SHAKEN WHEN STIRRED
“I attempted suicide at 35. I think the hardest thing for people who have never experienced suicidal thoughts nor suicide attempts is to understand that a lot of suicidal people don’t want to kill themselves, they just want to stop existing. Due to my failed suicide attempt, I became more miserable, so I started using alcohol, which made things worse. The suicidal ideation became more frequent and more powerful, consequently increasing the suicide attempts. I knew that I really wanted to not exist anymore…”
Suicide is considered as death caused by injuring oneself with the intent to die or end one’s life and suicide attempt is when someone harms themselves with any intent to end their life, but they do not die as a result of their actions. In today’s world, unfortunately, many people have an experience with suicide. We are all affected by suicide whether from close personal ideations or that of a friend, suicide claims the lives of thousands each year. Many factors can increase the risk for suicide and among them is history of mental illnesses as well as substance use disorders. The predominance may be explained by the fact that most people with mental illness are more likely to use alcohol or other drugs, and some of them use substances to self-medicate symptoms of their mental illness. This article focuses on the role played by substance use disorder as a suicide risk factor.
Alcohol Use Disorder and Suicide
As aforementioned, many people use alcohol as self-medication; whether they suffer from mental illness or they are trying to cope with a trauma, while some people turn to alcohol as a way to attempt to forget their problems. The chronic use of this substance can mean that someone builds tolerance, dependence, and eventually an addiction. People struggling with significant addiction often have a sense of frustration from the inability to control it. The sense of failure from wanting to change their behaviour but being unable to do it can drive suicidal thinking and behaviours.” Withdrawal symptoms also don’t make it easy as the person will feel that they are at their lowest point in life and experiencing both physical and psychological pain. People are also at an increased risk for suicidal thoughts during early recovery because most attempts at recovery occur after a stressful event, such as a breakup or an accident. Those events are often associated with guilt and shame, which may be more likely to cause suicidal thoughts than depression alone.
Drinking alcohol at an early age and heavy drinking can all lead to increased suicidal ideation. Persons with heavy alcohol use are more likely to die by suicide than social drinkers as substance use independently increases the risk of suicidal behaviour. Acute and chronic drug abuse may impair judgment and weaken impulse control leading to suicidal tendencies. The presence of an alcohol use disorder is confirmed as a risk factor for completed suicide, as well as attempted suicide. However, alcohol use at the time of the suicide attempt is associated with low-risk methods.
The pain felt by family members and loved ones of someone who has taken their own life is often harder to deal with than if they had died by other means. Most of the time they are feelings of guilt or responsibility. Family members tend to blame themselves and feel like they had neglected the deceased. It is important to note that suicide is not something that gives blame or points fingers. It is important to seek help immediately if you notice changes in mood or signs of suicidal thoughts in yourself or a loved one. Those feelings may be extremely heavy and suffocating, but finding a professional to work through that darkness might be the beginning of a brand new life.
BOSASNET offers counselling services to people experiencing problems with substance use, depression, anxiety, stress, anger management and adjustment issues. If you think that you might have a problem mentioned above, or if you have a friend or family member who does, we encourage you to seek help. For some, it can mean the difference between life and death. You can find BOSASNET on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok or call us on 3959119 or 72659891 for more information.