Paul10

Hi. I have just joined SR and really don't know where to start. Other than to say I am an alcoholic and would prefer to not be. I am currently in therapy, but am still drinking. Which I suppose also makes me a hypocrite. I am currently being treated for concurrent disorders, as I also have bipolar disorder. I know that at times I drink to deal with the lows of depression ,however that doesn't explain the times when bipolar doesn't have it's hooks in me. Any thoughts?
Thanks.

Anna

Hi and Welcome,

I also began drinking to deal with mental health issues (anxiety/depression) and quickly moved on to become an alcoholic. Many of us self-medicate with alcohol, not realizing the risk we are taking. I'm glad to hear that you are being treated for the bipolar disorder and have a therapist. I hope you decide to stop drinking and join us in recovery.

Livinchi

Hello Paul, welcome to SR! Glad you found your way here, this forum was my first step to look for any outside support for my addictions and I am sure glad that I found it. I just started my sober journey, I stopped drinking October 3rd. I come on here every day and read, and post when I can use advice or support or just something to do to take my mind off other things. I think a lot of us used alcohol as a coping mechanism for depression, anxiety, and stress - and then we eventually figured out that it doesn't even really help. The depression is a trigger for drinking, but I would say the true reason for drinking for many of us here is we were physically addicted to alcohol. It might be best to keep it that simple. There is no real justification for hurting ourselves and others because we cannot control our drinking, and there is no legitimate medical purpose for alcohol. It only compounds other problems. You took a great step forward by coming here, admitting you are an alcoholic, and professing that you want to stop. You will find a lot of support here from great people, and we can all relate to each other.

SoberLeigh

Welcome to SR, Paul.

You have found a great place for support, encouragement and understanding.

Acknowledging that you are an alcoholic is a huge step toward recovery.

Have you discussed your drinking with your therapist?

boreas

Welcome Paul.

I continued to drink for many years while pondering the why of it all. I got sober once I accepted that understanding the reasons I drank was not necessary to put down the bottle. With some sober time, I was in a much better position to try to figure out the underlying issues that got me to such an unhealthy place.

Sobriety didn’t fix everything, but it sure made it easier forme to assess and deal with what was really going on. There wasn’t a single issue in my life that wasn’t made worse by drinking.
Best wishes!
-bora

Dee74

Hi and welcome Paul

I drank for many reasons but the basic underlying reason was I became addicted to alcohol.
Fortunately the remedy is simple, if not easy - and you'll find support and various ideas on how to stay quit here.

Post as much as you need to

I don't have bipolar as well, but many of our members do - you'll find support and understanding here

D

tursiops999

Paul, welcome to SR. Glad you're here.

Hevyn

Great to meet you, Paul. Just talking things over here has helped me so much over the years. The idea that we're never alone relieves the anxiety we feel as we begin a new alcohol-free life. You can do it, Paul.

TiredCarpenter

Welcome Paul.

saoutchik

Welcome Paul!

How are things today?

least

Welcome to the family Paul. I also have bipolar disorder, tho I prefer to call it 'manic depressive', as I think 'bipolar' makes me sound like a big magnet.

I found that my meds didn't work near as well if I was drinking while taking them. It wasn't til I got sober for a while that my meds could work as they should.

I hope our support can help you get sober for good.

Delilah1

Welcome Paul!

Be123

Hi Paul. I drank through therapy in 2019...I understand what my therapist was trying to do, and actually I am still alive and now I am sober so he played a part in my recovery.

However, I wish he'd been a bit more 'up front' with me about moving on in my journey and my addiction. I realise now I couldn't move forward with that amount of booze in me.

That's my experience - nobody else's! Hope it helps

Plure

Welcome Paul! You're on the right path and definitely not a hypocrite. For most I think it's a process of winding down the addiction / habit of drinking. You can't just flip a switch and it happen overnight. AA is full of sayings (some a little silly), but the one I do like is, "Progress not Perfection".

Hang in there buddy!

Edit - and I've been a long LONG time anxiety sufferer here and yes the mental health aspect of our lives can make things more challenging for sure.

Paul10

Hi Anna

I really am quite excited about the journey

Paul10

Hi everyone.

I have had some really wonderful responses to my original post and would like to respond to some of the kind souls who took the time. I need some technical help on how to reply to them. Any tips?

Thanks, and may a terrifying Halloween be in the tarot cards for all.

Dee74

You can just reply in this thread Paul, just like another post.

If you want to quote their post just hit the ‘quote’ 8button on the post you want to answer

D

Paul10

Thanks for asking.I think i will have to get back to you on that.

Paul10

Than you

Paul10

Thanks Saoutchik.I hope you are well