Drinking and suicide: How alcohol use increases risks, and what can be done about it

The average annual number of deaths from excessive alcohol use among males increased by 25,244 (26.8%), from 94,362 deaths during 2016–2017 to 119,606 during 2020–2021 (Table 2). Age-standardized death rates among males increased from 54.8 per 100,000 population during 2016–2017 to 55.9 during 2018–2019, and to 66.9 during 2020–2021. During each period, among all excessive alcohol use cause of death categories, death rates among males were highest from 100% alcohol-attributable chronic conditions. Understanding the factors that contribute to suicide risk is crucial for prevention. Suicide is often the result of a complex interplay of various factors, including mental health conditions, history of trauma or abuse, chronic illness or pain, social factors, and personal stressors.

We investigated the association between specific domains of alcohol use and suicide attempt, suicidal thoughts and non-suicidal self-harm in a general population sample. Potentially informative naturalistic studies of intoxicated suicidal states, such as during presentations to emergency departments, for example, may not be possible because of prohibitions on obtaining informed consent for research from intoxicated persons. We hypothesize that use of alcohol among individuals intending to make a suicide attempt, for the purpose of facilitating the suicidal act, may represent a distinct group typified by greater suicide planning, intent, lethality, and potentially co-occurring depression. Such an idea could be tested using a large sample of suicide attempts preceded by AUA whose motivations for alcohol use (among other variables) were retrospectively assessed shortly after the attempt. Thus, the relationship between alcohol abuse and depression in determining suicidality is complex and multifaced, and there are many factors which may impact on suicidality in depressed patients.

There’s Support and Healing for Alcoholism and Suicide

He is also a clinical psychologist at CRUX Psychology, a Canadian-based psychology practice offering online and in person services. You can find lasting healing and recovery with resources far more relieving than alcohol or drugs. These are increases of 27% among boys and men, and 35% among girls and women from just a few years earlier (2016–2017).

1. Furthermore, our analyses identified simple domains of alcohol misuse, such as others’ concerns about drinking, which can be readily understood by the public and targeted, perhaps through motivational interviewing,40 to reduce risk of future suicidal behaviour.
2. It has been suggested that alcohol may influence an individual’s decision to complete suicide, but few studies have investigated this possibility 100.
3. Alcohol intake may result in a lack of behavioral inhibition and other aspects of impulsiveness, such as poor thinking and planning, as well as impaired attention.
4. They have contradictory affective reactions and are often confused as to whether others love or hate them and whether they love or hate others.
5. The results of our research highlight just how needed these measures are in our society, but prevention requires change at both the individual and systemic level.

Ascertainment of SUDs

Along these lines, a brief, straightforward suicide prevention training curriculum designed for substance abuse treatment providers led to increases in provider self-efficacy, knowledge, and suicide prevention practice behaviors,29 suggesting the importance of future research on patient outcomes. Preuss et al. 87, in a large study involving 3190 individuals with alcohol dependence, demonstrated an association between suicide attempts and current situation of unemployment, separation or divorce and fewer years of education. Beyond current theories regarding the link between suicide and alcohol use, effective prevention requires knowing who is most at risk. Our study found those who drink heavily and more frequently have increased risk of death by suicide, particularly over longer periods of time. Among people who die by suicide, alcoholism is the second-most common mental disorder, and is involved in roughly one in four deaths by suicide.

Once a decision has been made to attempt suicide, alcohol use may serve several functions. Alcohol may also serve as a “means to an end” as the suicide method itself 182–184. Dr Mishra is the Chief Medical Officer of the Texas Healthcare and Diagnostic Center, and a medical reviewer for Ohio Recovery Center, where he works to provide accurate, authoritative information to those seeking help for substance abuse and behavioral health issues. This strategy provides for participation in activities that exclude alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use. Constructive and healthy activities offset the attraction to, or otherwise meet the needs usually filled by, alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use, which ultimately reduces suicidal tendencies.

Data Analyses

Higher suicidality in depressed patients with alcohol dependence compared to depressed persons without comorbid alcohol dependence may also be related to the differences in dopaminergic regulation between the two groups. It has been observed that depressed subjects with a history of alcohol dependence had lower CSF HVA levels, compared with depressed subjects without a history of alcoholism 159. Most prior studies of SUDs in relation to suicide have examined individual associations with one type of SUD, most commonly alcohol or opioid use disorder (Chesney et al., 2014; Harris and Barraclough, 1997; Wilcox et al., 2004). Few studies have been large enough to enable well-powered comparisons of risk across specific SUDs in the same population. However, US military veterans have substantially higher suicide rates than the general population (Blow et al., 2012; McCarthy et al., 2009), and hence generalizability is uncertain.

Parents showed more sorrow, depression, feeling of powerlessness and guilt, while spouses felt more abandoned and angry 224. Their anger is directed to the lost person significantly more than that of spouses whose suicidal partner had no alcohol problems 225. Alcoholism in any close relationship causes tension and conflicts and complicates bereavement. Providing patients with resources is an opportunity that clinicians should use to empower patients to take initiative in maintaining and protecting their mental health. Patients are often unaware of the resources available to them and are more likely to use them if they know where to look. There is so much concern about Canadians’ drinking that some policymakers are advocating for warning labels on alcohol bottles like those on cigarette packages.

1. Suicide and Alcohol Abuse in Adolescents

Murphy et al. studied 50 suicides and found that an alcohol use disorder was the primary diagnosis in 23% and a co-occurring diagnosis in 37% 86. Conwell et al. performed a study in New York City and reported that alcohol misuse was present in the history of 56% of individuals who completed suicide 43. Mood 10,16,17, anxiety 18 and schizophrenia-spectrum disorders 16,19,20 have been found to constitute independent risk factors for suicidal behavior. Additionally, co-morbid psychiatric disorders are found to be common in patients with alcohol use disorders what is the strongest vodka 21–24. Alcohol use is highly prevalent worldwide, and suicide is highly prevalent in populations of patients with alcohol use disorders. However, co-morbid psychopathology is neither sufficient nor necessary for this association 14.