Depression / Alcohol

I have had untreated/undiagnosed depression for about 25 years.
Throughout those years I had different substance abuse problems.
Finally, last year, after trying some spiritual psychotherapy, I finally realized that I had Dysthymia. I went to my MD immediately and got on medication. The medication works!

I still drink every night though. I have quit drinking for years before and I want to do it again!........I feel like I am close to getting my life back, but this one last wrinkle is tough.

Just looking for people that might have gone through something similar

Hi kaos and welcome to PsychCentral! It is great that you have found a med that works for your depression!

I understand the compulsion to drink every night and how difficult it is to get sober. I was a daily drinker. It was hard to fight the addiction of alcohol and to overcome the habit of drinking every night. At first, I just did not know what to do with myself in the evenings. I had to restructure my evenings and plan out things to do so I did not sit around thinking about drinking.

Have you picked a quit date? I hope you don't mind me asking, but are you drinking heavy enough that physical withdrawal is going to be an issue? It is important to keep yourself safe and get medical attention if you need it.

Congrats on deciding to get your life back! I hope we can share our journeys as we work together in recovery. I look forward to learning more about you.

A quit date. That sounds like a fantastic idea. When I quit before, I just woke up one New Years day......after drinking like crazy, and decided - this is it. Clean for 5 years.

I do drink pretty heavily, but I don't think there will be major withdrawal issues. Did you pick a quit date?

I am not sure if I picked a quit date or it picked me. I kept putting it off and putting it off then one night, I got up enough courage to call a detox unit and they got me in the next day. So, I drank that night and then got sober. I am not sure I could have made it another night of drinking--I was just too sick and depressed.

Cool that you were sober for 5 years! That is longer than I have ever stayed clean and sober.