sobersolstice

All of my life, I've done things where one mistake would lead to death... I'd rockclimbed at my limit without a rope, dropped a 120ft cliff on skis, surfed daily at a river jetty break where a white-sharks are always within 40ft. I'd see them all the time, and would get upset at the shark if my board hit one. I used to street-fight for money. I was 100% sure I wouldn't make it to age 30. I woke up on my 30th birthday, and dropped everything that used to make me happy, which are the aforementioned activities. I've had too many injuries and surgeries to push my limits anymore. I really want to get into wingsuit base-jumping, but don't have the money. I've just been drinking, sleeping, and working for the last 10 years, and I'm 40 now.

Anyone other adrenaline junkies out there find that they also have an addictive personality? Most of my friends who were reckless in the same manner also had addictions to drugs and alcohol; most of whom have passed. A few have tribute movies so we can relive their impressive feats vicariously.

It seems like most in AA and here are a bit older, and have families. I don't see many people like myself... For some reason, I thought most would be very similar to me with regard to pursuing dangerous activities. Is it that most of you used to?.. Or just don't talk about it? I'm curious how those of you with adrenaline addictions handle alcoholism.

MindfulMan

Those are all classic behaviors in bipolar disorder, including addictive substance use and death due to risky behavior. Have you ever brought this up with a psychiatrist?

sobersolstice

HAHAHAHAHAH! You totally nailed it I think! I went to my psychiatrist on Monday and she said I'm Bipolar and have ADHD lol.

We just laughed, and I paid her $200... what a ripoff.

I haven't taken a shower in 5 days. Maybe i should go do that.

doggonecarl

My riskiest behavior was my drug use and subsequent addiction and alcoholism. And being drunk and high led to some pretty risky stuff, but not because I was seeking an adrenaline rush.

Do you think the way to treat your alcoholism is somehow different from ours?

DontRemember

I'm an adrenaline junkie and always will be. I'm also pretty sure I have adhd or something.
As for my drinking..I just don't anymore. I post here,go to meetings..whatever I need to do, to not drink. It's gotten a lot easier after a year.

sobersolstice

I dunno, but I'ma stop again.

tomsteve

It seems like most in AA and here are a bit older, and have families.
many of us here became older by getting sober at a younger age. manyt of us have a family because we got sober.

I don't see many people like myself.
couple reasons that could be:
some of us,when we were drinking, had advanced stages of alcoholism- we stopped the adrenaline rush because we were drinking too much.
some of us got sober and decided the adreniline rush wasnt all there is to life.


when i was a kid i was the only kid in the neighborhood with a 10 foot tall halfpipe in my yard.( this was in the late 70's). transportation was on one of my skaeboards grabbin the bumper of a vehicle going my way.
only kid ripping through the neighborhood on a go cart that would do 80(i came about .25 seconds from being decapitated on that screamer)
. then hit my teens. when i had a dirt bike, it was full throttle or not running. same with 4 wheelers,snowmobiles, cars, trucks- if i owned it and it had an engine, it was full throttle, and even then, i made them have fuller throttle.
then i started drinking more. sold it all. chose drinking over it all.