KarenMarie1

My former boyfriend (now just friends) has been sober for nearly 5 years. He seems to really struggle with some deep depression off and on. It is a roller coaster ride with his extreme highs and deep lows. When he starts spiraling downward he shuts everybody out of his life. I just try to be there when he feels like communicating. He doesn't have very many friends since he became sober. Most of his friends were his drinking buddies.
Anyway, he has once again cut himself off from any contact. I am wondering how real the possibility of a replase is? He hasn't been going to meetings and I kinda doubt he has been working his program. Although, I am not positive about that one. I know I can't fix him and if he is going to hit bottom again, I can't save him. I just wondered how likely it is that he has or will be having a relapse? Do the extreme mood swings always exist in a recovering alcoholic?

CBrown

I don't know about a recovering A, as my XABF hasn't enter that phase. I will say, though, that in the reading I've done, it seems that bi-polar and alcoholism may go hand in hand. Did your XBF have these depressive episodes while he was drinking? It could be he needs to see a psychiatrist to see if he is indeed bi-polar and needs meds to help keep him on a more even keel. Just a thought; hope your fears are realized.

KarenMarie1

I have only known him for 2 years. So, I wasn't around when he was drinking.

Barbara52

If he's not drinking and is cycling through depressive episodes, he may indeed be bipolar or suffer from some other mood disorder. Seeing a psychiatrist is the right thing to do.

Astro

I agree that he might need to see a psychiatrist regarding his mood swings. In early sobriety I was attending meetings but wasn't making an effort to make friends or have a social life. The depression was crushing, SSRI's were helpful in my first year.

There are alcoholics who are committed to sobriety but not to meetings, so not going to meetings doesn't necessarily guarantee the chances of a relapse. But if there's one pattern I've noticed, most people who share about a relapse after years of sobriety attribute their actions to a lack of meetings and working the program.

I'm an alcoholic who needs a meeting every day if possible. I might not drink from a lack of meetings, but my mental condition would deteriorate rapidly without contact with the Fellowship of AA.