[annielovesbacon]

Hi all, I was recently (re)diagnosed with BPII and I also am an alcoholic and abuse benzos and painkillers.
I know I am not the only one on here who struggles with substance abuse, I was wondering if it is connected with bipolar? Does anyone know?

[BeyondtheRainbow]

yes. 50-80% of people with bipolar have addictions. You are not alone.

[Rose76]

They most definitely have a connection to each other. Alcohol makes it harder to maintain a stable mood. On the other hand, having disturbing fluctuations in mood can make drinking alcohol seem like a way to escape the downturns in mood, or the overexcitement than bipolars experience. As an escape, it can seem to help in the short run. But the long run consequences are that it makes bipolar swings worse. So bipolar disorder and alcohol use disorder reinforce each other. Each makes the other worse.

Here's a link: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-...r/FAQ-20057890

[UpDownAround]

A lot of substance abuse is self medication. That's not a cop out that makes it okay; it's still a problem.

[WildcatVet]

Self-medication is part and parcel of BP...perhaps because of the way our brains are wired.
Here are a couple articles with stats and information:
Bipolar Disorder and Addiction | Dual Diagnosis
Comorbid bipolar disorder and substance abuse: Evidence-based options | Current Psychiatry

[rwwff]

I definitely think there's something to it. The one time I was exposed to a narcotic (post surgery), it wasn't for very long, but once I ran out I wanted more in the creepiest, most unnerving sense you can imagine. Addiction is not supposed to happen that fast, "take as directed, nothing will happen."

I thought I wanted it for pain, but I didn't; in the end, I swapped to the nsaid/acetomenophen thing with no pain issues, but I *still* wanted that feeling, or lack there of I guess.

Never want to go there again. Hate feeling out of control like that.

[UpDownAround]

Originally Posted by rwwff

I definitely think there's something to it. The one time I was exposed to a narcotic (post surgery), it wasn't for very long, but once I ran out I wanted more in the creepiest, most unnerving sense you can imagine. Addiction is not supposed to happen that fast, "take as directed, nothing will happen."

I thought I wanted it for pain, but I didn't; in the end, I swapped to the nsaid/acetomenophen thing with no pain issues, but I *still* wanted that feeling, or lack there of I guess.

Never want to go there again. Hate feeling out of control like that.

Mine was post op knee surgery and follow up appointments. I chased it longer than you by a fair amount. Next came a shoulder surgery and they had to go in twice, so lots of pills to ease lots of pain and I complained it still hurt at followups. After that ran out I would get this bad cough from allergies giving me post nasal drip and regular cough syrup isn't doing the trick, can I get some of the good stuff, please? The last time I pulled that one was back in Feb. I have since come clean with my doctor and there is a never again note in my file. I never got physically addicted and I would go months between incidents but i never stopped wanting it. It's still locked away from me at home (because I also came clean with wife and family).

I would like to think I could resist it now but I am glad it is locked away. I am around drinking sometimes (quit 4 months ago) and it doesn't bother me. I have no interest in stimulants now; once I got off adderall I was glad and never have any desire for it. But the opioids? I need to avoid them at all costs. An inner voice was screaming bloody murder when I came clean with my doctor; fortunately another part of me was just as frantic about staying clean.

[CaminoDeOro]

There is some thought that people with depression are more prone to like opioids because, at least while you're on them (and before it spirals out of control), they really are pretty effective at treating some aspects of it. I know big pharma is poking around these ideas, and kratom - a nontraditional opioid like nothing else we've discovered - can have significant antidepressant activity. It was the best antidepressant I ever took, but it was not without problems, believe me.

There is hope that we will get better meds out of this research, but for right now, it's a bad plan.

[popuri88]

I'm SO PRONE to substance abuse and compulsion. I abuse (and misuse) meds, cigarettes, alcohol... anything that can kick my head off.

thank god I don't have access to opioids. I already ODed about 10 times with promethazine (with or without alcohol and clonazepam) these past months. Really, I can't keep zolpiden with myself bc i'll take 4x, 5x, 6x the max daily dose without even remembering it later.

[Guiness187055]

Yes I know it did with me.

[emgreen]

I'm a recovering alcoholic (been sober for years), but am pretty convinced that alcohol (& marijuana) were attempts at self-medication...I started hitting the booze HARD as a teen, before I was diagnosed. Unfortunately, heredity is also an issue & my family has a history of alcoholism, so I would probably have been an alcoholic anyways. The BP definitely added fuel to the fire, though, IMO.

UpDownAround mentioned jonesing for opiods after shoulder surgery. I'm going to have rotator cuff surgery November 17th. I've heard that recovery is a real bear...a whole world of hurt. Knowing myself as I do, it would be easy to develop a taste for opioids. While reputable docs are probably watching what they prescribe much more closely since the publicity about the opioid epidemic (my docs are associated with a Big Ten university & they operate on all the jocks), I'm going to have to be very careful to use only as prescribed...but I'm a substance abuser by nature!

[xRavenx]

Yes, my pdoc said this is common. I struggled with some issues for a brief period of time, prior to being diagnosed and treated properly. However, I noticed Lamictal made me a lot less prone to substance use. I don't feel the urge to drink, like I used to. My pdoc found this interesting and said it is likely because Lamictal has some properties that causes someone to be less impulsive. She's going to consider this in the future when treating some of her Bipolar clients who struggle with substance abuse and consider Lamictal more often, ever since she heard my experience.

[ComfortablyNumb5]

Spent all of my 20’s self medicating and partying. My goal every night was to get into a different state of mind. I still struggle. Been drinking again and abusing my benzos.

[sugahorse1]

I am also feeling urges to abuse my Benzo's - I am not even meant to have any, as I have a history of abusing them.
My pdoc has also told me I must NOT drink while on meds (Because I do not do it moderately) yet I still do most nights. Even if it's just one glass of wine.

[sub-dural]

Benzos are a struggle.

I've been off them for a year and have been on a manic tangent and have been absolutely craving benzos and alcohol (those gaba receptors are very needy).

Hey all... can't help myself, I'm compelled here to speak up for the "others"-- the ones who don't have issues with addiction and/or substance abuse. I feel like we need to be acknowledged too, and, though I try not to take offense, I have to object to the idea that addiction issues are "part and parcel" of BP. Mood swings, energy shifts... THOSE are part and parcel because they are integral to the disorder. Addiction is not. If it was, it would be a problem for 100% of us, and that is simply not the case.

Just had to speak up. As a minority, words and what they convey matter a lot to me. BP is a heavy enough load without the assumption of issues I, and others of us don't have, yanno?

(Love ya WildcatVet <3, nothing personal. Probably just a quick word choice. I often drive my BF nuts over particulars...)

Originally Posted by WildcatVet

Self-medication is part and parcel of BP...perhaps because of the way our brains are wired.

(I freely admit I did not read the article because I don't register for sites to read articles. Regardless of any case they might make, there's still the issue of a very significant minority.)

(And in the interest of full disclosure... I've done a fair bit of partying in my time, but never had any problem with just walking away or doing something else. I never "needed" anything, if that makes sense.)

Sorry so rambling -- I'm writing on my phone on the bus, lol.

[Row Jimmy]

There's a lot of evidence pointing to the comorbidity of BP and substance abuse. I can trace 30 years of abusive behavior in my own life back to an undiagnosed BP and I don't consider myself an addict, per se. The science will never be conclusive, but there's probably a link to manic behavior and misbehavior relative to alcohol and drugs. For me, when I was "up" I would rage. Then when I was "down" I could take it or leave it. People used to say it was my "personality" but I think it was more related to the mood swings associated with BP.

[UpDownAround]

Originally Posted by Innerzone

Hey all... can't help myself, I'm compelled here to speak up for the "others"-- the ones who don't have issues with addiction and/or substance abuse. I feel like we need to be acknowledged too, and, though I try not to take offense, I have to object to the idea that addiction issues are "part and parcel" of BP. Mood swings, energy shifts... THOSE are part and parcel because they are integral to the disorder. Addiction is not. If it was, it would be a problem for 100% of us, and that is simply not the case.

I don't think nearly everyone has issues but the % of BP patients with substance abuse problems is much higher than the % of the general population.

Bipolar Disorder and Addiction | Dual Diagnosis

• About 56 percent of individuals with bipolar who participated in a national study had experienced drug or alcohol addiction during their lifetime.
• Approximately 46 percent of that group had abused alcohol or were addicted to alcohol.
• About 41 percent had abused drugs or were addicted to drugs.

So no, not 100%, but 56% is pretty high.

I do not disagree with the considerably high percentages. My issue is with terms such as "part and parcel", whose meaning denotes it being integral to the disorder.
(Integral is by meaning inextricably bound, and would therefore be 100%.)

That's all.

[UpDownAround]

Originally Posted by Innerzone

I do not disagree with the considerably high percentages. My issue is with terms such as "part and parcel", whose meaning denotes it being integral to the disorder.
(Integral is by meaning inextricably bound, and would therefore be 100%.)

That's all.

I agree with you. So does the site I quoted. it isn't called "single diagnosis".

[ComfortablyNumb5]

Everyone has different symptoms. My mania may differ from the next person. My baseline is always a nagging depression where as the next persons may manifest in a mixed episode. Just because I’m always depressed, doesn’t mean you are. Just like addiction. No, we all don’t have it. But there’s a high chance that someone with BP will at some point.

[annielovesbacon]

Originally Posted by Innerzone

Hey all... can't help myself, I'm compelled here to speak up for the "others"-- the ones who don't have issues with addiction and/or substance abuse. I feel like we need to be acknowledged too, and, though I try not to take offense, I have to object to the idea that addiction issues are "part and parcel" of BP. Mood swings, energy shifts... THOSE are part and parcel because they are integral to the disorder. Addiction is not. If it was, it would be a problem for 100% of us, and that is simply not the case.

Just had to speak up. As a minority, words and what they convey matter a lot to me. BP is a heavy enough load without the assumption of issues I, and others of us don't have, yanno?

(Love ya WildcatVet <3, nothing personal. Probably just a quick word choice. I often drive my BF nuts over particulars...)

(I freely admit I did not read the article because I don't register for sites to read articles. Regardless of any case they might make, there's still the issue of a very significant minority.)

(And in the interest of full disclosure... I've done a fair bit of partying in my time, but never had any problem with just walking away or doing something else. I never "needed" anything, if that makes sense.)

Sorry so rambling -- I'm writing on my phone on the bus, lol.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm glad you have not had trouble with addiction!
It seems many of us are more likely to be addicts than those who do not have BP, but of course it's not a given. I'm glad that's true.

[bioChE]

I’m BP and an part of the group who struggles with what I call an “addictive personality.” If birth control pills made me feel good, I’d take them (I’m male, BTW).

That being said, the addictive side of me can be controlled, mainly by abstinence. Meds help, but for me they’re not the magic bullet to cure my addictions. Another thing that helps is pondering my priorities in life and considering those in the face of my addictive tendencies. Whenever I’m at a crossroads, I know going down the addictive path will lead to a disruption in pursuing my real priorities of God, Family, and Fiscal Responsibility. That’s probably the biggest thing holding me back. If not for those, I could very well be a heroin addict on the street.

[emgreen]

Originally Posted by bioChE

I’m BP and an part of the group who struggles with what I call an “addictive personality.” If birth control pills made me feel good, I’d take them (I’m male, BTW).

That being said, the addictive side of me can be controlled, mainly by abstinence. Meds help, but for me they’re not the magic bullet to cure my addictions. Another thing that helps is pondering my priorities in life and considering those in the face of my addictive tendencies. Whenever I’m at a crossroads, I know going down the addictive path will lead to a disruption in pursuing my real priorities of God, Family, and Fiscal Responsibility. That’s probably the biggest thing holding me back. If not for those, I could very well be a heroin addict on the street.

I'm not a believer in God (I don't know why I add this), but your words are very wise. I'm a recovering alcoholic who has abstained for 12 years. It sounds like what you're describing is "playing the tape through to the end." It's something people in AA talk about to maintain abstinance. While substances may seem to solve problems which are sometimes temporary (stress, anxiety, depression, grief), "playing the tape through all the way to the end" helps you realize that "the addictive path will lead to a disruption in pursuing (one's) real priorities of God, Family, and Fiscal Responsibility." There are some pretty severe consequences of longterm, or even short-term use...Jails, institutions, or death being among them.