Hi timeforsleep, it is possible for you to quit drinking and still manage work, school and your depression. Matter of fact, I struggled with those things and all of them became easier to manage once I sobered up. I thought the drinking was the only thing helping me hang on to everything in my life but it turned out that it was actually making work and school harder to get done and my depression worse. In the evenings I felt I needed to drink in order to deal with the stress caused by such a busy schedule. I have found that when I don’t drink there is much less stress to deal with—I think part of my stress was caused by the effect of all the alcohol in my body. Now, not only has life become easier to manage, I have started to enjoy some of it.

Towards the end of my drinking/using, my world was starting to unravel and I was in the process of losing everything. If you are drinking that much everyday, you are probably constantly dealing with withdrawal symptoms. Maybe a little mental confusion, nausea or feeling shaky on the inside among other things. My withdrawal led to vomiting, severe anxiety and shaking every morning and afternoon until I had a few drinks. Use caution if you decide to try to quit. Withdrawal from alcohol can be dangerous. It might be a good idea to talk with your doctor about it.

A special note about the depression—alcohol is a depressant. It makes depression worse not better. It may feel like it improves things because you temporarily forget stress and sadness but it actually traps you in a nasty cycle that is hard to break out of. If you are like me, the depression will not go away until you break the cycle by taking alcohol out of the mix. It is possible that your depression may go away completely if you quit drinking and start dealing with it. For the first time in my life, I am depression free. I believe that only happened by staying sober and doing what I need to do to take care of my mental health.

I strongly urge you to try quitting. Life sober is so much better! I can’t imagine ever going back to that cycle of drinking and depression. I wish I could box up and send you a little bit of the peace and happiness that I have found in sobriety…it feels really good.