racer

I was diagnosed almost a year ago. Just wondered if anybody else is in the same situation and whether or not the depression got better after quitting.

tellus

Racer - have you checked out the Mental Health forum here? You should if you haven't.

I was diagnosed with depression when I was a freshman in high school. It got markedly worse when I started drinking, exponentially worse in the last six months. I stopped drinking a month ago, and the depression's gotten better... but it hasn't gone away. I've still had suicidal ideation, bouts of hopelessness, et cetera. It's something I'm working on with my doctors.

Are you being treated for your depression? If you were put on meds while you were using, the dosage might need to be re-adjusted now that you've quit.

racer

I'll check it out Tellus. Thanks. I was pretty bad while drinking in that I would go off my anti-depressants so that I could drink but I've started taking them again and I think I may soon be able to quit smoking as well.

Right before my wife gave me an ultimatum, I had lost my job. Out of nowhere for reasons of restructuring, I found myself jobless so that really got me down because I NEVER expected that.

I feel bad about the stuff that has gone on between my wife and I and the rest of the family. How I treated them. Things I said. I need to apologize to everyone but I haven't been able to yet. I'm been thinking about what I can say to everyone but I haven't found the words yet.

I do feel closer to my family now.

tellus

I bet the fact that you're with your family and sober means more than any apology. Don't stress too much over what's past.

And re: going off the meds when drinking... I did that too. The funny thing? When I told my AODA counselor about it, she said that was absolutely the right thing to do! (I'm on Wellbutrin, which can cause seizures when combined with alcohol. Fun, eh?)

Sorry to hear about the job, that's rotten luck.

CarolD

Depression is why I began AA recovery.
I was drinking alcoholically when diagnosed.

As mine was situational depression
it did lift soon and vanished by 3 months.

This is not true for everyone.
Many in recovery do require meds for depression.

Well done on your sober time!

chiquen81

Yes, I've suffered from severe anxiety which led to depression in my mid-twenties. I hit rock bottom about a year ago and was finally put on anti-depressants. Before I was put on them, I was drinking heavily and I do believe that aside from the way my brain is wired that the alcohol was a major catalyst in my downfall. I wasn't drinking all day or anything, but every single night and in large quantities. It was a horrible and I never want to be that way again.

I've heard numerous stories of people that stopped drinking and they said that their depression went away. I feel like I am someone who will have to be on medicaiton for the rest of my life due to genetics. I have a long line of depression in my family. That's just the way it is.

StayinAlive

I am also one of the fortunate ones. I was on all kinds of meds for around 10 years. I have 6 months clean and am no longer on any medication. I still fight it from time to time(like right now), but i have made a lot of changes in my thinking that definitely helps.

tiburon88

My depression gets worse when I stop drinking.

Paulos

Depends on how much you drink to get depression did you drink while you had depression or did it start prior to you ever drinking or what. Because it sure makes ME depressed.

Signal30

My depression vanished when I finally stopped trying to do everything my way. I gave all my fears, resentments, and other character defects to my higher power.

Tom

melonhead

I'm depressed and have attention deficit problems. My psychiatrist says Wellbutren is the med of choice but I have to stop drinking first. I drank 2 six oz. glasses of wine every night and while I don't think i'm an alcoholic, because of my family history she prescribed Librium to help me stop. I haven't needed the Librium but its only been 6 days so far. One more day and I can start the antidepressant. Yay for me.

So I may be in a big fat denial of my own situation alcohol-wise, I know for certain my depression and inability to concentrate is affecting my job performance. And I have been looking (lurking) on this forum to see if I belong.

Has my depression gotten better in the 6 days I haven't had my wine? Yes, a tiny little bit, but a 3 day weekend doesn't hurt either.

Thread jack: Is there a special thread or forum for people who need to get sober before a problem was noticable? (except to my new shrink who was going on my 2 glass a day habit and my mom's family history of alkies).

adore79

It's different for everyone. My depression increases when I'm sober. That is wat anti-depressants are for, although they don't really work .

Marius

I've probably had depression my entire life, I've had two brothers who commited suicide, well one I am sure of. My other brother went missing, his body was found years later, we still don't know if he was murdered or killed himself. This happened when I was young, depression didn't really hit me hard until my mid 20's. This happened to be the same time I started to drink heavily. I went through two years of bad depression, and about 6 months month of suicidal depression. Things in my life happened, and one day I just got better. I don't have a solution to depression, but I started to get better when I stopped drinking booze.

WornAndWeary

Seems for most people depression increases for a while after becoming sober, or so I've read around. I'm just on my 3rd day after a binge where I almost got a DUI but the cop let me go w/ a citation (after driving me home of course, way too nice of him). I still have slight withdrawal, which sucks... but I definitely have some kinda bleak, depressed feelings goin on. I know it gets better when I work out (after feeling better, after a bad streak). I actually wrote a journal of how bad the whole situation was, how bad I felt and I'm going to read it every time I want a drink... and hope I can go long enough where it gets easier. At one point I went along pretty well for a year, then split up in a relationship and let it be a trigger... which was dumb of me, but it threw me off course for quite a while... ugh. here we go again

Texasblind

This is my experience.

Probably common sense but...you must absolutely NOT drink any alcohol while on anti-depressants. The opposite effect will occur and you will sink into the lowest depths of your mind.

Yes, I was diagnosed as depressed. But cutting the alcohol has helped more than the pill ever did. A lot of drinking, gaining weight, juggling jobs, and a divorce probably led to my depression and fixing those things is getting me out of it.

That's not to say there aren't clinically depressed people. I feel for them and they probably need a medical regiment. Hell, it took Antabuse to get me sober. Just like sobriety, any way to a happy healthy life is a good way.

WLDKATZ

I AM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:ghug3

CarolD

Hi Melonhead...

Gee, I don't know of one.
You might want to check out the Mental Health Forum.

Good to know you are working towards a healthy future.

CarolD

WornAndWeary ....
Welcome to SR!

Signal30

When I wrote this post orginally, I didn't take the time to fully think about it and left some important things out.

The program of AA is working for me, and is releiving me of depression. If you have a drinking problem and seek a recovery program, I personally suggest AA. However, if you have depression, it is recommended by me and I'm sure many others that you go to a doctor. I know I tried to fill my depression with alcohol and it didn't work. My doctor knows of my drinking and mental history and if he thinks I need medication, then he would prescribe it for me.

A recovery program like AA works, however it is also stated in the Big Book about not turning our backs to those of the medical profession.


Tom

Tazman53

Alcohol is a depressant, a rather odd one though, for most people the first drink acts like a stimulant, everything there after is a depressant.

In other words from everything I have read whether you suffered from depression before you start drinking or not, drinking is a huge contributing factor to depression.

I suffered from depression when I first quit, but with every day sober and every step finished in AA it got better, I was one of the lucky ones and never needed any anti-depressant meds.

A lot of folks need them in early sobriety and slowly come off of them as they work thier programs and stay sober. Some folks are clinically depressed and will need them the rest of thier lifes.

Best way to deal with it is to quit drinking, see a doctor and be totally honest about ones drinking and take the meds os prescribed.

The program of AA as Carol says so well deals with situational depression very well, but not clinical depression, the 2 combined are a God send for many folks.

Quit drinking and see a doctor.