nekojsi321

Guys Hello again

I have posted here a while ago. I quit several months ago (I don't really count any more it's ok now). I didn't relapse or anything, didn't have withdrawal symptoms (even I was drinking 4-5 liters of beer everyday for 5 years or more) etc...

So, after successfully tapering off and quitting beer completely )together with cigarettes) I started sober life again. The problem now is depression and I feel unhappy and fatigued all the time. Have tinnitus in my head and some other symptoms which are listed as depression and anxiety when i search online or ask any medical person here. At first I thought that I have damaged something due to my drinking years but that didn't turn out to be the case. Made a MRI on my head, complete blood test, liver check and all other organs in my body which turned to be in PERFECT working order. Yet depression symptoms are killing me.... I went to mental health doctors and they prescribed anti depressants for me. After trying almost all types of medication for that purposes available in my country (gave all of them some time to work with no luck), now I am out of options, but I remembered this place. Can you give me some advice or anything that might help. It would be HIGHLY appreciated.

Thanks in advance

heartcore

I think most alcoholics have some level of depression or anxiety...

I have found some relief with crazy levels of exercise (some would call it exhaustion), focusing on others' (even if the other is my dog) needs, prayer & meditation, and friendship. I also decided I am simply willing to be a bit anxious (substitute depressed, in your case) because that's my story...

Coping with our complications and braving life is actually the definition of recovery, I think. This is not an easy road. We get to our true selves, and realize we're a bit crazy at our core. It's accepting this which sort of defines recovery.

What do you need, right now? I ask myself that question throughout the day! Sometimes I need an Epsom salt bath, sometimes I need to sleep, sometimes I need to stay up too late on a work-night doing SR, sometimes I need to read a children's book, sometimes I need to go out with friends.

I "manage my mental illness" every day. I don't actually think it is illness. I think we live in a challenging world, and are all doing our very best.

But I also believe that our answers are within us, and that we know what we most need. We are our own experts! We just need to give ourselves ice cream at the exact right moment, and not go to the show, and clean our bathtub sometimes, and we're good!

Trust yourself! Try their medicines, but figure out your own in the meantime!

nekojsi321

Well I started my garage which occupies most of my time. I work with car electronics (fixing them) but still after the working day it's hard to cope with sadness. Weird maybe but I do not have any cravings n stuff (drinking again never crosses my mind). Guess I was never that much addicted to drinking, it was more panic that got me off the bad habit haha. In any case thanks for replying helps a lot to talk to someone. I hope this will end soon because summer is coming and i plan on taking a tour around driving my country. Hope i can get better soon.

ScottFromWI

Congrats on staying sober for several months nekojsi, that's a pretty big accomplishment in istelf.

Regarding depression and anxiety, it can certainly be the case that we have those as underlying conditions. For me it was anxiety and it really started flaring up almost a year into my sobriety.

The solution for me was to come up with a plan to deal with it just like I did for sobriety. Anxiety and depression are diagnosable and treatable conditions, and it's quite possible to make things a lot better/manageable. Regarding the antidepressants, some of those take weeks or even months to start working, so if you are only a few months sober and you've tried several, it could be that you didn't give them enough time to work. Were they prescribed by a mental health professional or an MD? Sometimes MD's don't know as much about them as a mental health professional, and they also don't prescribe or use therapy too. From my personal experience, meds really only help with the symptoms of mental health issues...they don't address the real problem. I addressed mine through therapy, mindfulness and meditation, exercise, changing my diet and doing a lot of reading on the subject. That might not be the plan you would need, but I wouldn't rule out seeing a counselor or therapist that has a little more holistic approach to the problem than just meds. A lot of people these days( in general ) simply want a pill to fix their problems, and that's what some doctors will prescribe as a result.

zjw

for me its kinda like keeping my finger on the pulse of how i feel. like heartcore said its kidna something i just manage each day. I have my usual ups and downs.

some kickers for me are bad weather days , or if i'm broke, or its a work day. Those tend to be the biggest triggers for dperssoin that I cant really combat i jsut have to push through. I cant change the weather etc..

But being aware of these things helps whne i'm feeling down in the dumps and not sure why.

early on in sobriety it became apparent to me that I coudlnt just wallow all the time which is all i ever did when i drank. I mean I could wallow but I didnt like feeling that way so i quickly tried to nip that in the bud at least.

Acheleus

Exercise and moving my body always eased my symptoms. Sitting and wallowing is not good. I'm trying to get back into a healthy lifestyle. Diet and exercise can help you fight depression.

zjw

also for me it seems there is no magical cure. its more or less remaning vigilent and every day trying to stay on top of things and do my best it odesnt always work but i do what i can do.