Shineon61

---Hello! My name is Gayle, and although I am "new" to this site, I am not new to recovery -- I have been "sober" for 10 years now (I use the word sober in parens, because although I have not abused narcotic pain relievers in 10 years, I am by no means a truly "functioning" person). I suffer from severe anxiety.
--Some history: I was Born in Michigan; attended schools in the United States and Germany; recieved a B.A. from Univ of Michigan, M.A. from Stanford (journalism and history, respectively). I worked as an interpreter with an airline, then with the State Department in DC. Married in my mid-twenties, had three children.....then became an addict.

---The "title" to my post refers to an article I read yesterday about social anxiety syndrome (phobias in general). The author asked one of the leading researchers in the field of social anxiety to "sum up" the effects of the disease....He called it a "Tragedy of opportunities wasted"....Kind of sums up my life to this point...

---I will post more later---I would like to know, however, if any one else has experienced what I have been experiencing for years now, since becoming sober: an absolute, and total sense of "not caring" about anything, really?...I have read that it can be the result of the destruction of "pleasure centers" in the brain (probably due to abuse of narcotic pain medicines).....I would like to hear from any one else who might have experienced this......Thanks.

Tamerua

Hi Shineon, I don't have experience but wanted to welcome you.

I usually read here that people had anxiety and that's why they drank or drugged. Did you or are you using a recovery plan to help with this?

Best of luck, there is a lot of support here!