pooky

I was diagnosed with depression years ago and am taking antidepressants and see my dr regularly. I have tried many times to quit drinking; this time is 30 plus days and I'm feeling pretty good.
I have ,in the past, usually started drinking around 4 pm and either gone out and about or just stayed home and drank but usually until I passed out.
Since I stopped drinking I have noticed that at about 4 pm I get very depressed. The emotional stress I have been going through seems insurmountable and just horrible. I don't really want to drink at those times but I just find it odd. Within about 2 hours I seem to be fine. Clearly, I need to busy myself at that time. I began drinking heavily about 10 years ago. Just wondering.. Was I drinking to cover depression ? Chicken or the egg?? Thoughts?

FenwayFaithful

Hi I live in Florida too =) moved there a couple of years ago.

Anyway... times of day are a HUGE trigger for a lot of people. I mostly drank after work so for a long time, that time of a day was a HUGE trigger for me. What I found helpful was establishing a different routine for that time of day.

Some good ones suggested to me are:
-going to the gym
-reading aa/na literature
-going to a meeting
-yoga
-meditation (I still haven't quite gotten the hang of this one)
-prayer

There are I'm sure tons of others. Have you read the Living Sober book? They sell it at AA meetings and they have a chapter about this. I found that book really helpful and easier to read than the big book.

I also struggle with depression. I had to wait a bit to see if it was the alcoholic causing the depression. In my case I was attempting to self medicate with alcohol because of my depression which was only making my depression worse. Make sense? For some people tho they find their depression is eliminated once they stop drinking. Mine certainly improved but even in sobriety got bad enough that I wasn't really able to function that well so I saw a psychiatrist instead of picking up the bottle again./

Coldfusion

My drinking time was more like 5:30 PM, which is the time for all the local AA meetings. Have you thought of seeking an activity at that time which promotes sobriety?

Forward12

Many of us would get into a groundhog day style routine that would repeat itself over and over every day, often times for years. Breaking free from that at first can seem foreign, but just replace that time with another activity, or like mentioned, make that your going to AA hour.

BrendaChenowyth

It IS a chicken/egg question in that it doesn't really matter. Both are conditions that need addressed, in most of us here.

I'm struggling lately.. I have about four months of sobriety.. for the first time, I am starting to doubt how strong I am..

Just so you know, you're not alone.. Just because I have doubts, doesn't mean I have to drink today, tomorrow, or ever

Soberwolf

I think the important thing is what your doing now not then Pooky ?

ScottFromWI

Alcohol is actually a depressant of course, so it's basically going to counteract any antidepressants and possibly cause even more bad side effects. And of course drinking to cover up depresssion is kind of like putting out a fire with gasoline, right?

But sure, a lot of us drank to try and escape a whole host of problems - pscyhological, social and physical. Glad to hear you have 30 days sober, that will definitely help in moving forward on your depression issues. Are you still seeing a counselor/therapist and/or taking the anti-depressants?

Doug39

For the last 27 years I always opened a beer as soon as I got home from work. It was always my "reward" for making it through the day.

I quit drinking 10/24/16 and I haven't been back to work yet. I go back in January; it will be strange not drinking after a day's work.

I seem to find I have more time on my hands now that I am sober. I was so out of it all the time when I was drinking - time just slipped away.

pooky

I am still on antidepressants. I understand that alcohol negates any benefits they might have. I just thought it interesting that my depression is at its worst when my usual beginning of drinking time is near. Guess I need to busy myself at that time. No 4 pm meetings around here.

Gottalife

There was a report on this site, of a study that showed alcoholism can cause depression, but not vice versa. If you can deal with the alcoholism, you have a much better chance of resolving the depression.

BrendaChenowyth

It can be dangerous to mix alcohol with medications.. Alcohol and clonazepam gave me heart palpitations with tachycardia.. I had suicidal thoughts when I drank on prozac (fluoxetine). Please, just don't do it. It's more than simply canceling out the anti-depressant effect, it can hurt you.