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Posted 12/22/2010 4:34 PM (GMT 0)
Hi guys,

Lately I have been drinking a lot to deal with my depression and anxiety. I know that alcohol is a depressant and only making my problems worse but sometimes I feel like there's no other way to escape my problems. I used to run a few miles a week to deal with everythig and clear my head, but last year I injured my knee and can no longer exercise. I was working with a physical therapist for a while bit nothing changed.I have been dealing with a lot of very negative emotions about my self because of everything that happened at my old job and recently what has been going on with my boyfriends family. I have no relationship with my family or any of my old friends and most of the problems I've had with them trace back to drinking. I'm just feeling really depressed and hopeless right now. I feel like the holidays shoul be time for family and friends and I feel so alone. I don't have anyone to talk to other then my boyfriend, and I feel like I'm stressing him out as well.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading this..



Brittany sad sad sad sad
Posted 12/22/2010 5:20 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Brittany,

The only hope that you have with your depression is to stop drinking. I know it is hard and it feels like it is helping at the moment, but it isn't. And I think you know that.

How about counseling? Do you go? Would you if you could? It would really help. A trip to the doc would help to. Maybe he/she would put you on an antidepressant.

Either way, you have work ahead of you. And it does pay off. It takes time, so be patient with yourself. Learn to love yourself and you wont feel so lonely. It is hard this time of year. Keep posting and know that we all do care. We are here to support you.

Hugs, Karen
Posted 12/22/2010 5:52 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Karen,

Thanks for the reply. I have tried counseling a few times but the last two times it didn't go very well. One of the therapists I went to was a pastor at my parents church. I don't even know if he has a mental health counseling license but he basically told me the reason I was depressed was because I wasn't following Jesus and that I shouldn't be living with my boyfriend because were not married. I left his "office"feeling much worse then before.

A few weeks after that I went to the counseling center at my school. The therapist they set me up with there made me very uncomfortable. She was a gra student about my age and she wanted to record our session. I also left that experience feeling worse then before.

I do not have health insurance so I'm not sure how to go about finding a good therapist that I can afford to see.

I don't know what to do.

-Brittany <3
Posted 12/22/2010 6:41 PM (GMT 0)
I'm sorry you have had bad experience with going to therapists and are feeling so low. I think you may just need to pick a therapist to go to and explain your situation to them. Many times they are willing to work with you to set up something to get you help. And i would avoid the "pastor" type as i feel they see everything as it relates to religion and most times it just doesn't and it seems he made you feel worse than you did before anyway. Try looking into a support group, most of these are free and you will be with people that are experiencing similar emotions as you are. I'm sure the people there can give you an idea of who they see and if they like their therapist.

can you ride a bike? maybe try to switch up your exercise, take walks or ride bikes. Get your boyfriend to walk with you. But please stop drinking.......please don't create a new problem trying to deal with another. It can be and is a rough road, but we are here to support you in any way we can.
Posted 12/22/2010 8:03 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Brittany,

I am glad that you posted again.  Drinking is very hard to stop, especially at this time of year.  You know, "cheers" and all that.  The Holiday Spirit.  So maybe this is something that you would like to work on after the holidays.  I don't mean go out and get drunk, but there is a lot of pressure to drink right now.

Have you thought about going to AA meetings?  Then you would be around others who are trying to stop drinking also.  You would have peer support.

I have a couple of sites that might help you with the depression part.  They are both free, and other members have had success with this.

http://moodgym.anu.edu.au/welcome

http://ecouch.anu.edu.au/welcome

I hope that you can find some help with these sites.

I am sorry for the bad experiences that you have had with counseling.  It shouldn't be like that.  Check with your local mental health facility if you have one and see if there is any free help for you.  Often they will go with a sliding scale to accomodate you.  I hope that you can find some resources.  Posting here helps too.  Everybody here is so kind and supportive. 

Go easy on yourself but keep in mind your goals.  Know that when you are feeling down, it most likely is the alcohol effecting your depression.  You aren't going crazy or anything like that.  But understand what it does, and know what to expect.  It makes it easier to cope with how you feel when you are down.

You sound like you are on the right track.  You know what you want, and in time you will acheive it.  Keep up the good work.  Keep posting.

Hugs, Karen

Posted 12/23/2010 11:10 PM (GMT 0)
Hi guys,
Sorry for the delayed response. Thanks so much for the support. Again, it has been helping me so much these past couple days.

Geosojda,

I think I need to find another therapist too, I am going to try to find a support group as well. Is there a place to search for local listings for things like that?

I completely agree with you about the religion thing. My parents seem to think that depression is caused by a lack of following the Bible. I know that depression is a disease, caused by chemicals and circumstances….not related to religion. Its hard sometimes to be surrounded by so much of that, at least for me, so I’m trying to distance myself from my parents for a little bit

I was thinking of getting a bike to do some outdoor cycling, I’m just not sure which one would be best for my knee issues.

Thanks again for the support, :)


Karen,

I have been to some AA meetings and I found the people there to be very supportive and nice. I just have had trouble sticking to that “all or nothing” approach to drinking. I do realize that alcohol consumption has a negative effect on my depression so I’m trying to limit it as much as possible.

I am going to try out the websites you posted. I am also going to keep trying to not be so hard on myself, Its just hard sometimes.

Thanks for all the help :)


Its genetic,

I am going to try and find a new therapist/psychiatrist. I haven’t had the best luck with doctors, but I am trying to keep an open mind about it. I am also going to cut back on the drinking. I feel like I’ve been using it as a crutch for my problems and it has only made the situations worse.

Thanks for the reply,

I hope everyone has a happy and safe Christmas holiday,

-Brittany <3
Posted 12/23/2010 11:28 PM (GMT 0)
Just try to practice moderation. It is very difficult to try to quit drinking during the holidays as everybody around you probably will be. I think you have a good plan as how to go about this. I would recommend trying to stop after the holidays is over. Maybe make that a resolution. Getting healthy.

Best wishes to you.

Hugs, Karen
Posted 12/24/2010 6:58 PM (GMT 0)
Hi,
I agree with the others about trying to stop drinking. Actually, the holidays sometimes are a great time to stop b/c you do have family and friends around to help support you. There are usually non-alcoholic options at parties and by letting people know that you are making a choice to choose them over alcohol, you can get some added support -- many people really will go out of their way to find you other options & some will even forego drinking in front of out in support of your sobriety.
Once you have gone a while without a drink (~45 days) then you can try and see if you can manage to just have one drink a couple days of the week. If you can't, then you'll know you need to just do without any alcohol (I don't drink & find I still have plenty of fun at parties, bars & anywhere else alcohol is served).
Also, you might try yoga or pilates. When I couldn't run anymore for several years, I took up yoga & found that while I didn't get that "runner's high", I did tend to feel happier in general when I was going to yoga three times a week. They also have DVD's with yoga, but if you can get into a class at your local park district or Y, that has the added benefit of being around other people.

Hope that helps & that you are able to find some joy in the season!

peace,
frances
Posted 2/15/2011 3:57 AM (GMT 0)
Just like Frances and everyone says do not drink. That makes you're meds worse if you do that.

Also You can pick up a book on depression and bi-polar disorder if you think you have it. But for Heavens sake do not drink.
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