I'm curious if anyone else has been dealing with this. I take responsibility for acquiring my addiction to alcohol, but I cannot deny that at times I have felt like I've never had a fair chance to deal with my problem being concurrently affected with BiPolar Disorder (manic-depression, in colloquial language). While I have consumed alcohol heavily in episodes of depression, my mood didn't interfere with my recognizing the extent of my addiction, so I monitored myself more carefully. However, when I've been manic, my mood becomes so elated that no rational deliberation is capable of convincing me I have a problem. Life becomes extra fast-paced and exciting, euphoric at times, and alcohol feels like such a great friend to take along for the ride. Being that poor impulse control and irrational decisions are a cornerstone of mania, you can well imagine what might happen when this is combined with alcohol. After finally being diagnosed correctly with this condition 2 years ago, being on a mood stabilizer has helped a lot (I know, I shouldn't have continued drinking on this kind of med) but unfortunately, although my addiction is no doubt exacerbated by mood swings, at this point it has taken on a life of its own. So in addition to the regular anxiety of wondering if this will finally be the time I beat my addiction, there is an even deeper-seated worry that if this mood stabilizer ever quits on me, I may swing back into the throes of heavy drinking. If anyone has had to deal with both of these conditions, it would be helpful to hear about it. I'm on day 5 AF and feel pretty motivated thus far.
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Alcohol Addiction and BiPolar Disorder
Hey fellow bipolar buddy.
I am bipolar. I don't think I became an alcoholic due to this, I thought everyone had high hi's and Low lows, after all my mother did. (she too was manic-depressive).
I am 21 days AF, the longest the last few years I've gone is 36 days. But I feel more confident this time.
I have had to switch meds several times over the years. So be it. Same with my asthma, though now I'm on one where I am symptom free.
Drinking or not drinking, I do not notice a mood change. There must be, but I don't see it. The only thing I notice is the things I used to use booze to blur, like bad feelings now are more apparent. But that's life.
One can find all sorts of excuses to drink, but bipolarism is a disease, there are pills for it, and self-medicating with booze is an excuse to drink. And boy can we all come up with excuses to drink. :l
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