Teetotalers Are at Greater Risk of Depression

The smart-Alec would say: “not surprising – they don’t have as much fun!” But it’s all too easy to forget the harm that excessive alcohol consumption can do. We must remember the “J-shaped curve” for the association between alcohol intake and coronary heart disease. And a new study of one “risk” of not drinking alcohol is reported in the journal Addiction.

Data for this study came from a Norwegian health survey of 38,900 individuals. Alcohol consumption was self-reported over a 2-week period. Low-level intake was defined as self-described teetotalers and non-abstainers who didn’t drink during the 2-week period. A subgroup was formed of previous heavy drinkers who had become non-drinkers. Recognized scales were used to measure anxiety and depression, and there were general questions about health, lifestyle, and social activity.

There was a U-shaped association between alcohol intake and the risks of anxiety and depression. Teetotalers were 1.34- and 1.52-times as likely to have anxiety and depression, respectively, as alcohol drinkers. Other factors, such as age, health, and number of close friends reduced these likelihoods somewhat, but didn’t remove their increased risks. Previous drinkers who became teetotal (about 14% of the current teetotalers) also had a slightly lowered likelihood of anxiety and depression compared to ab initio teetotalers, but were still at greater risk than those who drank alcohol.

The likely explanation for these results offered by the investigators is that abstinence may be associated with being socially marginalized, or possession of personality traits also associated with mental illness. It must be remembered that the results were obtained in Norway, and can't be considered valid for a USA population. However, it won’t be long before a similar study is completed in this country, I expect. In the meantime, I’ll continue to drink a glass or two (or three) of wine daily.