steve-in-kville

I'm gonna run this past you folks here on the boards before I call a doctor.... this could just be the normal ups and downs of real life that was simply drowned out by all the liquor when I drank. But I'm becoming concerned that I have PTSD or something similar. There were some events that occurred about ten years ago that really left some wounds (emotional abuse, I've talked about it before).

Anyways, I felt like I had accepted the situation and moved on, but it just nags at me. Do I give this more time? Is this normal? I haven't been exercising all winter due to an injury last fall and I wonder if that isn't part of this. I really do not want to see a doctor 'cause they just want to push pills and I don't want that.... tried it before and it almost didn't end well.

Ideas? Suggestions?

biminiblue

Cognitive Behavior Therapy? If you don't want medication, then figuring out how to not dwell on it could be the key.

I have past trauma, actually quite a bit of it. I had to figure out how to forgive those who harmed me, and then once that was done I had to repeatedly let it go. The thoughts become less and less the more I practice that.

Have you read this excellent sticky post in the Anxiety forum?

https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...anagement.html (Emotional Memory Management)

zjw

yeah since i quit drinking lots of things along those lines have surfaced for me as well. like you I didnt want to just go to a doc and be put on pills and it seems thats the only thing they ever wanna do for me.

In my case I try to remind aware of my limitations and live within my boundaries this helps. I have a routine I keep and that helps. I read a lot of books self help type things to help work it out in my head as well and try and talk to others as much as I can to try and bounce around these thoughts off them to kinda straighten it out.

yeah diet and excercise goes a long way but despite that theres still some lingering issues.

I dont have any official diagnoses in my case but I'd venture to guess I have ptsd and am on the spectrum for some other good stuff too I bet.

I toss around the idea of therapy but some have said unless i wanna get on pills theres no sense in going. Upon hearing that I thought WTF. But i ponder getting some therapy its really the cost at this point that hinders me along with finding a good therapist there are not any good options localy that I'm aware of for me.

Hang in there man it gets easier. But for me I know a lot of my mental nonsense has to be managed. Its almost as if I'm wired a certain way and thats the way that it is I can live within those boundaries and manage thigns fairly well. but I do have my limitations I just try not to push those.

I think one hard part to get over for me was acceptance of this. I felt disabled or as if somethign was severly wrong with me for a while. I'd get very depressed and felt i was broken SOL and half the man i once was or something because of it all. It seemed deblitating. For me that was all just in my head. When i started to accept things for how they are and work within the limitations and set some boundaries it no longer got me down like that.

ScottFromWI

Seeing a therapist or counselor is a great idea. Only Psychologists prescribe meds anyway, so a Psychiatrist or Licensed Counselor will explore your issues and try to determine a therapy/non-drug plan of action. They could certainly refer you to a Psychologist if they felt meds might help.

Think of it this way - if your car is broken would you call a plumber? Many medical doctors are not trained extensively in mental health so some will go right to a med as that's what they are trained to do.

Bunny211

Yep.
Normal.
Talk to a therapist. I learned I had PTSD after I got sober also.

entropy1964

See a therapist as opposed to a Dr....no pills. Obsessive thinking about past trauma isn't necessarily PTSD. But a good therapist can diagnose you. If you think you might have it (nightmares, panic attacks, flashbacks...you know, like its actually happening again, huge sensitivity to sound, light and for me even smells) try to find a therapist who specializes in treating trauma. I did EMDR and it really helped.

MindfulMan

Psychologists cannot prescribe meds. They can reccomend, but are not medical doctors. They can refer you to a psychiatrist for medication.

Psychiatrists prescribe meds. That is what they do.

I really dont understand why people have this reluctance to consult a doctor for medication, or limit their mental health options, just as i dont understand why anyone would limit treatment options in sobriety.

recommendations. If you had symptoms of diabetes you should consult a doctor, who may recommend meds and/or lifestyle changes. Not sure why people feel that symptoms of mental health issues are any different.

I have bipolar disorder. It is clearly an organic condition and requires medication to manage. I did cognitive therapy, which works well for PTSD as part of my recovery and am now in individual psychodynamic therapy that is time limited, not open ended.

It all works for me.

Gabe1980

Hey. I've been going through something a bit similar, I think.....historical emotional abuse that I thought I'd got over. Then I had longer periods sober and was dreaming about things/people from years ago. Waking scared and feeling like I did ten years ago.

I've been speaking to a counsellor and even though I knew these things, what had happened and the damage it had done, I still hadn't properly come to terms with it. For me it was understanding in a different way, as an adult and in my heart.

It takes a lot of time to heal that stuff. I say give yourself time and find a therapist you trust to talk to. There are different layers of processing with emotional pain x

Ooops....also CBT has been awesome too x