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Old 02-14-2016, 07:28 AM
  # 12 (permalink)  
StartingOverNW
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Washington State
Posts: 591
Hi Madruski - Your story sounds similar to mine. I also have long had the pattern of work, (use substance alcohol/pot/whatever), sleep, repeat. The lack of desire is very common in people who use, and kinda makes sense because if we are constantly poisoning ourselves we just won't feel very well about much in general (but at the same time can have a hard time seeing that the poisoning we're doing might be responsible for that). So as others have suggested, I'd give yourself some sober time (more than 30 days) to see the difference.

You also brought up something else though which I think is terribly important. You mentioned feeling anti-social and having anxiety about it. I've also had something which sounds similar which over time I've decided to label social anxiety. For a long time I thought I was just a loner because I felt this way too but what I realized is that while I might be a loner in some ways, the fact that when I get around groups of people, and especially people I don't know very well I feel that same anxiety you describe, and that anxiety itself becomes a turn off to social situations, but in reality its the anxiety which makes me feel that way towards hanging out with others, its not my true self. This in turn can lead to an incredible amount of loneliness which can be hard to recognize as loneliness if its being felt all the time. And that last part in turn can be a huge driver to drink and use to fill that void. And then the drinking and using, by making you feel even more terrible, makes the problem a lot worse (and actually its possible the bottle might be the biggest source of this issue for you and many of us due to the havoc it wreaks on our nervous systems)!

I don't know if that all applies to you but I do feel like it applies to me.

This has also been one of the toughest issues for me to deal with with respect to getting sober because nearly all sober programs rely on group-therapy like settings which can be very difficult for people who suffer from stuff like this to deal with. For example sometimes just walking into an AA meeting can trigger something like a panic attack for me, let alone being called on to share in front of the group. Unfortunately though I also feel like having a social support group when trying to get sober is probably the most critical aspect of it, at least for me (again just my opinion), so avoiding the social side of recovery is not an option for me!

So that being said, I do find that communicating with people one on one or online can be a lot easier than in group settings. So I think online communities like this one can be helpful to people who deal with those issues. (So maybe start posting here when you want to vent or talk?)

Also, even though I have anxiety in those group settings, facing that fear over time has helped, and also meeting individuals in recovery in those groups who I've become friends with and can talk, chat, and grab coffee with one on one from time to time has really been the social backbone of my recovery program. For someone like me who sounds like you where for a long time I really didn't have any friends, meeting truly helpful, caring, friendly people in these groups and becoming friends with some of them has been a wonderful change in my life.

Anyway I don't know if any of that is helpful but I encourage you to keep talking about it and other issues either here or with.

I can also say that finding a psychiatrist who was also an addiction expert and 20 years in recovery himself has also been really useful for me in dealing with my own anxiety issues. (I dont think this qualifies as giving medical advice - I hope not).

(I hope this post doesn't come across as preachy - just trying to share my experiences since they sound similar)
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