[Derek Foreal]

Hello. I am a 35 year old man who has suffered from substance abuse as well as depression and anxiety most my life and it seems to be getting worse the older I get. I have yet to find any lasting solutions to this problem. I am looking for assistance in every way I know how. I need guidance on how to truly rid myself of this illness. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

[missbelle]

Hi Derek;

I responded to one of your threads and did mention not to self medicate. I hope you are going to AA or another 12 step program. Meds for anxiety and depression will not work if you add alcohol and street drugs to the mix no matter how bad you are feeling!!

Its tough when you also have a substance abuse problem. I have a daughter with the same issues who is bi-polar. She self medicates with drugs and alcohol and will never get better till she is sober. She has tried often but it remains a struggle!!

Hang in there........and let us know how you are doing

[madisgram]

welcome to pc, derek. many of us are in recovery at this forum. you will find support here. i used AA as my solution to stay sober. but the first thing i had to do was accept what i am and change my way of living. one of those actions and formost was to not drink. it isn't easy at first. life throws us a curveball and we want to drink it away. an escape. learning to live on life's terms was for me a healthier path. it can be done. i've been alcohol free for many years. i'm glad you posted.

[Leed]

Hi Derek ~ And WELCOME! Like Madisgram, I'm in recovery and the only way I could do it was thru AA. I tried doing it myself, but there was no way I could.

When I first went to AA, I was very skeptical that it would work because they kept talking about God and a Higher Power -- I was agnostic. I did NOT want to hear about it. But then they said I could have a "Higher Power" of MY understanding. It could be a ROCK or a grain of sand, for all they cared. That made me feel a little better, so I started listening.

What they said about Alcoholism made a lot of sense to me. Then I started reading the "Big Book" of Alcoholism, especially the stories in the back. They were telling MY story!!! I thought to myself, what did they do, follow me around? LOL It was eerie -- like looking in a mirror.

I got a sponsor, and did what I was told. I worked the "step" of AA, and before I knew it, I had a week sober, then a month, and so on. They had me so busy in the group and I didn't have time to drink -- they had me doing service work, like setting up the chairs & making coffee before meetings, going to jails & prisons to take the meetings to prisoners; going on 12-step calls for people in trouble (in their home, ready to take a drink), etc. And they gave ME a call-list for when *I* had cravings and needed someone to talk to so I wouldn't take a drink!

That was many years ago - and because of AA and the grace of God, I'm still sober. They saved my life because if I had continued the way I was drinking, I'd be dead now-- no doubt about it. I should add that I was also dabbling in prescription drugs too.

I hope you'll give AA a chance. If not, I hope you find something that will help you. Support is CRUCIAL -- very few have been able to do this alone and it can be dangerous to try. God bless and please keep posting! We'll be here for you. Take care. Hugs, Lee