Today marks a change in seasons. It’s the first day of winter. Winter is an interesting time. The beginning of the season features holidays, while the rest of the season can be tough for some people.

For many of us, winter is a season of cold weather, snow, and days of less daylight. That means many of us are more limited in our activities. The darkness and grayness of the fall and winter seasons sometimes contributes to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of depression.

Depressed people sometimes turn to alcohol because they’re trying to heal their pain. But since alcohol is a depressant, it often only increases their pain. As a consequence, people sometimes struggle with alcohol abuse and depression.

Alcohol abuse and depressive disorders such as SAD both can lower the amount of the chemical serotonin in a person’s brain. Low levels of serotonin could people can feel impatient, depressed, even suicidal. Science has backed this phenomenon. In an article published in the journal Comprehensive Psychology in 2004, Dr. Leo Sher wrote about how studies have linked SAD and alcoholism.

SAD and substance use disorder are disorders you don’t have to endure until the days grow longer and the weather becomes longer. There are some fascinating treatments for them.

Since lower of levels of daylight contribute to SAD, light helps treat the disorder. Light therapy treats SAD. This therapy could come in the form of a light box, which provides light while people pursue different activities. Other SAD therapy involves using lights that grow from dim to bright as a person sleeps, lights that resemble a sunrise or the dawn.

People with SAD who also struggle with alcohol and drug abuse could also benefit from visiting drug and alcohol treatment facilities. Professionals at such centers are familiar with treating depression and other mental illnesses, such as anxiety and eating disorders. Different kinds of therapy illustrate that people with SAD don’t have to be sad forever.