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Depressed???

Old 09-28-2010, 03:01 PM
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Depressed???

I was going to put this in the health and fitness forum, but decided I wanted to let everyone in on this.

I have had mild depression (maybe more than mild) in the past, and since I quit drinking it has almost gone away, but the last couple of days I was slipping back into it. It wasn't anything that would make me want to drink, but it was pronounced. Then I realize that I hadn't lifted weights/worked out, (which was an original part of my recovery plan) aside from my daily walks in the past 4 days because I was sidetracked with work. Well I put in a good hour of push ups/weights and ab work, and I feel like a million bucks. The endorphins are flowing again!!

If you are feeling depressed instead of reaching for the bottle or taking a nap hit the gym, or your living room floor and get a sweat on....it will do you wonders!
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Old 09-28-2010, 03:05 PM
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I so agree SC.

I've not been very mobile for the past few years...walking too far is problematic for me...so I bought an exercise bike....

Exercise really does do wonders for me. I'm a lot happier and far less prone to mood swings - although it should be said I haven;t any clinical depression or anything like that.

I think the bike might be one of my best post-recovery investments yet

D
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Old 09-28-2010, 03:15 PM
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I find that the exercise, fresh air, and sunshine on a good long dog walk does me a world of good.
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Old 09-28-2010, 03:32 PM
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Good for you!

And, I totally agree that keeping things in balance is so important. If I slack off with exercise, I don't feel good either.
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Old 09-28-2010, 05:09 PM
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Good job, Supercrew !

Like Dee, ............ my bike is definitely the best "post recovery investments yet"

Unbelievable how much serenity can come from a little sweat, huh !?!

Stay Strong, y'all.
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Old 09-28-2010, 11:19 PM
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Exercise helps me tremendously, both with alleviating depression and also cravings.
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Old 09-29-2010, 05:37 AM
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SC, you may want to consider (just consider) that maybe what you're feeling is what the aa book describes as a "spiritual malady." Just-a-thought.

All my best to you.
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Old 09-29-2010, 06:22 AM
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Originally Posted by DayTrader View Post
SC, you may want to consider (just consider) that maybe what you're feeling is what the aa book describes as a "spiritual malady." Just-a-thought.

All my best to you.
Thanks, but you know I don't beleive in that.

The work out did the trick....my body has given me the tools to combat most of my maladies.
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Old 09-29-2010, 06:31 AM
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When I drank I suffered from depression...when it got really bad I sometimes made myself feel better by doing jumping jacks in the living room:-D
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Old 09-29-2010, 06:33 AM
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While it's true that exercise gets the endorphins flowing and can make us feel much better, if a person is truly depressed, it isn't going to really help. I would urge those people to please see your doctor and let him/her know what is going on.
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Old 09-29-2010, 07:27 AM
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I've been treated for both reactive and major depression for over 3 years. most of the medications I was prescribed made me feel even worse with their side effects....(weight gain, profuse sweating, inability to sleep, etc).

a good 30-40 mins concentrating on weight sets, cardio with some upbeat music does ME a world of good and helps to keep both my BP and glucose levels much more even.

this is only my personal experience, but I've tried 4 different anti-depressants and didn't do well on any of them.

also i found that abusing alcohol only made my depression worse, it was a vicious cycle.
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Old 09-29-2010, 07:52 AM
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I agree, everyone is different. No amount of exercise, though, could pull me out of the depression I was in. I needed the medication and luckily, for me, there were relatively few side effects.

The only point I was trying to make is that some people need more than exercise and just telling someone to go play tennis or ride the stationary bike, etc. and they'll feel better isn't true for some people. Depressed people often kill themselves, so it's important that those people seek medical help.
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Old 09-29-2010, 08:52 AM
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Ok here is an issue that I have grappled with for many years.

In my opinion drinking and taking "psychiatrist" depression drugs are essentially the same thing. Granted- I do see the merit and use for some depression drugs to fight chemical imbalances or severe temperament issues involving brain injury etc. However, I think they are one in the same because in the case of either you are looking for a "quick fix" to a spiritual problem.

Mind you this is coming from a person that was diagnosed with severe clinical depression 3 years ago. My depression was so bad that I literally could not get out of bed in the morning, didnt go to work, didnt go to school, and slept 12-18 hours per day. The only times I wouldnt sleep is when I was doing coke and drinking. My body and mind were so backwards, upside down, etc that I seriously tried killing myself at least 4 times. I swear I was on the absolute brink of being certifiably insane.

Anyway- I sit here today a person that has run marathons from that other person, and I did it without the help of psychiatric drugs. A lot of my issue with them comes from the fact that a- They are a symptom of the pharmaceutical industrial complex b- Many of the side effects are unknown to physicians on a short term level, let alone the understanding of what the long term effects can be. To me these drugs are more dangerous and are going to pose a far bigger problem than any type of substance (including booze) in the next 20 years or so. This is not meant to downplay how terrible of a problem alchohol is cause as they say "2 wrongs never make a right".

Case and point-

A good friend of mine was diagnosed with severe clinical depression and was placed on numerous drugs from numerous doctors and the pills tended to make him a bigger nutcase. Especially when he drinks (to bad they dont have a pill that makes you quit drinking, although many people operate under this delusion when they use anti depressents to help calm their sober nerves) So finally after trial and error he found that a high dosage of prozak did wonders for his psych. He cut down BIG TIME on the partying, his relationship with his fiancee was going great (on a mental level), and all in all he was improving. That is until...... one of the "side effects" decided to kick in and as a result he put on nearly 100 lbs in 6 months. He worked out the entire time (as it was part of his recovery plan he made with his shrink) yet the weight kept piling on and on. As a result his relationship with his fiancee was destroyed (it is hard to marry someone that you have no physical attraction to) and guess what? He fell even further down the ladder than he ever was to begin with. It ended up destroying him in the end. To quote cory taylor (a musician) He is a "skeletal wreck of a man" nowadays.

He held on to false hopes that a little pill was going to solve all his problems, and to me that is just as bad as using a bottle for comfort because you are not being true to yourself, nor are you putting your mind through the proper grieving and rehabilitation process by chemically altering it because you had a conversation with someone. (they rarely do actual medical testing when prescribing these type of drugs) They say substance abuse is a spiritual problem, and I 100 pct fully agree. I do not see how numbing your mind to the world around you is doing anything to address the internal struggles you are going through. If anything you are just creating a new chemical dependancy to replace the old one instead of just going through hell and back and coming back a stronger person.

I would also like to make it abundantly clear that I DO think that there are some people out there that really can gain a benefit from some of these drugs. I just think they are over prescribed and a lot of people are just looking for a quick fix as opposed to getting their elbows dirty and tackling their problems.

This is why I am a 100 percent proponent of Psychologists. They help you sort through your problems and if you find one you like (much like an aa meeting) your benefits can be endless. Self actualization can actually be achieved through gaining a better scope of yourself, who you are, why you do it, why you feel certain ways about certain things, and how you react to things out of your control. Prozak and its buddies seem to make people forget about this stuff and make people what is reffered to in the AA community, a dry drunk.

I hope this post wasn't construed as medical advice nor offended anyone. I urge anyone to do whatever they feel is necessary for THEIR OWN personal health. This is just how I view the subject matter in general.
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Old 09-29-2010, 08:58 AM
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Exactly. Everyone is different.
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Old 09-29-2010, 08:58 AM
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I also forgot to mention the many dangers that these type of drugs pose to alchoholics. Many of these drugs do not work with drinking AT ALL, and could potentially kill you if you mix the 2 subtances. This is another danger that people that drink must consider when looking at Psychiatric medication. They seriously need to ask themselves "am i really strong enough to NOT drink?" because as Suki said ( i agree with your entire post by the way) some depressed people are extremely suicidal. I guess the point is that if you give a depressed alchohalic a bunch of pills, and they fall off the wagon and have a terrible night, you are basically giving them the tools to end their life, knowingly or unknowingly.
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Old 09-29-2010, 09:05 AM
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Absolutely. Not only is it dangerous, taking an anti-depressant while also taking a depressant (alcohol) is a huge waste of money.
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Old 09-29-2010, 10:32 AM
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I was similar to Mil.Guy's friend with 2 of the anti-depr. (paxil and zoloft)...no matter what I did, i was steadily gaining weight....for me, gaining 6-8 lbs. a week made me even MORE depressed...(i had a very strong loving relationship with Ben&Jerry).
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Old 09-29-2010, 10:57 AM
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ugh I hate these threads, I already work out lift weights and I can still be depressed, then I go to the weight room and get depressed my biceps aren't big enough. The only that works for me is doing the right thing and time. doing the right thing is putting on uplifting music and making calls or whatever the right thing is after praying.
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Old 09-29-2010, 02:31 PM
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I didn't plan on this thread going this direction. I just wanted to say I was feeling down, I remembered that I had missed my workout a couple of days in a row, BAM, I worked out, I felt better.

That being said, I do feel that depression is something that is natural, and it is often something that people are looking to medicate rather than looking at the cause. Why are so many people depressed? Most people are depressed because they are not happy with their "life situation". If these people were able to do what they loved each and everyday would they still be depressed? Boredom often is mistaken for depression. I drank alot out of boredom, which led to even more depression later on. Will spirituality lead you out of depression? I agree if you are feeling suicidal you should seek help, but in my opinion depression is just a part of the ebbs and flows of life. I'm headed to the weightroom again to make my biceps bigger and then I'm going to cut the lawn and coach a football practice to put a smile on my face and some purpose in my life!!
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Old 09-29-2010, 02:37 PM
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I think some people might be mis-defining true depression. Everyone has blue days, true. Everyone has bad moods sometimes. Depression is different. Depression is due to a chemical imbalance in the brain. It isn't just a matter of getting the endorphins flowing. It's great that exercise works for you and others, and I am certainly not trying to start a fight, but I think it is disingenuous to tell people that if they just get some exercise they will no longer be depressed. It might lift their mood, but true depression is much more than that.
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