BoozyBlues

Do any of you have a successful way to take the edge off without drinking? I'm not interested in going to my doctor and getting on a prescribed antidepressant b/c they don't work for me anyway. And I'm obviously not interested in trading one very likely addiction for another. Any serious recommendations are welcome and appreciated.

BoozyBlues

I meant to say anti-anxiety med. Not antidepressant. I'm not clinically depressed, but I do have anxiety issues.

RDBplus3

BoozyBlues,

Clinically, I would suppose you need a shrink to prescribe the correct meds, based on observation, blood work, and whatever they do to determine such. That's if you have a credible shrink, and not one that is more interested in the 'benefits' from the pharmaceutical reps, or the easy method of prescribing drugs as a 1st line of treatment.

The state of prescription drug addiction in current America unfortunately is not a good indicator, however I do believe there must be many physicians and mental health professionals that have impeccable integrity.

There obviously are differing opinions about 'Addicts' and possibly 'potential Addicts' using meds for psychological conditions. An issue that applies to anyone in my opinion, is if someone is prescribed meds for a psychological condition, is it permanent or temporary? If permanent, is there sufficient testing, history, medical research, etc to sentence the person to a lifetime of drug dependence? If temporary, what are the conditions that warrant the use of the drug, and what is going to change that the person will not need to take the drug indefinitely?

The same examination of issues also applies to the individual. If the drug is for a temporary 'fix', what are the conditions that warrant the use of the drug, and what is going to change that the person will not need to take the drug indefinitely? Choosing to take any drug for any purpose constitutes a dependent condition on the drug. I am dependent on aspirin to relieve my headache, because I am choosing to take the aspirin for that specific purpose, and I am not choosing to let the headache run its course without the med. I have made the decision that I am comfortable being dependent on aspirin, or ibuprofen, to relieve headaches. I have tried meditation, letting the headache last for hours on end, warm baths, etc, and they have not worked.

So, the risk of taking meds for temporary relief, begs the question is that ok for an ongoing and maybe indefinite time? Is it just to get an 'acceptable' high? Is there a strategy to get the situation in a manageable condition where the drugs are not needed, and thus limit the possibility of developing an addiction?

These questions and observations are not meant to present a judgmental position on my part. However, being a person that has had a dependency develop into a life-controlling addiction, with terrible repercussions, I believe these questions and observations are relevant to your post.

I hope the decision and path you take will be beneficial for you and your family. You can also pray about it. I do not believe we should expect God to be responsible for making every one of our free-will decisions, but I do believe praying brings good perspective, and helps guide our path and the decisions we make.

RDBplus3

nandm

I have a significant anxiety disorder, PTSD. I am also a recovering alcoholic. That has left me in a position of doing everything I can to minimize the anti-anxiety medications that I take because I do not want to risk becoming addicted to the medications. The following are some things I have found to be helpful in reducing stress without the use of medication. I hope you find something useful in the list.

• yoga
• meditation
• mindful breathing/breathing exercises
• talk therapy
• CBT - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• a strong support group
• being mindful of my surroundings and working to minimize stressors in it
• EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing--Therapy

RDBplus3

nandm, I appreciate your post.....and your bottom tag line,
"Depression is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of being too strong for too long"

Mountainmanbob

hope22

Hi BoozyBlues exercise helps me with anxiety. It makes a huge difference. Journaling and Chamomile Tea help too.

Bubovski

I agree with much of what you say, though I have always found meditation difficult and am not familiar with EMDR. I think cognitive therapy is quite good along with a compatible support group.
To your list I would add collecting positive quotes, perhaps joining a gym, and scenic walking.

HopeSho

I don't have advice except to share my own experience. I have severe anxiety issues, and since I quit almost two weeks ago my anxiety has improved a great deal. I think some of anxiety issues I had in the past were actually due to withdrawal....

soberclover

I found the same to be true of my anxiety issues as HopeSho; not drinking and ongoing sobriety has helped much. I'm in counseling and doing a lot of CBT/talk therapy to learn how to cope with me. I'm trying to learn more about meditation but my mind is a little too zippy still but getting better. I try to keep my hands busy doing some type of crafty-type thing; when it get's warmer I will be in the garden. Limiting my coffee intake is really key as well as trying to get enough sleep on a daily basis. Great post; thank you!

deeker

here's my take the edge off link


Take a virtual vacation!!!!HAWAII BEACHES DVD Ocean WAVES 2 Hours Relaxing Videos Tropical Beach Sounds HD Nature Relaxation 3 - YouTube


To Hawaii! Sit back turn the lights off, plop that laptop on your belly, sit in bed with ur head plopped up and maximize the screen. Kick everyone out of the room and don't forget your suncreen!!

Fix a nice fruity drink! Virgin of course!!

My favorite cranberry and gingerale.


Did I tell you I drank Canada-Dry! Yuck Yuck!! lol

fairlyuncertain

Those are all great suggestions. Yoga was a game-changer for me w/anxiety. It also upped my general happiness set-point.

I'd add this:Never underestimate the massive impact diet can have on emotional well-being.

I'm a fan of primal/paleo, I think Mark Sisson has living down to an art: plenty of sleep, play, sun, healthy fats & veggies, and bacon.I feel relaxed just looking at that list. When I addressed my food intolerances & ditched the wheat it really helped.

Skyjumper

Now that I've been sober, I feel the edge pretty much every evening. I mean i've really had the chance to FEEL it, rather than drink it away. For me, I think it's a result of being tired, or run down. So I think a nap or getting some rest is a good idea. I just don't feel the edge when I'm well rested. I do also enjoy exercise and vispassana meditation.


Happy sober Saturday!

LastDrinkToday

If you live in a state which has medical marijuana, that is always an option to at least consider. It relieves anxiety for a lot of people and isn't physically addictive at all. It is a much safer and less harmful alternative to alcohol.

LonerMan

You drink a lot of caffeine and/or have a hectic life? Listen to the news? Talk radio?

We have lots of background stress that few generations have had to deal with. Sure, other eras have had it way worse than us, but none have been so bombarded 24/7 with stress causers.

Got anxiety? Discover the cause and deal with it. Most of the time, it's simple. Others, not so much. Some, darn painful and life altering. Such is our life, one day at a time.

BoozyBlues

I'm a stay at home mom with 2 kids. One is 3 and the other is under a year. I don't watch tv, stay away from the news since it's always bad, hate talk radio, don't drink more than a cup of coffee or 2 in the am and no soda/tea throughout the day. I eat a paleo diet, so no carb overloads or sugar. The only thing I can really claim is an abusive (very) childhood until I was 8, my best friend dying 6 years ago and some loneliness/social anciety. That's it.

I was actually not talking about a prescribed drug at all, I myself worked in the medical field until becoming a stay at home mom and my husband still does. There's no medical marijuana here in NYS. And I feel like that would just become a crutch when the real goal is to not be excessively drinking. I don't know. Maybe it was a silly question to ask. There's not going to be some magical thing that makes me not be tempted to drink more than I should.

LonerMan

Oh, you were talking about the craving? Well, get distracted. Watch the news, listen to talk radio, eat sugar, drink caffeine, get romantic a lot.

Everyone alive is anxious and lonely. It's part of a being alive, unfortunately.

instant

I think trying to modulate my emotional experience with substances is what got me in trouble in the first place.

neferkamichael

BoozyBlues, I've grown accustomed to just "suffering through" whatever isn't going good at the moment without using anything. As time goes by your body will adjust to living without the chemicals. Rootin for ya.

AdanteFornax

Chamomile tea with a spoonful of honey