Alcoholism Support Group

Personally, I'm an overconfident megalomaniac, but when I drink it's hard to tell us apart.

Hello SoberNCrazy2012,

I don’t know much about counselling or mental illness so won’t comment on those. However, where alcoholism is concerned I can draw on my own experience and that of many generations of drinkers who have recovered from a hopeless state of mind and body. What that experience tells me is that I cannot do it on my own, even if some other people may be able to do so.

Have you gone to AA meetings or looked at a programme of recovery? For some time before I stopped drinking with the help of AA, I had been steadily sliding back into a state of depression that alcohol used to fix for me in my younger days. Now, alcohol had become the problem. Thankfully, life is a positive experience again and there is no hint of depression, even on the bad days.

You CAN do it – if you want to. Do you want sobriety or are you happy to settle for self-pity?

I'm a sober bi-polar 1. Recovery and sobriety with a mental illness is possible.

It's also amazing how my BP1 became so much easier to live with once I stopped self-medicating with alcohol and let the professionals do their job in getting me better.

Amen that Scarlet. My therapist (odd to even type that as I havent gone to therapy before as a sober adult....and its all very new...) "diagnosed" me as having severe PTSD. Hmm. And I thought
I was just a somewhat nutty alcoholic.
Definetly for me, taking the alcohol away has made everything else much easier to cope with and most times, beyond coping, but actually *enjoying.* Go figure:)

Actually, I have multiple personality disorder. So I got a station wagon and now we all go to meetings together, and things are a LOT smoother at home:)

Don't give up!!! You are doing so well. Therapy is tough. I know I couldn't digest everything immediately. I needed time to self reflect. It will all come together and make sense.....come on you almost have 2 months!!!!!!!!

I have depression and anxiety which the alcohol only made worse. Are you on any medication? I take an SSRI and Camparal which seem to be working although I might get my anti-depressant dosage upped.

Being sober allows the drugs to start to work but it takes time for them to kick in. Are you doing CBT?

Nemo, LOL!

the thing is, alcohol will only make everything worse, if not take your life. What seems like 'taking a break' is just inviting disaster. I remember at 27, I was in a very bad way mentally. In fact, I was having a breakdown. I convinced myself that getting drunk couldn't possibly be any worse than how I already felt - bullshit bullshit - and I went and got drunk. And it all got worse, a lot worse. I'm lucky to be alive to tell the tale. It's entirely possible to have severe mental illness and stay sober. go to lots of AA for the strength.

All i can say is i can relate