Other than when I was in AA, where I never got more than 30 days, I have never counted, so I don't know about the trigger factor. I hope it doesn't happen for you and you can continue the trend. I do understand your trepidation about the med you mentioned. It's tough to think about taking anything new, and that one is a heavy-duty med. I'm pleased with the effects (and lack of side effects) with Effexor (SNRI). I wasn't so sure about it, but Ed mentioned that he thought I was a lot better, whatever that means. The comment was unsolicited, so I was really struck by it. It hasn't helped my sleep issues, but I think it has helped my mood and general dysphoria/malaise.
(That was not the case when I tried mirtazapine, by the way. It has worked really well for some other people here, but I didn't do well on it. It, like most of them, has to be titrated. I was fine, and found it really remarkable, at the lower dose. But when I increased, I became more depressed. Fortunately, it was not only dose dependent, I had almost immediate relief when I stopped taking it. I actually doubled my dosage, by accident, with Effexor, without any notable repercussions. [The doc prescribed a lower dosage for the first 30 days. When he refilled the prescription, it was for the normal dosage. I didn't read the rx, so I still took two of them. Yikes!] I guess my point is something we all know but bears repeating...There are solutions. They don't have to be completely out of the box, and that it may take some time to find one that works. I hope you can get some help, and soon!)
Stuck, how are you?
Kronk, man, I have a trigger-happy (negative) reaction when it comes to Mate. It seems to me that he blames psycho-social issues for a disease...Maybe I'll pick it up again, because it obviously resonates with a lot of people. I do appreciate a holistic approach to life in general. (Not that I'm very good at actually implementing it.) Maybe I can re-read it, or make time for some of the seminars, with that in mind. Hope you're having a nice weekend.
Lis, so happy for you about the gym. I haven't embraced it with the same gusto. You really are inspiring me to find that super-invigorated place about it all, though. Thanks. I'm also excited for you about the taper! I hope you find it easy to do. But either way, I know it will help you in the long run. I was amazed at how successful you were with it the last time. I want to point out, though, that at the time, you were really hard on yourself every step of the way. Maybe you can be more gentle with yourself this time? It's a tough thing to do, and every victory should be celebrated.
The only people in my family that are not affected by the disease (in terms of drinking) are the ones who are teetotal-super-fundamentalist. I can't blame them, and don't begrudge them that aspect of their religion. What's interesting is that I think the nature of the disease is that we (in my family) are born with it. So just because they don't drink doesn't mean they don't have the disease. You know what I mean? It just manifests itself in different ways, obviously. Their kids, my cousins, seem to be remarkably well adjusted (aside from the fact that they are fundamentalist, which is...nutso.) It is interesting, the role that religion plays in our well being. And it's worth noting that a spiritual (or even religious) life doesn't have to mean fundamentalism.
I feel similarly about what is going on elsewhere on this part of the forum. It's baffling. There was a time, not long ago, when I felt it was really important to deal with those kinds of issues by pointing out what was actually true, and defending people when they are attacked. But now I find it excruciatingly difficult to become involved. I'm really thankful that Terryk is willing to follow up, and also that he found the information about people who have used different usernames to sow discord. I can't imagine how different this forum would be if it was actually moderated and those things were dealt with before they even became an issue. <sigh> Here's hoping.
Hope you guys are enjoying the weekend.
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