bunchie

I have been on this website for the past month and I have learned so much from so many. However I am beginning to realise that many who are sober are on antidepressants and other drugs to quell their anxiety. My wife is on antidepressants and gabapentin, and I feel she is a changed person , sometimes for the better and sometimes not. For example , early in morning she is irritable as well as late at night, this to me seems like the medication is actually controlling her., , she is always tired , lacks energy , and at times does not remember things and is somewhat in a fog so to speak. I think this is common with others I know also, so are we just substituting pills for the alcohol? I do realize that alcohol is far worse than antidepressants but why can't people just deal with reality , life is not always a bed of roses , we will always feel emotions good and bad we just have to learn to deal with them. My doctor asked me if I wanted some anti-anxiety medication, I said no, I told him I think the medical field is over prescribing oillls for everything. I will deal with my anxiety which is only bad when I drink. Woody Hates had a qoute I remember with fondness, when asked if he had any regrets for being fired after an emotional outburst and punching an opposing player, he said " no I am emotional guy , " I just pick myself up and dust myself off". I think we alcoholic's should be more like him, rather than feel sorry for ourselves and seek help in the form of pills, and also I believe the group therapy of AA, is strongly negative and it keeps a person down as well, when they should be looking at the positive side of things , instead of dwelling about the past. Perhaps I am wrong, I am an alcoholic but am beginning to think there are other ways with dealing with my drinking problem besides medicating and going to meetings and beating myself up, I am what I am, I made myself an alcoholic it was my choice to drink, and it will be my choice to remain sober without negative group therapy and pills. I just had to get this off my chest , enjoy the day

daredevil

Bunchie,

My experience with medications in the past (especially antidepressants) is that they're too quickly prescribed as a panacea for all ills (anxiety, depression, malaise, etc.).

I stopped going to meetings for much the reason you articulate: I'm not interested in rehashing the past and I find them generally negative.

gettingsmarter

Antidepressants probably saved my life. I would not take them cause I didn't want to be one of "those" people. I ended up giving them a go because the anxiety were so bad even after 2.5 years sober. Best decision I have made. Now my depression and anxiety are no longer the main theme of my life I can focus on getting my life better. Just my experience.

Cascabel

I don’t agree with your “just suck it up” philosophy. Unless you have suffered from depression I don’t think you have any idea what it is like. It isn’t just feeling a bit down, it is an unending and crushing sense of hopelessness and pointlessness. I went through a six month spell of depression; I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. Temporary medication finally put an end to it, thank heavens. If you don’t know anything about how depression feels it’s probably best to keep your opinions to yourself.

decchemist

You are of course entitled to your opinion, Bunchie.

My wife took me to the doctor due to suicidal thinking. I scored extremely high on the assessment for clinical depression - very high. That was my reality and if I had faced it instead of getting medical help I might not be here.

decchemist

The reason we all come here to this forum is because no one understands an alcoholic like another alcoholic.

In the same way, as Cascabel implies, if you have never suffered from depression you cannot understand depression.

gettingsmarter

I'd like to add that depression and anxiety can get so bad that there actually painful. Its hard to describe to someone who has not experienced it. After a long enough time you can forget what its like to not be depressed and anxious. They can be a life preserver that lets you stop treading water long enough to catch your breath long enough so you don't drown.
They might be overpersribed. If it helps people who are loosing the fight i say perscribe away.

bunchie

You obviously misinterpreted what I wrote, they are overprescribing them to people is what I was implying, my wife does not need them she takes them , all her friends are in them , they were not clinically depressed, some had post partum, actually one of her friends got off them because they made her suicidal. My opinion is that the medical profession makes money , obviously the drug companies as well, and they are prescribed to people who do not need them. I'm sorry if I offended you, I have a dear friend who was clinically depressed is is now doing better, but he will be on them for life, you implied that you were depressed but are not now, so in your case your depression has been cured! That's great I am glad for you , but do you think because someone becomes an alcoholic and suffers anxiety they should do antidepressants? I do not not, from my understanding and I talked to a doctor who is an expert in the field of depression , they are over prescribed and he uses them as a last resort after behaviour modification, excercise, diet, group therapy and counseling.

cotwo

I can totally see how this can be a touchy subject, and this thread will probably be moderated, since its real hard to have a discussion on this with out it offending other peoples life style.

I can only state on what i believe on the subject. Taking anti depressants or anxiety medication on a daily basis, isn't any different then using drugs or alcohol. There both body altering drugs, that are not natural or good for our organs. Big Pharma is a billion dollar industry, and does not put people's interest first.

There are many people who recovered from these health issue's with out turning to pills. I really think that sometime some of these addiction issue's and plans are way harder then what they should be. Find a new hobby, find God, what ever it is, is the best way to end addictions. Don't dwell on the past, always move forward.

Andante

Count me among those who wouldn't be here if it weren't for anti-depressants.

There was a time when my brain chemistry was so far out of whack, "facing reality," as you say, to me meant following through with plans to commit suicide. I firmly and truly believed that the world would be a better place without me, that I had no friends, and that my family would feel only relief when I was gone.

How lucky I am that I gave myself one last-ditch effort by pursuing the medication route. I would have missed out on 23 more years of a varied and rewarding life had I continued to believe that my only option was to "suck it up and face reality."

bunchie

I apologize to anyone I offended, but I did not realize how many alcoholic's use medicine to stop depression and anxiety. I do find it hypocritical of AA to look down on people who use marijuana to calm themselves , all I know is when I stop drinking I lose my anxiety , I never have suffered depression in my life, but I have had some very low periods in my life where I had low self esteem, social anxiety around non alcoholic's, all caused by booze, all I know is that depression is real and I meant no harm to anyone truly depressed, but I believe there are people who take meds who do not need them.

Meraviglioso

I recently posted about a new medication I have been prescribed, Brinttelix. The change has been night and day. On a standard SSRI I experiened all the side effects you mention your wife suffering. On this new medication (an SMS, not SSRI) I have none of those side effects.

Meraviglioso

Let’s keep this clean and respectful folks!

Anna

Bunchie, please understand that your beliefs are your beliefs. You said to 'face reality'. I have and I am, and my reality is different from your reality. We are all individuals with individual needs and reactions.

And, we are not here to speak negatively about Big Pharma. That is not part of our agenda at SR.

Many people find meetings useful and many people need medication. You cannot judge whether or not someone needs to be taking antidepressants. I am with others who posted here, and I would not be alive and sober without antidepressants.

bunchie

Cotwo,
Thank you, I will refrain from posting anything which might be considered offensive, although I really do believe that open discussion about controversial or differing opinions is therapeutic for some, and it's also a way of learning.
Thank you, Bunchie

August252015

What Anna said times a bajillion.

Open discussion should not involve insulting words, claiming to know anyone else's reality or medical needs or the like.

cotwo

This is what i was trying to get at. In this thread so far, there has been zero insults directed at another user, and nobody is claiming to know anything about anybody's reality. Its an open discussion about big pharma on individual experiences. Probably not allowed, i don't know, but that makes it an open discussion.

If this thread would just flow, and not end up being moderated, you would have the same amount of people that recovered with meds as in people who didn't

Your liver does not know the difference between recreational, and prescription. Sobriety to ME, means no chemical mind altering substances in my body, no matter what.

least

Anti depressants saved my life too. I will be on them for life, and that's ok with me.

Andante

Actually, the tone of the opening post itself is a bit insulting, as it berates and scorns all users of anti-depressants as not "facing reality." That is not the same thing as "sharing experience."

The problem I have with your last statement is that not all brains are created equal, and merely abstaining from all "chemical mind-altering substances" will not put everyone on an equal playing field. Some folks need a little help because their brains aren't functioning right, just as other folks need heart medication because their hearts aren't functioning right. When people take prescribed drugs with the goal of correcting an inherent chemical imbalance and enabling a baseline level of functionality that could not otherwise be achieved, I'm not sure how you can label them as "not sober."

Following this line of thinking to its logical conclusion, no mental illness -- no matter how severe -- should be treated with drugs because their mind-altering qualities means that the person isn't "facing reality."

allishope73

Hi kind people . My reflection on medication . Benzos mimic alcohol sedating fix another addiction. Antidepressants those sssr etc are created to help brain to adjust ... not a magic pill. I cannot comment how useful are those . Maybe placebo maybe helpful . But depression is a real thing xD