Welcome to the board Marsha..... I don't drink now barely at all... I might have a glass of wine for Christmas or New Year... That's about it

I' don't think alcohol goes well with our meds at all and it's a depressant

I've heard of a couple of people that I know that have tried to 'learn' to drink socially however they were already basically alcoholics and all they did was 'jones' and watch the clock for their next drink... That didn't last for either of them within a couple of months they were both back to serious drinking and getting messed up

I'm not saying that this is you however whatever you decide be honest with yourself about what you're doing ... ..Big hug....xo

I have had to.limit any alcohol to the occasional drink (holidays/birthdays). Once my meds started working I found my need to drink decreased. Sometimes even one drink makes me feel a bit off now. This has helped to keep me as "dry" as possible.

6 months ago I decided to be sober. But mostly because I was a crazy drunk. Once I got diagnosed with bipolar I realized my behavior was exacerbated by my bipolar and I made some horrible decisions in my life. I was always the life of the party and always drinking. So much so that I used that as my personality. I really struggle with finding my identity now because I don’t drink. Once I got diagnosed I decided to be sober because it finally made sense why I am the way I am when I drink. My therapist and doctor told me not to drink. You might have been told something different. I think at the end of the day it’s a very personal decision.

If you're on medication for BiPolar, your Dr.'s should know and be telling you that your not to drink alcohol with Psych meds.. Also if your an addict who is now Sober, it's close to impossible to then start drinking socially again.

You might want to rethink your plan and just have a non-alcoholic drink when out with your friends. I'm allergic to any alcohol that's made with any type of grain, hops, barley, etc. So there are like 2 that I can drink, basically rum and vodka...and I don't really care for either. So I live a life completely sober...and have for 52 years...it's never stopped me from enjoying a social life with my friends, or going out with my (ex-husband) or current Sig. Other. You don't have to drink to have a good time and it's really not safe to do so on Psych meds.

Take care,
Kat

Alcohol is a slippery slope. For me one glass of wine leads to the whole bottle then another.

Congrats on a year of sobriety! Wanting to have a glass of wine is totally understandable. For me, I cut down on alcohol way before diagnosis because it made me feel awful. I have a couple drinks a year without any rules attached.

Please! Please be careful with alcohol. This is how it started with my mother who was PB also. It started out social but escalated until she became a rage alcoholic. She passed away at age 47 due to severe alcoholism.

The combo you listed sounds dangerous. Take good care of yourself.

First, big congrats on your year of sobriety! Not easy to accomplish at all. I am a recovering alcoholic sober for over 3 years now. Was up to about a gallon every 2 days or so of vodka! Amazing that I still have a healthy liver (milk thistle extract).
Alcohol and bipolar disorder (or any mental condition) do not mix at all. In fact, the alcohol molecule acts as a neurotransmitter (like GABA) to temporarily take the place of your real brain chemicals. This why you feel really good at first, then tired and slow shortly after.
But it's a very poor substitute and while you're drinking your body takes some time off and stops producing real neurotransmitters until you stop drinking for awhile. If you drink a lot, it takes more time for your brain/body to kick back in again, hence the crappy, slow, foggy feeling the day after bingeing. This is where the "hair of the dog that bit you" came to be where heavy drinkers need to consume alcohol the morning after to feel decent again.
This is an oversimplification of course, but that's what alcohol does in an nutshell. Extrapolate that out when one becomes an increasingly heavier drinker over time and you can easily see how addicted people become and, at some point, just can't function without alcohol - literally. My father reached that point probably around age 30 or so, he was such a heavy drinker for most of his life, and it eventually killed him in 2003 at age 54. I'm 47 now and I refuse to allow alcohol to ruin my life that way.
I found the only way to quit drinking FOR GOOD, is to never look back - never allow yourself to "'miss" drinking at all. You have to want to live your life without alcohol 100% and learn to enjoy how wonderful everything is without poisoning yourself. Alcohol is poison. That is a fact. It's an industrial solvent - that says it all really.
You will never be 100% sober for good if you allow yourself to miss having drinks socially or otherwise, in any way. You have to learn to be totally happy to be the one who DOESN'T NEED ALCOHOL AT ALL to enjoy life, including holidays or whenever. I take great pride in being that person. And let's admit, alcohol is kind of gross anyway. In the beginning, I had to force myself to drink to get used to it and be intoxicated (esp beer) and I had access to it all my life with my dad the way he was.
I'll get off my soapbox now and stop preaching. I just want to help others stop poisoning themselves with alcohol and start truly enjoying life like I have. It's so amazing the true happiness you can experience when you let your body and mind clear out all that chemical damage that's been done over time. I've achieved a level of happiness in my life I never thought was possible. Everyone can do that.

Just wanted to add that I didn't even mention the horrible combination alcohol is with any psychoactive medication, or most meds in general. If you drink regularly, you will never truly get better. It's impossible.