Alcoholic/addict and mental health thread

I was watching ESPN this morning and I noticed a couple of sports figures are coming forward and opening up dialogue about their depression. There seems to be a outpour of positivity and support for them and their well being and that makes me very happy. As someone who is a recovering alcoholic I would like to tell a brief story of my struggle and lend support for whoever in this community may need it.

I'm 28 years old and my struggle began when I was 21, but have probably have had the tendencies of an addict from the time I was little. I started self medicating for depression with alcohol at 21 because that's when I could go to the store and get bottles at will. At first I was able to hold down jobs while drinking everyday but only after work. This progressed into drinking before work and at work until one day at the age of probably 25 I started feeling really strange at work and went home. Come to find out my body was withdrawing only after not drinking for a couple hours. I knew I had to stop.

I decided that I would never drink again and quit my job and went through a nasty withdrawal process. I swore I would never put myself through that again. Unfortunately that's not how an addicts brain works. The next few years were defined by two lenthy rehab stays, two emergency hospital visits, a dwi, and more blacked out beinges that I care to remember. So you get the picture it became life or death for me.

I never quit trying to get better and that's the most important part of recovery. It has gotten better and better and better. Setbacks are inevitable but right at this moment I am more happy than I've been since I can remember. Everyday I work on my mental and physical health and the old determined me is back. I am on a treadmill about 2 hours a day, I meditate, do yoga, play music and I'm proud to say I will be a buisness owner within the next couple of months. I've reached the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm here to start a conversation and lend a helping hand to anyone in this community who may need it. It helps to say things publicly and not be ashamed but please pm me if you aren't ready to discuss in that setting. I'm an open book and just want to help in any way I can. Thanks UU!

Glad to hear things are going well for you, Capsfan89.

While I'm totally in favour of open discussion of the issues that are the focus here, I would just caution people to think carefully before sharing intimate and sensitive personal information on a public forum. By all means engage here, but please consider who might read what you post before doing so.

So, please carry on, carefully.

:shaka:

happy to hear you are on your way back up. I suffer from a lifetime of depression that lead to my losing my medical license and getting on disability. Things are manageable now though winters can be tough for me. I am here for you all also via pm if needed!

Capsfan, I appreciate your reaching out and sharing your journey.

Kudos to you and I wish you all the strength you need and much success with your challenges in the future.

As Buddhu said, it is a slippery slope and major privacy faux-pas for most folks to put extremely personal info online, which is data-mined and abused for nefarious purposes by third-parties unknown because anyone can read UU, and all of the content here is wide open to the public.

Due to privacy concerns, you may not get lots of public replies from others, and for those considering it, I strongly caution you to use discretion and possibly instead discuss via PM for sensitive issues.

It does not matter if you think "I have nothing to hide" but if you use the same username on other services, like facebook, twitter, google, youtube and other forums, what happens, in situations like when applying for a job, or for health insurance, or life insurance, or even a car loan, education loan, lease or mortgage, these companies search online, and can and will use what you share against you. This is fact and is well documented in various places with authority on these matters, such as https://eff.org.

So please be careful, and be mindful of your own privacy, otherwise you will end up surrendering it completely and once lost, there is no way to get it back.

Hey. Neurodivergent refers to individuals who have neurological differences or conditions that affect their cognition, behavior, and/or sensory processing. This can include ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and many others. As for your question, addiction, and neurodivergence can coexist. In fact, some studies suggest that individuals with certain neurodivergent conditions may be more susceptible to addiction. However, addiction is not a symptom or characteristic of being neurodivergent. Actually, you can check out more info about neurodivergent people on fherehab.com. Hope this helps.

Many people are in denial about their addiction abd/or mental health issues. But there are many options to get help with addressing those. For many of the issues there are 12 step groups that are welcoming and provide fellowship and support for sobriety for a lifetime.