Alcohol, Drugs and Bipolar Disorder: A Bad Combination

One of the more common themes in university students' bipolar stories is the role that substance use has had in the course of their disorder. Sometimes it's simply part of the stormy adolescence that precedes their diagnosis. For others, it's more a part of the storm that follows. But either way it's almost never a helpful or curative part of their narrative.

The explanation of why alcohol and drugs don't mix well with bipolar disorder isn't simple. It really needs to be considered from multiple perspectives.

First, it's fairly obvious that the introduction of mind altering chemicals into the brain doesn't exactly help to sustain mental stability. With almost all recreational drugs there is some kind of "high" associated with experience. That's why people do it. But following any substance induced high, there's almost always the experience of coming down. And usually that translates into a "low" mood feeling.

Read the full article at psychologytoday.com