Depression

[Farthing]

Hi I am a 37 year old male with chronic depression. I also have anxiety and have become addicted to alcohol. Does anyone have any tips for how to become better.

[Farthing]

Going to detox for the alcohol addiction. Has anyone been through quitting alcohol before I am really struggling I want to drink badly.

[bluehorseshoes]

Hi Farthing,

I feel you. I've found it helpful to list the top 5 reasons why drinking will actually make things worse and referring to this and keeping it visible while at this stage. For me it's

1. The good feeling only lasts 5 mins and then it will make me low for the next 5 hours/days.

2. It makes me too tired

3. It makes me angry

4. I can't really afford it

5. It makes me sick, physically and more unwell mentally.

It also helped me to call the Beyond Blue helpline just to give a voice to my worries and disappointments. They may help you to see the way forward.

Keep going forward.

[Farthing]

I am really struggling to stay sober. It is so hard after drinking every day for a decent period of time.

[Star_Jasmine]

Hi Farthing,

It's great that you've decided to give up the alcohol! Good on you.

It's not going to be easy, so I guess you'll have to have some strategies for how to cope. Bluehorseshoes made some good suggestions, including calling the beyond blue helpline. I'm sure there would be other helplines for alcohol addiction too. You'd be surprised how much talking to someone can help.

Just be aware of alcohol withdrawal. If you have been drinking a lot over a long period, if you stop suddenly, it can cause some not so nice symptoms. See your doctor if you need to.

Good luck. I'm cheering for you!

💮

[Farthing]

So far so good with the giving up drinking. Still going to the pub but sticking to soft drink and water. I hope I can stay alcohol free over the Christmas period.

[Star_Jasmine]

Awesome Farthing! Keep up the good work.

Are you starting to feel any better?

I remember you saying you used to run but stopped because of depression... Have you heard of 'parkrun'? Is there one in your area? Might be something to look into!

Wishing you a merry but hopefully sober Christmas! Stock up on your favourite soft drinks 😉

[Lee lee 73]

Well done Farthing - cudos to you! It's a credit to you - it truly is.

Keep doing what you're doing!

Lee

[Lilly18]

Hi Farthing,

Good on you for being sober, that's not easy to do for some people.

How is the detox going, do you need medical supervision for it?

Stay strong and fight off the cravings, it is worth it in the end. Not sure how dependant on alcohol you are/were but there is medication to stop the cravings.

I detoxed smoothly 15months ago, best thing I have ever done.

All the best

[Farthing]

Hi yeah I used to do parkrun a few years ago. I am going to try to start doing some walking and running so hopefully that leads me back to parkrun.

[bluehorseshoes]

Congratulations Farthing!

I hope you're still riding that wave, and if not you can always jump back on. I walk first thing in the morning although I often don't feel like it but am always glad I did after.

The holidays are a major test for staying sober. I had an event recently where I really wanted to drink. The anticipation of the day was the hardest. In the morning I thought there's no way I can get through today without it - I have so much to contend with. I felt the urge to drink very strong but I managed not to act on it. It came back a couple of times that day but I continued to work through it. When the 'event day' arrived I felt I would not enjoy myself or be as happy as I should be without it and felt anxious about going through the day sober. To my surprise, by the end of the day I realized I was having fun and feeling good all without drink. I learned after that this is what they call 'urge surfing'.

Keep walking, running or surfing, or whatever works for you.