I take Seroquel XR as part of my base mix, but I also use regular Seroquel as a PRN to control breakthrough mood elevations. I completely understand the frustrations of the ups and downs and medication changes.

I've experienced feeling baseline as boring, especially after periods of mania or long-term hypomania. I know that whatever "positive" effects on mood a drug or alcohol brings, can certainly be missed. In my case, I figured out that a period I called "baseline" was really very mild depression. It took me a while to really get back to the "true" happy baseline I knew before bipolar disorder or during better days. I started to question what my true baseline even was. Those days were clouded by years of mood issues and substance abuse. I had to learn what true stability really was, and appreciate it. And there is a lot to appreciate about it.

I'd never been a real fan of 12 Step programs, even though I have surely attended well over 1000 AA meetings these past 13 years. The funny thing is, excluding the religious rhetoric, later down the line I realized I had actually fulfilled those 12 Steps. Having done so, I recognize a great advancement in my recovery. Through recovery, I found that happy baseline. I achieved completion of the so-called 12th step.