[RamblinClementine]

Hey All,

It took me 2+ years to realize that I have a problem with alcohol and that perhaps it has worsened my depression over time.

I began drinking more often a few years ago. At first it was here and there but then on my days off alone at home I started drinking earlier and earlier and so now I'm trying not to drink alone. I am thinking about it every day, though. I also let my psychiatrist know I was depressed and she allowed me to bump up in my zoloft dosage.

It is day 4 and every day I fantasize about drinking! I'm still going to have one or two in the company of others, it's a big part of how I socialize.

[rainbow in the dark]

Hi RC,
Let's see 1. You have a problem with alcohol.
2. It might have worsened your depression.
3. Drinking alone more often.

Some questions you could answer would be how many drinks you have each time you drink? Are you drinking earlier because of stress or boredom.? Have you got in serious trouble, ex. DUI, etc.When I was drinking I would get really depressed the next day until I broke down and went to AA to see if it would work. It kept me from not drinking and I went daily for the 1st year. Then i tapered down, then stopped going for awhile. If you can socialize with 1 or 2, it would seem to be OK. I usually drank a lot and would get blitzed. I'm an alcoholic and if I have 1 beer I will have another 10-15 or more. Then I'd be depressed the next day and get more beer. Hope this helps. Take care.

[emgreen]

I pretty much fit the profile that rainbow draws. Despite the fact I haven't had a drink in many years, I still get deeply depressed...that's the luck of the draw. All I know is the two times I nearly succeeded in commiting suicide were times when I was blind drunk. Drinking lowers my inhibitions. For me, not drinking seems a matter of life or death. That's just me...I'm not preaching. If you can socialize & have 2-3 drinks, that's good. You can always experiment with it & see if you can stop at 2-3 each time you go out. Only then will you truely know, by personal experience, whether you might have a problem or not. Good luck.

[RamblinClementine]

Thank you for your response, rintd. I think I drink early because of stress and boredom! When alone, anywhere from 2-3 drinks, sometimes going out and meeting friends afterwards and potentially drinking more. Luckily I haven't had a DUI but I have driven drunk.

Originally Posted by rainbow in the dark

Hi RC,
Let's see 1. You have a problem with alcohol.
2. It might have worsened your depression.
3. Drinking alone more often.

Some questions you could answer would be how many drinks you have each time you drink? Are you drinking earlier because of stress or boredom.? Have you got in serious trouble, ex. DUI, etc.When I was drinking I would get really depressed the next day until I broke down and went to AA to see if it would work. It kept me from not drinking and I went daily for the 1st year. Then i tapered down, then stopped going for awhile. If you can socialize with 1 or 2, it would seem to be OK. I usually drank a lot and would get blitzed. I'm an alcoholic and if I have 1 beer I will have another 10-15 or more. Then I'd be depressed the next day and get more beer. Hope this helps. Take care.

[splitimage]

I won't comment on whether or not you have a problem with alcohol, only you can decide that. What I can tell you is that alcohol is definitely a depressant. It not only makes you feel more depressed, it can interfere with your medication working.

I really struggle with relapse so I only have a week sober right now, but I've had long periods of sobriety in the past, and I definitely felt better both physically and mood wise.

Why not as an experiment, give up all alcohol just for one month and see how you feel?

splitimage

[RamblinClementine]

Sounds hard! I should try it. You're right. Thank you.

[UpDownAround]

I had a vicious cycle with alcohol and depression. I would drink when depressed and alcohol is a depressant. One word of warning about quitting for a set amount of time - I used to do that to prove to myself that I didn't really have a long term problem. I could go a few months without alcohol in order to myself permission to keep drinking. Evaluate your behavior based on the actual behavior, not your ability to stop for an interval.