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Bi-Polar and Alcoholic

Old 08-05-2014, 04:31 PM
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Bi-Polar and Alcoholic

I have heard a lot of opinions on being, "bi-polar" and how AA and the twelve steps has showed that it was just alcoholism running rampant and that bi polar was just a cover up diagnosis. I have heard debates on if you can take psch. meds and be sober. personally for me I am really Bi-polar. I was diagnosed when I was 16, long before I drank. I believe Bipolar can be caused by alcoholism but alcoholism can also be a result of bipolar and "self medicating". I need my medication and the therapy for my mental illness. I am just tired of people saying I cant be Sober if I am taking them or that I really don't need them. Personally I think that is between and individual and their respective doctors. Today I know if I want to stay sober I need to treat my alcoholism AND my mental disorders.
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Old 08-05-2014, 04:55 PM
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i always stay out of medical conditions as i am no dr

however i have problems with my own behaviour such as anger and trying to get my own way all the time and controling people etc that my only way to deal with it daily is to work the aa way of life into my own life
letting go of things
seeing things as they really are and not what i think they are
its quite a shock to find out that my thinking has been wrong for most of my life if not all of my life

thats why i know for me alcoholism is a mental illness
the ism part is what i have to adress daily and try to be rid of and for me i have to practice at it
just like a professional golfer needs to practice daily to stay up at the top i need to practice daily just to try to be normal thinking in my mind

in time it gets easy as i learn the new tricks and they become part of my new nature such as helping others instead of sitting there feeling sorry about me and wanting the whole world to do something for me

its a hard way to live for a cry baby like me, i will look for easyer ways of trying not to be responsible for me
even with all the practice in the world i can still have a bad day but so long as i dont pick up that first drink i am ok

so i dont know how this fits in with bipolar and like i say i am not a dr but for me i dont believe any medication will take away my thinking and thats my problem

can you describe what bi polar is ? as i dont understand it really thanks
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Old 08-05-2014, 05:11 PM
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Bi polar is a brain disorder which causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to function in daily tasks. The mood changes are drastic and sudden for me. I can go from normal to manic to depressed all in a week cycle.
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Old 08-05-2014, 05:15 PM
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I'm not a doctor, either, and this is my own experience--but I am bipolar and probably had been from middle school. I was undiagnosed until I was 38. From youth I always enjoyed getting into "altered states," but i never got into a serious alcohol problem till I was over 40.

I found the meds I was on for my bipolar disorder left me feeling really dead and extremely bored. So I drank to pass the day away.

I quit drinking for good (Lord willing) last November. Since August of 2012 I have been taking classes online to occupy my brain. I post on SR a lot.

Recently I got off of a med I'd been on for 16 years and have replaced it with a newer one. I feel great.

I think it's not only wrong but damaging for those people to think that you're "not sober" if you take necessary psych meds. You are not getting high from them. They are fixing a malfunction in your brain.

Do those people think that you're "not sober" if you take a cold medicine for a cold?
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Old 08-05-2014, 05:18 PM
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And I agree. Staying locked away in my misery and self pity will only make me sicker. Putting that energy to being of help to others is much effective to the treatment of my alcoholism and other mental disorders. My medications help to stabalize the chemicals in the brain that produce the mood swings- it does not change me or my thoughts- it does help me from constantly cyclng in mood and and the effects it plays.
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Old 08-05-2014, 05:19 PM
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Good point, I agree
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Old 08-05-2014, 05:53 PM
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The big book says never belittle a good dr or psychiatrist and alcoholism may be complicated by other disorders a good dr or psychiatrist can tell you if they are serious. They say your not sober cause you take mood and mind altering drugs well Bill Wilson took acid he kept his sobriety date. AA about alcoholism how are steps desighned for nothing to do with bi-polar dont let the AA play docters get to ya Ive been threw this listened to them and was hospitalized.
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Old 08-06-2014, 09:58 AM
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I have been taking Lithium for bi-polar disorder for 35 years.
I have been sober, with the help of AA, for 9 years.
From my experience: If I stop taking my Lithium, I will get high (manic) and not be able to come down without intervention (hospitalization).

So, I can't be sober if I stop taking my medication.

I would be foolish to act on the advice of those who put forth the opposite opinion.
Perhaps their advice is based on their experience ?
Maybe not.

I would prefer not to take meds.
I was recently offered a prescription for wellbutrin (bupropion) for depression.
The psychiatrist agreed that I could try exercise instead.
I still haven't tried wellbutrin.
Seems like a wonderful pill.
Not for me though.
Not yet.
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Old 08-07-2014, 12:25 PM
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I'm sober 22+ years in AA and never talk about anti-depressant medication except with my sponsor. There is enormous stupidity and arrogance in some alcoholics who offer unsolicited advice about medication. In AA literature (see the pamphlet AA and medications) it says "NO ONE SHOULD PLAY DOCTOR". My sponsee is bi-polar and I told her if she stops taking meds I won't sponsor her any longer.

A good friend in the program told me she ended up in a locked ward at four years because she was too stubborn to take meds. I personally know someone who stopped taking meds, drank and killed himself.

God bless you ..... so many people in the program also suffer from depression and bi-polar disorder. We drank to self-medicate. Now getting the right psychiatric meds is part of taking care of ourselves.
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Old 08-07-2014, 12:29 PM
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Bipolar is very very real. It's great that you know it, realize it, and realize you need medication and stabilization for yourself. That is half the battle. It's actually the opposite, people with Bipolar should not drink under any circumstances.

For anyone who does not understand and wants the perspective of the person with Bipolar, read Marya Hornbacher's books. I initially read them just b/c I had heard she is a good author. It opened up a wealth of knowledge about the issues that one with Bipolar faces.

I hope you continue to take good care of you. Anyone who quacks around saying it's not real, don't listen to it.

XXX
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Old 08-10-2014, 08:57 PM
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I'm another BP1 diagnosed 3 years into sobriety. I do not discuss my mental condition or any of my medications within AA period. That includes my Sponsor who used to make fun of people with BP disorder. I no longer use him as a Sponsor but talk to him more as a friend.

The bad part is that I really do not have anyone I can talk to about my BP1. Most people have very little understanding of mental disorders and there is a lot of extreme prejudice towards those afflicted. My Pdoc see's me for only a few minutes and he only seems interested if my medications are working and if any med changes are needed.
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Old 08-11-2014, 04:19 AM
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Feel free to post here anytime. It seems psychiatrists are not trained so much to do therapy anymore--it's become funnelled down into meds-only service. Counseling is left to counselors. Is there a chance your p-doc could refer you to a good counselor?
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Old 08-11-2014, 04:58 AM
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Thanks,
I'll check with my p-doc the next time I see him. My problem is that I am on a fixed income that barely is enough to make ends meet. When I had no income whatsoever it actually was easy to get help. They supplied a Pdoc, therapist (weekly) and all my meds were free. It was wonderful.
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Old 08-20-2014, 07:12 AM
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Not a doctor but have a lot of personal experience with bp. No not blood pressure, but the fun one Bi-polar. I have tried all the drugs on the market for the condition, lithium, Prozac, Effexor, wellbutrin, serzone, Topamax, and a host of other ones until I was put on zyprexa. Long story short I got off of all the drugs and used alcohol to cope. For me, the medications changed exactly who I was. I tried all of them and eventually was taking four to combat side effects of the others drugs. I did not know whether I was coming or going. I have a family with three little kids, and had some businesses which required 80+ hour work weeks. I tried the drugs and they made me into a zombie. I have been off of them for 3.5 years and recently decided to get off the alcohol. I use alcohol, especially when I am manic. I get so much crap running through my brain I can't slow down, and the booze slows me down. I have been off it for over one week, a short time, but have been dealing with the bp and not drinking.
The mind is a powerful thing, especially when it gets twisted up and or stuck. I understand where you are with the condition, it really sucks, but in my case the drugs suck more. I guess I am lucky in that when I get manic, I only buy stuff I don't need, but don't go "off the wall", except in my head. What helps me a lot is to take a step back and look at things they way they are, rather than the way I think they are, or the way I have convinced myself they are. I get so twisted up on things sometimes I get exhausted!! But on the other hand, the bp makes me incredibly productive at times, and very depressed at times. I tell myself often, it is not real, it is only in my head and I have to work through it.
Personally I think BP is first, then the alcohol comes into play for the self medicating. But it really does not matter which is first, second, or third, they are both a problem. It is nearly impossible to not be BP when you are BP, but there is a choice involved with drinking. This site has helped me understand that I cant control the 5-30 drinks at a time, and I often cant control the 2-5 drinks, but I can control the 1st drink. I am new at this so take it with a grain of salt, but I understand where you are with the BP. It is not pleasant.
I wish you luck in your decision and in your life. It is difficult, but everyone has problems, at least BP has some good attributes, although at times it is really difficult to see them.
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Old 09-10-2014, 02:34 AM
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I just spoke with this cool police officer that suggested I may be bipolar and not adhd im going to look into it.
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