Quote:
Originally Posted by BirdDancer
@ dsmith , thanks for sharing the articles. I have no experience with Benedryl, but definitely have a past history of alcohol abuse. I have memories of passing out, night after night, on the living room sofa after drinking 6 to 10 drinks after work. My husband would usually wake me up at 3 am to go to bed, if I didn't wake up on my own to do so. Another way the alcohol, combined with my bipolar disorder, affected my sleep was that it was rarely restorative, as the article referenced. When I'd have to start getting ready for work in the mornings I'd have tirades. It was the same every work day morning. Screaming throwing tirades.
It took a long time before I finally put drinking alcohol in its proper place. It had to be extreme moderation (like 1/2 drink only and 1 max on some occasions). It took a while before I finally stopped grieving its loss. Like you are noticing, not depending on alcohol only improved my life, and sleep. I still like to sleep in when I can, but pretty much never have morning tirades anymore. The extreme reduction in my drinking makes me more stable, longer, and reduced sedation side effects from my Seroquel XR. Now on even 600 mg Seroquel XR I can wake up feeling better after only seven or eight hours sleep.
I know that for some people alcohol must be eliminated completely. |
Hi @
BirdDancer, I'm glad to hear that you got your alcohol consumption under control.
I can't tell if the 1-drink maximum is (a) going to still be too much (i.e., will it interfere w/ the medication and lead to problems with depression and productivity?) or (b) sustainable.
I sometimes marvel at the fact that I balanced 10+ years of heavy drinking / minimal sleep / travel / incredibly stressful jobs / (sort of) raising 3 kids / etc. Alcohol was almost required in consulting, as it was the (very ineffective) way to blow off stress and facilitate "team building." It was a whole lot of peer pressure: after clocking out at 8pm, we would all head to the bar, and if you abstained from shots of whiskey / pints of beer, you were looked at funny. So I went through it grudgingly, even though I knew that it would derail me for days, sometimes weeks.
I am definitely irritable in the morning - not the point of screaming tirades - but my anxiety and sensitivity to noise is super high right after I get out of bed. I'm usually ok while getting through my morning routine, mostly because I'm by myself and can be alone with my thoughts. Once the rest of the family comes rolling down the stairs, that's when things worsen: kids fighting, wife wanting to discuss matters related to the home or office (she's a morning person), etc; all of this sets me off.
I've never been to an AA meeting, nor do I consider myself an alcoholic per se. However, I do believe in the "one day at a time" adage. We have to take comfort in the small victories: getting off alcohol, getting better restorative sleep, and try to move on with our lives.
And this forum is a great way to support one another in this journey!