[cinderellamoon]

My psychologist asked me what effect alcohol had on me when drinking at social occasions. I am not on medication yet. I have a social phobia
and I told him that a couple of glasses of wine had a calming effect. Does anyone have any comments or know why he may have specifically asked me this question? He wanted to know if it calmed me down or rather made me euphoric.

I have the same effect from a FEW drinks. When I drink way too much, then I get worse than I was before the drinks. I'm not on meds for this yet either. Hopefully I will be when I go back to my pdoc on April 19th. So how come he hasn't given you meds yet? And btw, since we haven't met yet officially, welcome to Psych Central.

ryan

[T_MD]

Many people who are addicted to alcohol report that the alcohol 'perks them up' and gives them a euphoric high. If this happened to you it would be a risk factor for addiction, though many people that have this biologic response aren't addicted because they don't have the desire to alter their mood. Hopefully that wasn't the only question pertaining to alcohol he asked you as it isn't sufficient to diagnose a problem.

[cinderellamoon]

Thanks y'all. Nice to meet you, Ryan We are still doing the history and "psychotherapy" thing. My medical doctor wants to put me on strattera when the psychologist is through with me. I have a siezure disorder, so I can't take a stimulant. I had actually volunteered the info about my use of alcohol. If I have more than 2 glasses of wine, I'm wasted and have a hard time resisting a 3rd or 4th. But I am required to attend receptions quite often, and have a terrible time socializing without it. Does anyone know of something I might be able to do instead? Is there some kind of medicine I could take "as needed" just for these occasions? I am taking Lamictal presently. Thanks T MD.

[mbahr]

Alcohol helped me relax. It really helped lower my overall stress level, which also helped reduce my ADHD and OCD symptoms. Unfortunately, it also started to er, uhm, ahem... be a little too much. I finally stopped alcohol altogether beforeit started to get really really bad. There is a worrisome connection between ADD / ADHD and substance abuse. This may be one of the reasons your therapist asked about it.

Hope things go well!

[daviduk]

Alcohol seems to be my saviour/downfall , after the first couple all my senses seem to balance out and my mind tends to focus, the speed demon in my head takes a break and lets me take control for a while, but then for the downfall,1 drink leads to 2, and so on and so forth and the addictive side of me cackles into life and the soothing controlled part is gone, ok next i seem to become melancholy and depressed ,the natural side effect of alcohol,i don't know about anyone else here but i never seem to have the control to stop at the 2 drink stage even though i feel most at ease .
Many of you out there reading this are already flagging me as an alcoholic but i rarely drink ,perhaps once a month, but the outcomes are the same.

[somnambulist]

Hi Daviduk,
I've just joined the forum and this is my first post, but alcoholism is something I know quite a bit about. I've been clean and sober for 11 years and can tell you that it's not how often you drink; it's HOW you drink. The classic test is to try to drink two and only two drinks regularly. Nonalcoholics have no problem doing this. They say the strangest things. "Oh, I'm starting to feel it so I'd better stop." or "Well, it's 6pm, time to go home and eat dinner." I wasn't going home after two drinks; I needed just one more........
The AA website has a questionaire you might want to take. Alcohol worked very well for me for many years, but eventually the problems it caused became bigger, and the alcohol itself stopped working reliably. It's a progressive disease: one's drinking only gets worse and the relief and fun less as the years go by. "Recreational" drugs greatly speed the descent to one's bottom so that nowadays even teeneagers can hit bottom and seek help. Hope this helps.

[crazymusiclvr]

When I hit 21, I started going out to clubs and bars, drinking on several occassions. As I turned 22, I started drinking more and more. It always felt like alcholol would calm my head and slow down my thoughts. It would also make me extreamily hyper with all of this "great" energy. When I was 23, I discovered that I had bipolar disorder. Even though i've not been tested, I believe to have ADD as well (just can't afford the testing).

I am on 3 different types of medication. Although you are not supose to drink on medication, I do have a few beers every now and then. However, just like the posting previously to mine, one is never enough so I have to be really careful. The good thing is that when the medication really started to work, I craved a drink less and less. It's amazing how medication can cut the urge. Of course, it does not cure addiction but it makes a big difference in how much less you may want that "relaxing release". I thought I would share that thought to give some people hope that there is help out there.

[crazymusiclvr]

It is a VERY strong belief of mine that I have ADD although I have never been officially tested. I would love to be tested but it is sooo expensive :-( Anyways, I am also bipolar. Before I was on medication, I would be addicted to going out drinking. Drinking slowed down my thoughts but would also perk me up. I have read that many people who have ADD do abuse alcohol. Another interesting thing is coffee. Coffee never gives me a jolt. Instead, it hels me focus and concentrate. They say that this is also a common reaction for those who have ADD.

~Lia
crazymusiclvr@aol.com

[kazzat]

HI Micheal, Sorry if im missing something but I dont understand what the porn site has to do with ADD.