depression caused by AL or visa versa?

[looking for peace]

I am currently reading a book called "A Woman's Addiction Workbook" it's very good and basically helps you determine the causes of your substance abuse. In it the author talks about "co-curring disorders".... AL plus depression or Al plus bipolar, or AL plus OCD etc. I found the following passage insightful and hopeful, since I know I have depression as well as abuse issues:

" Some people find that as they get clean from substances, they feel less depressed, anxious or angry. This is one of the really positive signs of recovery. However, if you have a true co-curring disorder, it won't go away with abstinence....... The tricky part is that while people are using substances or withdrawing from substances, it may look like they have a co-curring disorder (such as depression), but it dissapears as they get clean. This means they did not have a co-curring disorder. They had a substance induced mental disorder. - what looked like a co-curring disorder was actually caused by the substance itself.

It generally takes 4-6 weeks of abstinence to see whether you really have a co-curring disorder. If the signs persist, you have one; if they go away, you don't....... If you have a co-curring disorder, you may need therapy or medication over a period of time. If you don't, good for you - you can just work on maintaining abstinence. However, you don;t have to complete the 4-6 week of clean time before you seek help. It's better to treat it immediately, and if it goes away as you get clean, you can decide later whether to continue the treatment"

This probably explains why some people feel really great after some time of abstinence and life is really better for them, and other people are still feeling bad thinking that abstaining would have fixed everything. The people that have co-curring disorders may feel even worse at times because things aren't really changing for them.

I am hopeful that my depression lifts the more time I get under my belt, either way, I have an appt. scheduled with a therapist in 2 weeks, I'll see what she says.

[looking for peace]

depression caused by AL or visa versa?

One more paragraph in the book worth adding:

"A co-curring disorder is never an excuse to keep using substances... Indeed using substances often makes it worse... Even if using doesn't make it worse, you're delaying your healing from both the emotional problem and the addiction. It's well known that to fully heal from an emotional problem , you must be clean from the substance. Substances distort emotions - either numbing or intensifying them. You want to know the "real you" - not the "false you" on a substance. If substances soothe your emotional difficulties in the short run (such as drinking to sleep at night), in the long run they never solve the underlying problem. Sometimes people with misguided sympathies might say "If you have depression, it's no wonder you can't recover from addiction. I can understand why you keep using" Wrong! It's all the more important to get clean when you have an emotional problem. You need extra special care and extra strong focus on recovery from both the addiction and the emotional disorder."

[mama bear]

depression caused by AL or visa versa?

Looking....
I know all about this.....TRUST ME
But I suffered from depression WAY before I began abusing alcohol, so I have been on meds for a long time...in fact one of the reasons I am trying to go AF is because my depression is so much worse when I drink
Good luck to you

[Guitarista]

depression caused by AL or visa versa?

Hi Looking for peace,
I agree with the above, as far as having a substance (grog) related depression and anxiety. I used to wonder if i had a mild ish depression for many year's, but when i stopped drinking, depression and anxiety lifted, almost immediately. For me, it was alcohol related. And i consider myself very lucky to find i don't have depression under all that. Be gentle on yourself, as obviously it takes a fair while to learn new way's to live again. Eat well, drink lot's of water, and get some exercise, or regular walking in.

Best wishes to you on your journey.

[roamer723]

depression caused by AL or visa versa?

I'm definitely feeling better about life in general the more sober I stay. to me it's kind of like coming out of a fog and leaving it behind. you can still see it behind you, but you're away from it and can see now.

[Guest]

depression caused by AL or visa versa?

Right this is my experience. I was diagnosed with Clinical Depression back in 1999. Guess what though?Looking back now I can see my drinking had been increasing at that point. I've never been an everyday drinker and back then I never drank at home - it was all pubs and clubs......but I'd increased from 1-2 nights at the weekend to 3-4 nights a week and was regularly experiencing blackouts consuming around 15 units in each session.

Initially the Prozac did work - I'd already had a lot of therapy for an earlier ED on and off but as my binge drinking continued out of control it soon no longer had any effect.

AL is only ever going to make depression worse FULL STOP if not cause it in the first place. Makes me laugh as well as cry when I hear "I only drink because I'm depressed".

One other thing - any addiction take over your life and becomes your life whether it be shopping, drinking or eating. That in itself is going to make the addict feel pretty hopeless and hence depressed. The depression I went through after every drinking occasion was absolutely crushing and one reason I wanted to break out so much.

[changemylife]

depression caused by AL or visa versa?

I am one of those who feel great while off the juice. I still have some mood swings and situational depression when not drinking but it is really manageable.

When on AL, My thinking gets warped and I make everything horrible in my life. My minds brings me down. I am sad today because I am really missing a loved one but I am OK because I am sober.

I guess what I am saying is I can manage the depression and problems as long as I stay off the AL.

[momof3]

depression caused by AL or visa versa?

Once I quit alcohol for good, I was able to wean myself off of antidepressants. However, I do think that many people who have depression may need to continue on ADs once they quit drinking since it is a cooccurring condition. In my case, I think alcohol was causing my depression.

[rubywillow]

depression caused by AL or visa versa?

A while back a doc told me something I believe is SO true: "You can suffer from depression without AL abuse, but you can't suffer AL abuse without depression." In my life, at least, I KNOW it is true.

[IAD]

depression caused by AL or visa versa?

"Looking" ........Take anti depresents if you need too......I've been on them for awhile. ( Zoloft ). Alcohol is a depressent......so, it will help you become depressed. I also have a co-curring problem.....I keep losing my keys ! ha! IAD.

[godknowsImtrying]

depression caused by AL or visa versa?

rubywillow;840106 wrote: A while back a doc told me something I believe is SO true: "You can suffer from depression without AL abuse, but you can't suffer AL abuse without depression." In my life, at least, I KNOW it is true.

This is SO true. I may feel situational depression when not drinking, but it's nothing at all like the depression I feel when actively drinking. In fact, when not drinking, I've been lucky to have long periods of remission and no need for anti-depressants.

I honestly think that for me, my coping skills are better if I don't drink; therefore, I don't fall to the point where I can no longer cope without drinking. Drinking is not a viable coping skill...for long.

Best,
D

[rubywillow]

depression caused by AL or visa versa?

Welcome, D.

[Doggygirl]

depression caused by AL or visa versa?

Ruby, I like that doc quote that you provided. At the end of my drinking career I was suicidally depressed. Thankfully, with abstinence came a complete lifting of that problem.

DG

[mama bear]

depression caused by AL or visa versa?

Thank heavens for that Doggy....I for one am still glad you are here!!!

[mario]

depression caused by AL or visa versa?

Self criticism causes depression
We all make mistakes from time to time, it?s inevitable. But how you react to them can make a big difference to your self esteem.

What do you tend to say to yourself when you make a mistake? If you have a judgemental inner voice that says something like ?I?m so stupid, I always make a mess of things? or, ?why did you do that again, you?re so useless?, then of course you?ll feel bad about yourself as a result.

If you have many of these self-criticisms happening regularly, it tends to lower your opinion of yourself, and can lead to depression, and from there to drinking more.

Similarly, how you respond to your alcohol consumption has an impact on how you feel about yourself. If you drink more than you intended one night, you might judge yourself for it, saying something like ?you?re such a loser, you got drunk again?. The consequences of such a thought are probably feelings of hopelessness and low self esteem. Contrast that with a different reaction to getting drunk, like ?I wish I hadn?t done that again, I really need to work out what?s going wrong? ? there?s no judgement or self-criticism in that, and you?re more likely to feel hope that you can change.

This is just one small example, but the important point is to listen out for the content of your inner voice, and notice when it?s being harsh or critical, then stop to consider what you could say to yourself instead that would be more understanding and caring.

And before you reject this idea, saying ?but that?s just how I am?, these self-statements are not a fixed part of your personality, they are just habitual, so they can be changed.

You can start by making yourself more aware of what you habitually tend to say to yourself. Write it down when you notice you?re being self-critical, then you can begin to challenge such thoughts when they pop up next time, maybe something like ?hang on a second, I?m not useless, I just made a mistake, that?s all?. No judgement, no labelling yourself as faulty, just an acknowledgement of human error, and maybe some forgiveness too.