Stuck
 

Hey all. I'm new to this but I could really do with a bit of help. So I work full time. No problem but I have depression. I'm shattered at the end of the day. I know I need to exercise but I can't bring myself to do it. I'm single. I think I'll just have a few drinks when I get home, which leads to more. I'm mentally tired. Alcohol helps with that. Can anyone relate?

Yeah, sure, there are always reasons to drink. But, I think you know that exercising would be a lot more helpful. :) If you need motivation to exercise, can you join a gym or take a yoga class, something like that? You might enjoy exercising more with other people around. For me, I knew when I stopped drinking that I needed to find balance in my life quickly. I began taking long walks after supper and the benefits have been wonderful.

Hi Happydays

Its true that alcohol is quick and 'easy' but there are so many associated health issues, even without the risk of addiction, I think it's worth trying things like exercise etc?

You will be glad you made the effort :)

D

Hi, HappyDays,
Alcohol contributes significantly to depression, you may find that you feel better replacing drinking with ANYTHING- reading, spending time here on SR, seeing a movie, doing a puzzle- and then you may be more inclined to go for a walk, and that could lead to more routine exercise. No matter how little it seems, ridding your life of alcohol can have tremendous effects. Do stick around and get to know us- joining us is a winning idea. Welcome to SR.

Hi Happydays,

I don't know if you've discovered this in your own life yet, but many people find that alcohol can make depression (and anxiety) worse.

I don't know your whole story so I apologize if this is something you've tried in the past, but if you're looking to improve your situation, you might try going 30 days without any alcohol to see if you feel better after a month. Your depression might improve a bit, and you may end up with some extra spending cash in your wallet as well. There's absolutely no risk in simply staying sober for a month, as an experiment, to see how things go.

If you want to stay sober but find it hard to make that change actually happen, then that's where various tools in the recovery toolkit can help.

That's how it started for me. Alcohol SEEMED to help.

Until it turned on me and made everything a million times worse.

It's a false, lying, thief.

Unfortunately i think i had to feel THAT badly to finally see how much denial i was in and that poison wasn't helping me AT ALL.

It gradually sucked all the good out of my life.

I'm exercising now. I need to feel good naturally.

Sometimes I think some (apparently like me) have to actually experience for themselves just how BAD that stuff can make you feel before they get to the place where they wont touch the stuff.

That's where I am now.

The mere thought of drinking alcohol makes me gag.

Hey, I hope you are ok today, I understand how you feel, I felt that way for a while, I can honestly say, although it feels alcohol is helping you cope I promise you it is not, it only makes things worse, poor sleep, poor diet and causes low mood the day after, I hope you can give your body and mind a break from it, even just 2-3 weeks see how you feel?

Sure. Alcohol simultaneously shuts off the obsessive thinking AND acts as a stimulant at first. It creates a kind of false euphoria. That's the poison acting on the brain.

Depression and other negative thoughts are actually made worse in the long run by drinking. I hope you find your way out.

I have joined a gym but I just don't go. Working 5 days a week does me in mentally and I end up feeling exhausted. Thank you for your reply. Much appreciated. I think it's hard as I have no one to come home to

Thank you
 

I know I really need to do that

Yes
 

I totally know that and the day after binge drinking I have rapid weird thoughts going through my head but I still do it! I know I shouldn't and it's not good for me 🙄. I do try to do other things but then I go back to alcohol. Thank you for your message. Does anyone chat?

Yes
 

I know all that, you're totally right but I don't think I can do that right now 🙄. I just don't have the strength

Yes
 

But I just can't do it. I wish I could. I do know that alcohol affects my depression yet I still drink 🙄

Hi Happydays - it's so good to have you here. You're never alone.

I used alcohol to soothe my nerves & to feel more comfortable in my own skin. It did seem to help for a while - but I realize now I was only masking my feelings. I should have worked on figuring out what I could do to improve my situation. I never grew or changed the way I needed to. Over the years it took more & more alcohol to achieve the same numbing effect. I became completely dependent on it to get through the day. You never need to reach that point. I'm glad you're taking a serious look at what it's doing to your life.

Hi HappyDays,

I’ve been there. My best advice is that you don’t need motivation to do the right thing. You just need to start doing it, then the motivation will follow.

Exercising would be a great start.

You can do this, lots of us have, but it often takes a leap of faith to start it.

Thank you
 

Thank you so much. That's SO me. I'm trying. Much appreciated

I used alcohol for various reasons, but mainly due to stress .....From what I have gathered now. :)

I think alcohol may have helped with stress in the beginning. Just a glass or two to unwind.That glass or two turned into more and more due to not having healthy coping skills. Drinking alcohol only created more anxiety, and then I would try to squelch the anxiety by drinking. So on and so forth. I also experienced depression. I was basically feeding anxiety and depression with a substance that is a depressant and creates more anxiety. It was a nightmare at the end there...... A full fledged nightmare.

Exercise does create more energy. Exercise helps to alleviate depression and anxiety. With the right mix of self care tools you can be well on your way to feeling better, more energized, less depressed, and have a sense of well being in your life. Its true. All of this is what I know to be true for myself and for so many other people.

Perhaps write out a plan as what you want your life to look like. How you would like to spend your time. What you want in your life and how you will obtain said things. Then set about to make that list happen. We can do anything once we put our minds and heart into it. I know this to be true as well. Believe in yourself and your ability to change your life. One small step at a time.