I've never drank in my life, should I consider it for this?

Alcohol is just a crutch and will only add to your sorrow. especially, the hangover part.

Why not take a shower, put on some sharp clothes and head to the mall? what you need is intervention and shopping at the mall will be great for your depression. why not call up a friend and both of you go together? go see a funny movie. anything to improve your mood.

Self-medicating is always a bad idea with alcohol. If you’re going to drink for the first time, it should only be in celebration.

I don’t like the mall cause I think flourescents are draining. ;-)

If you’re going to change depression and want to do something about it, there are two easy ways without medication: (1) eat better, (2) EXERCISE MORE. Go for a run, particularly outside.

That’s about the worst reason I have heard to drink. Alcohol is a depressive, it will only make things worse. John had a better idea. Get out among people somewhere or get out to some place that will calm you without too much stress.

Please @tedd don’t start that. I didn’t ever touch Alcohol until I was 40 when I went on my Honeymoon with my 2nd wife. I got hooked on the stuff and caused such heart ache in my family and I used it often as a crutch. It does not help you feel better it is a natural depressant and stay as far from it as you can. If you need some help go talk with a doctor who can help you for a while without the fear of being hooked on Alcohol.

I don’t advise you dip into the beer can at the moment since you just stated you were in a down mood but hoping it would pass. There is nothing wrong with drinking but of course most people view it as bad because most people don’t understand moderation. There is nothing wrong with a drink or two provided it’s not like a big glass of solid Tequila or Vodka. A beer or two just to loosen up isn’t ridiculous. Just understand your body and how you’ll react. But at the moment I wouldn’t advise you dwell into that just yet. I agree with john65pennington, take a shower, dress nice, and just go out. Have fun. This down mood will pass, man.

I just don’t want to be awake, or at least conscious of everything at the moment.

Nope – you really need treatment for this ongoing depression, not alcohol. You do know that.

That’s a bad reason to have alcohol. Don’t waste your first on that. Save it for something good.
Is there any physical work around your place that needs doing? I know you don’t want to but it’s better than fretting over something that won’t change. Only work at it for an hour.

Personally I think that is one of the best reasons to burn wood. There is always something mindless that needs to be done.with it: cut it, split it, stack it, move it into the house, stoke the fire.

If you don’t have anything physical to do, you can (I can’t believe I am actually saying this…) work on your Facebook or Linkedin page.

This will pass.
By the way, congratulations on avoiding the brew for so many years. Quite an achievement!

I think that everyone else has pretty much said it… but this is coming from someone your own age. I’ve drank before to make myself not think about things.. and it doesn’t work, and you know it won’t work. Sure, for a few hours while you’re drunk, it’s fine.. but it is a depressant, and as soon as you start thinking about it you’ll be a wreck. When you wake up the next day, you’ll still be sad, if not moreso. I’ve gotten incredibly drunk just so I wouldn’t think about relationship problems, or getting broken up with that night… and I just ended up doing incredibly stupid things that I later regretted- plus, the root of my unhappiness was still there.

Please don’t do this. Alcohol addiction is a mistake that so many people have ACCIDENTALLY gotten themselves into. Drinking with the intent of chasing away depression is basically asking for it to take a permanent place in your life. If you want a chemical in your body, maybe consider some sort of depression medication. It’s been said a thousand times, but depression really just is a chemical imbalance. I’m sure you’re a smart guy, and know that this is really not the right thing to do. Go get some help, or fix the real problems that are making you depressed. Alcohol can’t do either of those for you. What could be so bad now that you’ve considered this, after avoiding it for twenty-five years?

Good luck, and keep your chin up.

Don’t bother.Your problems will still be there.
Exercise instead.

@tedd I’m not saying I understand what you’re going through right now, but at the moment I’m going through a really bad breakup right now after following a girl to a new
city away from my home. It’s hard to stay awake for even the most simplistic things that
should matter to me. Things aren’t as good as they were before I met her but slowly and surely it’s looking brighter little
by little. It’s hard, man. But things pass regardless what it is that’s downing you right now. For now just focus on distracting yourself in other thugs that interest you. Go have fun! Hang out with friends or family or both! That’s always a major plus. I’m sorry you’re going through this righ now man, but things will get better. Patience is an easy word to write, a hard action to do, but the most worth it to stick with.

It just seemed better than the alternatives of random pointless sex and a lot of nyquil.

I really have to re-emphasize exercise, as @lucillelucillelucille also pointed out:

(1) when you’re sweating, it’s hard to think about your problems.

(2) it makes you get out into the world.

(3) it makes you tired in a good way – when you’re depressed, you sleep because you may be physically exhausted for no reason and you want to avoid the world. When you exercise, you sleep because it’s good for you.

(4) It’s tacky – but when you look better, you feel better.

(5) You release natural endorphins.

(6) It makes you hydrate and eat better. Many people who are depressed really should be hydrating more than they are, and actually opt for diuretics or dehydrants like alcohol and coffee to help them forget or up their energy.

@tedd Why aren’t you having your depression treated? Get yourself to a doctor and get on an anti-depressant!

I’m working on the causes… one of them is apparently unfixable though sadly. And the rest are incredibly frustrating.

@tedd Clinical depression is about chemical imbalance. It is not necessarily something you can just work on. Why not try an anti-depressant? See if it makes you feel better.

@marinelife Honestly I don’t want to get into any kind of anti-depressant medication.

@tedd Then why would you drink? That is a depressive medication. I was suggesting anti-depressants, because it seemed like you were desperate. you could always take them temporarily.

If you won’t consider medications, then consider looking into St. John’s Wort. It is used extensively in Europe for depression. Make sure and research the proper dosage. It takes about three weeks to take effect (about the same as an anti-depressant).

All these medications do, is put you on an even keel. They don’t make you falsely happy.

Alcohol is NOT the answer to depression it is a depressant itself. It will not help or solve the problem. I haven’t had it now for a couple of years and it is great to get away from it. When you are depressed often times it is because of a chemical imbalance and some of the drugs can help that. Please just find something that might help you other than alcohol. Yes St John’s Wort is a good supplement for depression.

I just feel its less of an imbalance. I have been there before and just been incredibly depressed for no reason, and I would say I am probably more prone than most to getting depressed. But, there are legitimate reasons this time. I was dumped, I’m not happy with my job, my city, where I’m at in my life, money, etc. I’m working to fix those problems…. and in the mean time I don’t think any anti-depressant med is going to be the answer… and frankly thats so much more serious than just taking some extra nyquil, or getting drunk.

I was just trying to help with what I have experienced. I too have been deep in depression to the point I had my suicide planned. I didn’t go through with it and I didn’t drink at that time and did not take meds. It just took some time and some soul searching to find myself again. If you would like I will list the reasons for my depression and maybe it would help you? Let me know. Good Luck

@tedd: This study was reported on msnbs yesterday. Alcohol is more deadly than heroin or crack: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39938704/ns/health-addictions

You are asking for good advice from the collective; many of us have been depressed..either situationally or chemically and have experience with anti-depressants and talk therapy. Together they are the most useful method for dealing with mood issues…certainly the worst solution is to do nothing, followed closely by drinking or slurping Nyquil.

As others have pointed out, low doses of meds. do not put you into lala land or make you into someone you are not. The effects are subtle but powerful.

If you are prone to depressions and also are “not happy with my job, my city, where I’m at in my life, money, etc.,” you are in serious trouble. That is a litany of the major life decisions. How do you know whether an anti-depressant will help? The usual course of treatment is to try a low dose for six weeks and see. If it does nothing or gives you unpleasant side effects, your doctor will take you off it.

“and frankly thats so much more serious than just taking some extra nyquil, or getting drunk.”

Are you reading what you wrote? Finding a solution to your depression is much more crucial than just taking some extra Nyquil or getting drunk. You are not thinking rationally right now and need to listen.

Listen to @janbb – also, depression is one of those insidious things where trying to find the cause can actually aggravate the symptoms. If it’s really bad, you should see a doctor. However, figuring out how to treat the symptoms rather than the cause is often the most important thing at the beginning. Depression doesn’t allow you to deal with your real problems so much as dwell on them. So really…do things that will make you feel good that aren’t about escaping but rather producing. (e.g., alcohol is about escaping).

When you’re depressed, there is this temptation to want to give in; to see yourself as someone tragic, yet unworthy, so you might as well just make it worse. Maybe you can lose everything and end up on the street.

It may not be such a clear vision for most people, but perhaps people can imagine and urge to self-destruct. Depression does that to you.

When I was depressed, I thought about alcohol, but in my case it was just a kind of theoretical thought, since I don’t like the stuff all that much. I didn’t like the idea of illegal drugs, either, because I have no experience with them. Marijuana didn’t appear because it just makes me sleepy.

I thought I could manage to destroy my life on my own without the help of any other substances. In a way, it was easier to see my life as hopeless, because the depression made it impossible to think of anything good.

It’s funny. Just when I think I’ve got it right, it goes wrong. Or maybe it’s just the season.

Let’s say I’m in self-destructive mode again. It’s different this time because I know what I’m doing, and I know all the lies I say about myself. I think it becomes easier to see myself as being a pathetic, worthless asshole, because then it’s hard to get worse.

I can remember a time—only a month ago, when I felt good about myself. But all it takes is a little or big mistake and….

Hey! Guess what? I don’t want to see a psychiatrist either. I don’t want to mess with my meds. I want to see what I can do on my own, because they last time I changed, it was something I feel like I could have handled on my own, if I had not given in so soon. I’m just impatient. I want results yesterday. It’ll blow over.

I never can take my own advice. That’s probably a good thing. My advice sucks.

See how it goes? See how you start to see the world through an inside-out mirror? Perspective is warped; up is down; and you don’t know who the hell you are any more.

Do you like pain? Depression has a funny way of making you like it even as you hate it. See a doctor, @tedd. See a fucking doctor.

Alcohol is a depressant, it will make you feel worse. I suggest masturbating or exercise instead.

Why are you so against an anti depressent? If you had high blood pressure you would consider medicine for that. Some times in prolonged stress your body becomes unbalanced and needs medicine to help get back on track. If you are dead set against medicine, at least, get some counseling. But the above advice is good advice. I have experienced depression and had counseling and medication. Eating healthy and exercise were a huge help. Please do not turn to alcohol, it is destructive.

Alcohol is a medication. The natural remedy is to get out of your house and run for your life. Yes, I’m serious. Running is good for you and could save your life.

It doesn’t help.

Removed By Me

i’m not the guy to answer this question.

I hope things get better for you.

No. In your condition it’s not a good idea to learn how to drink alcohol in moderation and enjoy the taste and know about the risks. You need people you can talk to, but not people who promise that some religion or some cause or some super method will be the solution to all of your problems. It’s the mindset that matters. You might experience a real depression or not. Feeling bad must not necessarily be a real depression and in this case, maybe the following book could help a little bit:

http://www.amazon.com/How-Stop-Worrying-Start-Living/dp/0671035975/

See this for an overview:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Stop_Worrying_and_Start_Living

The book has sold over 30 million copies through many editions and remains popular today.