a recovering alcoholic and former pothead I can safely say that getting ***** up is usually just a waste of your time. It is not really all that fun and it is not some "exciting" thing to do. There is so much to do in this world and we only have a little time in which to do it. How many hours of your life are you willing to waste on catching a buzz?
- marius404, on 07/11/2008, -3/+2If getting drunk and smoking pot are the things that make your life interesting then I would argue that you are the boring person.
- Butros, on 07/11/2008, -2/+6pull the stick out of your ass and have a drink. Life is 100% fatal, you gotta make the most of it.
- toastybeast, on 07/11/2008, -1/+2Only weak-willed won't quit, or only weak-willed partake? Subtle difference.
- YAOMTC, on 07/11/2008, -3/+8The body becomes accustomed to getting something, that something is taken away suddenly and doesn't come back; of course the short-term effect would be negative!
"This suggests that people who stop drinking may experience negative mood states days or weeks after the alcohol has cleared their systems." Yeah, that sounds like about the time it would take for the brain to fully adjust. I don't see much new here. For people who are teetotalers to begin with, like myself, this means nothing. It's not as if I'm at a disadvantage because I don't drink.- toastybeast, on 07/11/2008, -6/+5"It's not as if I'm at a disadvantage because I don't drink."
Yeah, I don't think standing around awkwardly sober at parties is a disadvantage either. Have fun with that.- YAOMTC, on 07/11/2008, -1/+5Or maybe I just don't have to go to parties where the only way people can have fun in their shallow friendships is by getting drunk?
Getting drunk may make things seem more fun, but all it does is make people dumb. - bagboyrebel, on 07/11/2008, -0/+3If you have to be drunk to have fun with your friends then maybe you need new friends.
- YAOMTC, on 07/11/2008, -1/+5Or maybe I just don't have to go to parties where the only way people can have fun in their shallow friendships is by getting drunk?
- toastybeast, on 07/11/2008, -6/+5"It's not as if I'm at a disadvantage because I don't drink."
- myhandleondigg, on 07/11/2008, -4/+2What.
- dojocasino, on 07/11/2008, -1/+42Alcohol: the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems.
- FLarsen, on 07/11/2008, -2/+1The solution must function like beer-goggles then.
No, I'm not against drinking. - kinerry, on 07/11/2008, -0/+5Just like money
- FLarsen, on 07/11/2008, -2/+1The solution must function like beer-goggles then.
- kevro, on 07/11/2008, -1/+15Time for a beer.
- pitchblackjava, on 07/11/2008, -9/+1NO! Drinking causes depression??!! This is ground-breaking news.
- vizo, on 07/11/2008, -1/+6Did you even read the title? That's not even what it says.
- xShifty, on 07/11/2008, -4/+1But it's what the article says. The title is a reference to the fact that even drinking a little can have negative effects on the brain.
- bagboyrebel, on 07/11/2008, -1/+2@xShifty,
But that doesn't fit with what everyone else wants, so therefore you're wrong.
Seriously though, the point of the article is that the negative effects come from starting to drink and then stopping, so starting to drink is the first step towards depression in this case.
- vizo, on 07/11/2008, -1/+6Did you even read the title? That's not even what it says.
- tombonneau, on 07/11/2008, -1/+6Floating mouse says, "Drink up!".
- d3cyph3r1ng, on 07/11/2008, -0/+2I'll drink to that!
- rasmasyean, on 07/11/2008, -9/+2First, for the longest time they say that neurons don't regenerate after they die.
Now they are implying that moderate drinking regenerates neurons???
So if you don't drink but want to be smarter...you should drink moderately such that you gain more neurons than you loose from alcohol???
WTF??? Bogus falwed study!- chicken59, on 07/11/2008, -0/+3Reading comprehension for the win.
- chicken59, on 07/11/2008, -0/+3Reading comprehension for the win.
- KissTheSnake, on 07/11/2008, -7/+2I think the idea is not to start drinking in the first place. Most of you have misinterpreted this article because it was worded poorly.
- xShifty, on 07/11/2008, -4/+1Yeah, it comes off as if drinking protected you from depression. That's not what it means. It means that even drinking "moderately" can damage your brain, and when you stop, it still has negative effects on your mood.
- JKAL, on 07/11/2008, -4/+2no the idea is,
you need drugs to combat your drinking, or you need drugs once you stopped your drinking.
so basically an add for drug usage.- EnnuiStudent, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1Somehow, I think all 3 of you have some sort of agenda...
- Borgcube636, on 07/11/2008, -4/+10I don't drink, and I haven't been depressed in years. How, you ask? Good health and nutrition. That's most important. I'm not against moderate (safe) drinking, but people must understand that drinking does NOT cure depression (alcohol is a depressant, you know).
- Liability, on 07/11/2008, -3/+14
Here, have a medal. - thealsir, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1Alcohol is a CNS depressant, which is different from a psychological depressant. If it was a psychological depressant, no one would drink...
- BabyWookie, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1Well, *****... Caffeine and Ritalin are stimulants, but they are given to hyper kids to calm them down. It's not that simple.
- Liability, on 07/11/2008, -3/+14
- bipolarruledout, on 07/11/2008, -3/+5So basicly it's ADDICTIVE but they are not allowed to use the A word for some reason.
The're gona really ***** their pants when they find out that narcotics raise IQ scores. /True - maehem, on 07/11/2008, -1/+5I had something similar happen (when I moved to a new state, I had no drinking buddies and simply stopped drinking). I got pretty depressed (could be other factors related to moving and such) but I started taking an Omega-3 supplement and those symptoms went away. Could just be coincidence but Omega-3 has been linked to lowering depression and other cognitive issues.
- vivisimonvi, on 07/11/2008, -0/+5"dad, you really outta drink more!"
- poidh, on 07/11/2008, -2/+6I'm no expert but I'd suggest that this is tied to "race". For example the Europeans, back through ancient times, were accustomed to alcohol, not only for it's entertainment but also for its benefits in preserving food. I wouldn't have thought that this applies to for example, East Asians, who in around 50% (?) of the population have an intolerence to alcohol.
Who knows. I've just drunk 5 pints of 8.5% cider so I'm probably too pissed to remember where I live anyway.- ssn697, on 07/11/2008, -2/+7Drunk or not, I would LOVE to see a citation for your "50% of Asians have an intolerance to alcohol".
That reeks of "what ***** can I pull out of my ass to make some vague claim" numbers.- poidh, on 07/11/2008, -0/+2You could have looked this up youself, but you were too lazy: http://madminerva.blog-city.com/asian_alcohol_into ...
- ssn697, on 07/11/2008, -1/+1Not surprisingly, the article you point to as a citation contains a broken link to the supposed "study".
The CLOSEST to your claim is close to 1 third of Asians, and even that is questionable. What, too lazy to provide a working citation?
As a matter of fact, the one scientific study on the subject found 31% to have the enzyme issue, which also is a cause of diabetic vasculopathy.
So, your general hypothesis is correct, but the 50% number is made up.
- ssn697, on 07/11/2008, -2/+7Drunk or not, I would LOVE to see a citation for your "50% of Asians have an intolerance to alcohol".
- JKAL, on 07/11/2008, -2/+2yes, we knew drinking causes depression, but they have drugs for that...
But hey! now research and tests also prove that stopping drinking causes depression too! but luckily they now have a drug for that also, wow! aren't all fortunate that pharma industry is looking out for us. - mikesbaker, on 07/11/2008, -2/+5no ***** it's called withdrawals
- bagboyrebel, on 07/11/2008, -2/+3but Alcohol is a socially acceptable drug, so it can't be withdrawal.
- mikesbaker, on 07/12/2008, -1/+1you almost broke my sarcasm detector
- bagboyrebel, on 07/11/2008, -2/+3but Alcohol is a socially acceptable drug, so it can't be withdrawal.
- schrutefan, on 07/11/2008, -5/+1And by "neurogenesis" they mean "pussification."
- bigsteve, on 07/11/2008, -1/+5Jesus, I better get a beer...
- drmobutu, on 07/11/2008, -2/+2This just illustrates that even moderate alchohol consumption results in dependency...seriously, the amount of BS "research" that comes out touting the "benefits" of "moderate" alchohol consumption is sickening...just like the Miller Genuine Draft I'm about to drink, right now...
- DamnMan, on 07/11/2008, -2/+1crappy article. no time frame for the reduced neurogenesis? 14 days with anti-depressants in mice, what about without? exactly how moderate is moderate given a mouses average mass and the amount of alcohol consumed? and over what time frame must the alcohol be consumed? How much does it vary from individual to individual?
All we get is "stopping drinking makes you depressed and your brain slows down. Taking anti-depressants seem to help" - gsxraddict, on 07/11/2008, -0/+2And this study was concluded by a bunch of mice swimming, damn now i'm convinced. So I'm going to grab a beer.
- CoronaVegas, on 07/11/2008, -2/+10Define "moderate". I say a 6-pack a day.
- globalobserver, on 07/11/2008, -1/+14All I know is that my friends who stopped drinking depress and bore the hell out of me!
- bipolarruledout, on 07/11/2008, -0/+3NOTHING worse than a reformed hooker.
- ThaDRD, on 07/11/2008, -1/+6FTA: "In mice that voluntarily drank alcohol for 28 days..." Voluntarily?
- P1nkF70yd, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1Yo man animals love alcohol, they get exposed to it in the wild by fermenting fruit and the such. I saw some documentary where monkeys would steal drinks from a bar on the beach somewhere in the Caribbean. I think the name of the docu was peculiar potions or something like that.
- goodylallen, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1slurrrr
- BKellyS, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1Well, I know it took me about a year after quitting drinking to feel normal again, 8 years ago. Trust me, for some of us it is the best option ... no depression here.
- Smalldude76, on 07/11/2008, -0/+6A lack of alcohol causes us to think more......then we realise life is pointless.
- Stochio, on 07/11/2008, -1/+2How about a lack of television?
- P1nkF70yd, on 07/11/2008, -0/+0No beer and no tv make Homer somthing somthing...
- Stochio, on 07/11/2008, -1/+2How about a lack of television?
- siali, on 07/11/2008, -0/+4If you don't like either the alcohol or the antidepressant, you may like to know that exercise too have both the antidepressant and neurogenetic effects. I wish they had done that test in this specific situation too.
- Ribbys, on 07/11/2008, -1/+3I like the conclusion, but the results are mice swim less after they abstain. Its a big reach to say much more than that and also to apply it to humans IMO.
- Ablue, on 07/11/2008, -1/+3I have just descided to give up beer, and I dont feel any different. I was drinking too much and putting on weight.
- craigg77, on 07/11/2008, -2/+1Same here. I've actually felt better and I have more money to spend on other things (which I don't just pee away).
- OyVay, on 07/11/2008, -0/+3Beer...helping mice have sex since Medieval times....
- CrushThemTorg, on 07/11/2008, -0/+2Well ... *****. Guess I gotta keep up the pace. Who wants to go for a taste?
- nateking1, on 07/11/2008, -0/+2More reasons to drink up. Bottoms up, diggers.
- daonlyfreez, on 07/11/2008, -3/+2You are having a "cold-turkey", that is all, ofcourse it is going to be uncomfortable.
Alcohol is a _drug_, a very addictive one that is, and a very harmful one too.
If you are able to get it out of your system, your body is going to protest, it wants it's drug.
Feeling uncomfortable or down DOES NOT MEAN you are having a clinical depression, no matter how hard your circumstances may seem.
You need to go thru the cold-turkey if you want to lose the habit, replacing it with "anti-depressants" is not going to help you, AT ALL, AT ALL, AT ALL...
You need fresh-air, exercise, good food, variation, other - positive things to keep you busy, don't replace the old drug with a new one. If you have somebody who can help you break the habit, don't be afraid to ask, but it is _you_ who needs to start believing longterm, _you_ need to get to the point where you will keep going, and will fend off the "bad weather" or "stormy" periods along the way. It's _always_ worth it, things _really_ can only get better, and if you don't try, you fail from the start.
Clinical drugging should really be the last resort, and it is _you_ who makes that decision, not the doctor (unless you are really going berzerk). - Bloodboiler, on 07/11/2008, -1/+0Repeatedly consuming even small amounts of toxic substances may have bad long term affects?
How do you not deduce that there is no such thing as poisoning yourself in moderation?
I understand that their results are important in treating alcoholics, but the article author spins it to an excuse for drinking. That goes without saying in yellow press, but I'd expect more from a supposedly science news site. - jcani, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1I need a drink.
- JohnCoyote, on 07/11/2008, -0/+3very interesting article.
Re: discussion of pros/cons of moderate drinking. Paracelsus (father of modern toxicology) said "the dose makes the poison. all things are poison and nothing is without poison." You can kill yourself by drinking too much water, for instance.
Was also somewhat amused by the mental image of stone sober, bummed out mice being forced to swim... "aw man this sucks. f*ck it, I'm not swimming any more."
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