Rio97

Also battle alcohol addiction along with being diagnosed with a mental illness. It makes it doubly hard to quit. Anyone dealt with this?

Dee74

A lot our members have to deal with 'dual diagnosis' Rio. I hope you'll hear from them here

D

chicory

Good for you Rio, in getting a diagnosis, and accepting it. I say Bravo.... there is hope where there is acceptance! You can do this, armed with information and determination.

NestWasEmpty

Rio , You can over come this . All three run in my family . Alcoholism , Anxiety , & Mental illness . Picks & chooses whom it will attach itself to randomly . Plus some have just 1 or 2 of them combined .
I have had 2 Aunts and at least 3 cousins that I know of . My family is old fashion . See it , know about it but , brush it under the rug and hope for the best .
I became an alcoholic - which in turn triggered my anxiety . I knew I had it when I was younger because I word get panic attacks . Dr said I had Asthma
After I got Sober , that's when finally I was told it's anxiety attacks . Of course alcohol makes it worse .
Look for all the help you can , there's so many new things . I'm sure you will make it thought this

dox

I was diagnosed with Manic-Depression (bipolar) long before drinking myself into alcoholism.
I looked to alcohol as another medicine -- a solution of sorts.
Alcohol helped me cope -- or so I thought.

When I found that alcohol was a problem, rather than a solution, I couldn't quit on my own.
The peer support at meetings, the fellowship outside of meetings and the AA programme helped me to
win the battle with alcohol addiction.

I still need to help others, as well as myself, on a daily basis.
Happily, I never need to drink again.

happybeingme

Depression and alcoholism here. Medication, cognitive behavior techniques, and quitting drinking have helped make me much healthier. I look at it like this, mental illness is a long term and sometimes permanent condition. A lot of people have medical conditions. Take care of them daily and you can have a good life. Accepting it at first was tough but knowing what's wrong and that it can be treated has made life much better

Rio97

I'm on medication, and I know drinking alcohol isn't a good mix, for my mind or body. My doctor told me that family issues can play a large role in our disorders. I think that's true. Thanks for the posts.

tulsi69

Depression and alcoholism...best friends? I'm 33, but was depressed a lot when I was younger. It's back in my life now due to feelings of failure? low self esteem? lack of community (recently moved to a new city)? brain chemistry? whatever causes depression. The two definitely seem to feed one another. Hopefully quitting drinking will help me recover from depression (and fuzzy brain).

Soberwolf