pattyj

I have almost 6 months of sobriety. I was diagnosed with bipolar a long time ago and quit taking meds a long time ago as well. I am going to see a specialist in a couple of weeks for bipolar to determine whether pills are the answer.

I know that in recovery you have many ups and downs when it comes to your emotions. Sometimes I'm on the pink cloud and other times I refuse to go to meetings and see my sponsor. I try to control my manic and depressive episodes but being in recovery can complecate things.

Does anyone relate to having a mental disorder along with being an alcoholic?

least

Yes. I'm diagnosed with depression and anxiety and understand how complicated it can make recovery. I wish you the best in your upcoming appointment that they can help you.

Acheleus

Depression and anxiety here. I start to feel worse sober sometimes. I take medication but I recently started it, so I hope it will help as I come up on two weeks sober this weekend.

InsaneHeart

Yes. I have PTSD, OCD, anxiety and depression. I used alcohol to self medicate, which was obviously a disaster or I wouldn't be here. At 19 days sober, I can feel my medication working A LOT better. So far, I feel like I'm more in control of my mental health than I was when I was drinking.

Ghostlight1

Yep, bipolar here. I drank to self medicate, too. Once I got on the proper medication, I quit drinking.
I really hope you get professional help. I know what it's like to deal with the symptoms and I never could have quit without medication.

Best to you.

bitmap

I have Anxiety and Depression...I used alcohol to help with both which we all know it really doesn't. I do take meds for the anxiety and depression but am going to meet with a psychiatrist to review those as they have always been prescribed by my GP.

Bern

digdug

I have generalized anxiety disorder with panic attacks.

I drank to self-medicate. But it the end, it only made the anxiety worse.

Meds, therapy and AA have helped.

deeker

Looking back, the drinking was the cause of my anxiety. The constant guilt, shame and remorse.


It's amazing how that goes away after being sober for awhile, cuz I no longer was living days I was ashamed of.

I was told by my doc that I would have to be sober for at least 6 months to be properly diagnosed with depression etc.

I was diagnosed with bi polar. But dealing well.

Mentium

Have taken to exploring this great forum! We do have a sub-forum on this subject.

Mental Health - SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information

Jeni26

Yes, I have been diagnosed with PTSD and a dissociative disorder. In the past I have had depression and I still suffer with anxiety.

Counselling and meditation have made a huge difference to my life. Just being sober in itself cut my anxiety to manageable proportions most of the time, and I stopped taking anti-depressants when I was 3 months sober under medical supervision.

There is no doubt that were I still drinking, all my issues would still be there bubbling away under the surface. Being sober means I can start to move forward and face things for the first time in my adult life.

pattyj

I am on Prozac for anxiety and depression. But do meds for bipolar make you feel 'out of it?'

bigsombrero

I have been on Prozac and Zoloft for depression and have also been prescribed Clonipin and Xanax for anxiety. Currently, I am 15 months sober and off all medication.

I've had ups and downs, my first year of sobriety and med-free life has been full of glorious progress - but peppered in with episodes of manic depression and anxiety. Problem is that the side effects of anti-depressants (prozac) are really bad for me, and the addiction issues with opiates have also scared me off.

Today I am much more leveled off. Believe it or not, I am managing my mental health by finding other things to concentrate on. I was unemployed for over a year, battling sobriety alone in my apartment. I had nothing but the Internet, coffee, and cigarettes for support - and that combination was a tinder-box for me. Today I've become more relaxed by getting offline, getting a job, and being involved in a positive, progressive life routine.

I'm not a doctor, so take my experience with a grain of salt. Good luck in your quest, just thought I'd give you my .02 cents on the matter of mental health issues & recovery!

wpainterw

I've heard some people with drinking problems talk about dual diagnosis. I'm not a psychiatrist but I gather that some patients try to use alcohol to come down off a manic phase (as alcohol is a depressant) or, paradoxically, attempt to use it to relieve depression (alcohol certainly not being an antidepressant, making the depression worse and also probably interfering with antidepressant prescription drugs). If I were bipolar I think I would be well advised to heed my doctor's advice and try not to self medicate with alcohol. I suspect that alcohol interferes with the effectiveness of most prescription drugs and may in some instances create dangerous side effects.
There may be some alcoholics who are not really bipolar but use this as part of their addiction denial pattern, saying, "I'm not really an alcoholic; excessive drinking is merely a symptom of an underlying psychiatric condition." But then there may be others who are not really alcoholic and where drinking is in fact a symptom (but who still could become alcoholic if they drink enough). Suffice it to say it takes a doctor to sort this out, and a good doctor too.

W.