3 ms·
Does alcoholism drive suicides, do suicides drive alcoholism, or do other things drive both suicide and alcoholism (or, perhaps more likely, all of the above)?
by Smithalicious 7y ago
Does alcoholism drive suicides, do suicides drive alcoholism, or do other things drive both suicide and alcoholism (or, perhaps more likely, all of the above)?
- ekianjo 7y agoYou could argue that people who end up trapped with alcoholism were probably having problems in the first place and used alcohol as a form of escapism. It's a generalization, but there are probably hidden factors behind alcoholism and suicide.
- cf141q5325 7y agoAlcohol loosens your inhibitions and pushes you deeper into the abyss. While you wouldnt have killed yourself sober, the answer might look different after a few bottles. Its the same reason firearms have an influence on the suicide rate. Pulling a trigger is just a lot less of a hurdle then most other methods.
- athesyn 7y agoThis makes me wonder what the actual rate of suicides are performed under influence compared to completely sober. I have a feeling the latter is extremely rare.
- cf141q5325 7y agoI dont think that is the case either. Alcohol has an influence but like with handguns, there are plenty who manage without both.
- Smithalicious 7y agoThe percentage of suicides performed under the influence seems to be about 30%[0], so a minority of suicides, but still a sizeable number. [0] https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/19/health/19suicide.html https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/19/health/19suicide.html
- Tiktaalik 7y agoYes it seems much more likely that people are using alcohol as a form of self medication.