The Problem with Happy Juice!
Life was not going great! That was Chika’s first thought when her old schoolmates at the reunion asked how life was going! But like everyone in the room, she had drawn a deep breath and reeled out a bunch of achievements — specifically curated to draw envy but which meant nothing to her! Being the youngest VP at a multinational did not make her fear of failure go away. She was still anxious when they called a family meeting and lately, she was yelling more and more at her PA — her PA was efficient.
She could not wait for the event to be over so she could go home. The only thing that kept her going lately was red wine. It helped her forget and she would even dance and sing at the top of her voice — No wonder Aunty Nkechi used to call it Happy Juice! The only problem was when the new week rolled in she wasn’t so happy… maybe she shouldn’t wait for the event to be over. A drink or two might loosen her up and make her better company. She scanned the room, spotted the bar, and made a beeline for it.
Chika is just one out of millions who seem to have it backward. Let me explain! If I told you that a pill would take away your slight headache for 5 minutes but then you would suffer a migraine for days would you look at that pill as a cure? Most likely not! Yet this is the recurrent Irony of Substance-induced Depression (SID) — many people take these substances (Alcohol, drugs, etc.) to feel better, yet these substances leave them feeling worse.
Because these substances are both a cause and a coping mechanism, the symptoms of this type of mood disorder often masquerades as transient feelings of sadness that are normal experiences, or even as withdrawal symptoms like the temporary hangover or “crash” that occur the morning after alcohol or drug use.
What distinguishes SID, however, is its severity and duration. When substance–induced depression hits, it feels considerably worse for much longer. For some people like Chika, it evolves into a complete loss of interest or enjoyment in life. This further perpetuates the cycle of dependence because instead of abstaining from the root cause of their disorder they associate those substances with the temporary positive emotions they feel when they take it.
Those close to Chika might miss recent red flags like her Low mood, and loss of Interest in previously enjoyed activities. They might miss that she has been fatigued lately, very irritable, and hardly able to concentrate on tasks and day-to-day engagements. Even when these are observed, they might erroneously be attributed to stress.
It is advised that we are not quick to attribute all changes in sleep patterns or changes in Appetite to hard work and stress because when left unchecked these red flags give way to feelings and thoughts that are not easily discerned such as feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, guilt or worthlessness and in extreme cases even thoughts of death or suicide.
Apart from alcohol, other symptoms may present with various types of substances like; Inhalants, Opioids, Sedatives, Hypnotics, and Cocaine to name a few. These symptoms include mania, psychosis, anxiety, or uncontrollable recurring thoughts — all of which inevitably lead to significant distress and impair a person’s ability to function in important areas of their life.
But What if the person is just depressed and it has nothing to do with the Substance? Well, a period of abstaining from substances, that can induce mood disorders, helps to rule out a diagnoses where the symptoms continue after prolonged abstinence. For instance, if Chika has all her symptoms without the alcohol then SID may be ruled out but a return to said substances is never advised or permissible because let’s face it — Happy Juice is never really Happy!.
Do you know someone who needs this information? Please share it with them. For more information on this condition please send enquiries to: themindlifebalance@gmail.com.