According to the findings of the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, studies performed on mice who voluntarily drank alcohol for 28 days showed that when their alcohol consumption was stopped, it caused depression and a negative mood that set in 14 or more days after their systems were cleared of alcohol. This led scientist to believe that people who quit drinking, even moderate drinkers, will experience "negative mood states" days or weeks after the alcohol is out of their bodies.
The report did not say how long the depression could last, but it linked depression to a slow down in neuron production in the brain, which is important to learning and memory and is believed to be linked to mood regulation.
Scientist found that the use of antidepressants during the 14 day period after one quits drinking works well to keep depression at bay and keep the production of neurons at normal levels.
The article is published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.
