Substance Abuse Disorder Puns

Hey all,

So it's a new year. "The Sky's the limit". Well, that is unless you keep going down this destructive path...a box that is buried 6 feet down will severely hamper your accomplishments.

So, me. I'm in my mid 40s. Male, was healthy, 6'2 and about 190lbs. Broad shoulders, and I've been told by many people (not my mom, lol) that I am handsome. In my middle years, I'm not the fittest I've ever been, but still good enough to attract looks and being approached by women. That was going into my last relationship, so just about a year and a half now. Now I'm NOT ever going to blame the relationship for anything I'm about to admit, but rather my habits, mental disposition, and lack of willpower instead. I'll be brief but I want to post this in hopes it helps just one person come back from the edge... before it becomes a nightmare.

Breakup. So, my SO, the only person I can honestly say I truly love, broke up with me in July of 2021. I lost my mind. I became toxic, abusive, and I became the embodiment of that hurt and pain...and hate. It created uneccessary stress and anxiety, and I adopted it, wrongfully and lived it. It twisted my my perception. I let it happen. Chose not to fight back against it.

Mental Health. I was diagnosed a few years back with Severe Depression and Anxiety disorders. I went through different medications, coupled with therapy and psychiatric care. Not a result of relationships at all, and predates my ex breaking up with me. It was something I caused, through my own actions in a life that I've long since left behind. Never going to elaborate, but let's just say stupid teenager/young adult, wrong crowd, looking to make a notorious name for myself. Again. Totally me, and I went willingly it created a hole in me that I have no choice but to live with now, and cope with.

Substance/Alcohol Abuse. Sigh...here goes. In my youth, your typical pothead. That gradually became dropping acid. Which then led me heroine. I kicked the heroine addiction (thank fucking god) with the help of friends who had to intervene and literally lock me in a room for a week. Yeah. Been there, done that. Then came cocaine. I did it for a short time starting at about 21. I quit before I got married (divorced now) but picked it up again about 5-6 years ago. Alcohol? Excessive drinker. Not unheard of to drink two 3 half litres a week. Nobody ever peer pressured me. Nobody forced me. I did this to myself.

Fast forward, to today, in my mid 40s. Today. I was broken up w

First year psych major here, I'm very curious on this subject ? If you know of any research, experiments, or articles on this it would be greatly appreciated, as well as your personal opinion on it! Thanks

(tw: addiction)

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i used to abuse substances constantly from the ages of 15-19, can’t remember a chunk of that era as i was never sober. i was constantly drunk or high every single day. not too long ago got diagnosed, i’m in my 20s, and wasn’t expecting it. my family member has bipolar, my mom has depression and anxiety.

i 100% was sure i only had depression and not bipolar disorder. but recently in my 20s i started feeling random episodes of hypomania and it felt very new. never felt this before. it was so weird and different and nice.

and once i did feel hypomania i became addicted. i want to feel like that all the time. it feels amazing. i’m on lamitcal but sometimes i want to stop so i can feel mania. but the depression is so heavy and the aftermath of everything really sucks… so it’s not worth stopping…

idk, can substance abuse and addiction trigger bipolar disorder? can bipolar disorder manifest later in life ???

sorry if i don’t make sense lol

I have a family doctor but they take upwards of 2 months to get in with. I’m making an appointment tomorrow. I’m also on the wait list to see the cheapest therapist I can find, I’m very low income and support myself independently and have no health insurance. I suspect I have some sort of mood disorder, experiencing bipolar symptoms and some are on the severe end of the spectrum like psychosis and suicidal thoughts. This is accompanied by alcoholism and drug usage. I need help for these problems sooner than in a few months, and i’m kind of scared.

I need to see a doctor now I think and i don’t know if I should wait for my family doctor appointment. I am prescribed a stimulant medication at a decently high dose that I’ve been on for just a few months and the mental reaction i’ve had to this is really bad and I think I need to get off of it ASAP. I don’t want to stop it right away on my own because i’m scared of what would happen but I’m scared of staying on it.

Can I go to a walk in clinic tomorrow and get help with coming off of the meds or get help with what to do or who to talk to? To what extent can the walk in clinic help me with what i’m experiencing? Im not too scared of myself at the moment I think I got past that from a few weeks ago so I don’t think it’s an emergency.

Im sorry if this doesn’t belong here I just don’t know what to ask or who to get in contact with and need to make a plan. I work 6 days a week and tomorrow is my 1 day off and have to utilize it. I’m 19 and female by the way.

Thank you, lovely humans.

Hello everyone. This is my first time on this forum and I already feel at home with like minded individuals. I will provide a brief back story and appreciate feedback, experience, strength and hope.

- I was diagnosed BP II in and around 2010 by my family doctor, and re-affirmed from a psychiatrist.

- I was diagnosed with Substance Abuse Disorder in April of this year by a psychiatrist and Addictions Medicine Doctor.

- I recently completed a 42 day residential treatment program for Addictions and Mental Health. While in treatment, I started Lamictal (titrated up to 100 mg / twice daily over 8 weeks). Seroquel (25 mg at night), and Welbutrin XR yesterday (150 mg in the morning).

- I haven't had a drink of alcohol since 28 JUL 2019. I quit Cannabis and Tobacco before I went into treatment. (Treatment began on 28 APR of this year).

- I am an active member of 12 step recovery, see a psychologist regularly (focusing on DBT, and monitoring my mood and diet using the "E-Moods" app). I check in with my Psychiatrist monthly.

Moral of my brief story is that I feel like I have a strong support system, and life will slowly improve for me if I continuously keep my treatment team engaged.

I have been abusing alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, caffeine, and tobacco for 25 + years. I don't even know what my "base-line" is and how long it will take to achieve it. I have tried numerous other medications years ago, but I was abusing substances throughout. I had terrible side effects on all of them. I'm sure the substance abuse contributed to the side effects.

My questions for all you fine folks:

Is there anyone here with sustained sobriety from substance that can relate to my story? Did your episodes of hypo-mania and severe depression decrease after you quit substance and found the medications that worked for you? If so, what medications? Are there any other tools that helped you?

Thank you in advance for your input.

I’m wondering if that is what’s going on in my situation, or if it’s more just a codependent relationship? Neither is good, but maybe figuring out which it is can help with how I address the issue. I have romantic and sexual feelings for him, I obsess about his well-being when I don’t hear from him for a couple of days. He tells me I’m the only person who still texts him but then disappears for days at a time (maybe bc of the drug use). I definitely imagine scenarios where I save him. I definitely get depressed when we don’t talk. He’s never asked me for material favors - ie money or transportation or a place to stay. He rarely asks about how I am or checks in with me, but he has told me he gets depressed when we don’t talk. He has never expressed romantic feelings for me, despite multiple times that I have expressed them to him. Maybe he is using me emotionally? Do I need to stop communication with him? It seems awful to do when most of our mutual friends have done the same bc they don’t accept that he is not ready for rehab. I don’t know if this is enough info to help me sort this out, but feedback is much appreciated.

After a month indoors at home, aside from regular therapy sessions, he agreed to take a short walk with me, just around the block. Any and all tips and help in how to talk and spend the time with him so it helps him is greatly appreciated.

Hey everyone, I'm a 36 year old male that has been dealing with DSPD since my very early teens. I was officially diagnosed with DSPD 3 years ago by a neurologist specializing in circadian rhythm disorders. My body's natural sleep time in 6am to 2pm. I've tried everything from low dose melatonin, light therapy (lamp & Luminette glasses), prescription sleeping pills (at least 6 different drugs), prescription pills for daytime somnolence, camping, etc. Nothing has managed to help in advancing my sleep phase even a little bit. I've been unable to even get to the point where I advance my sleep phase but then fail to maintain it. After 2 years of attempting to correct this problem with professional assistance, I finally accepted my clock and made the decision to sleep on my natural cycle (6am-2pm).

In addition to DSPD, I suffer from major depressive disorder (actively medicated for it and seeing a therapist regularly), as well as ADHD (actively medicated). Unfortunately, while I've been dealing with substance abuse issues for years, accepting my natural sleep cycle - while positive for me physically, has greatly exacerbated my mental health related issues. Having to endure the limited daylight and night time isolation (ie trying to have my day while everyone else is asleep) has led to an increase in substance abuse as a coping mechanism. Substances also serve to make the overnight boredom more manageable. I lost my job due to Covid almost a year ago and no longer have purpose overnight (when I otherwise would've been doing work).

I've become extremely concerned for myself in terms of where my substance abuse may be heading, so I began contacting reputable inpatient drug & alcohol rebab facilities. I have good insurance (in the U.S.) Unfortunately, while I was initially proud of myself for feeling motivated enough to get myself help, the outcome of my attempts have been beyond demoralizing. If I'm going to be detoxing from a substance/substances that I've been using for almost 20 years, I want to be as comfortable as humanly possible. Therein lies the problem.

Every facility I contacted has a strict 6am wake time and 10pm sleep time for the programs they run. I explained to them that I have a neurological sleep disorder that I have no control over. That my neurologist was happy to speak with them if they had any questions, and might they be able to accommodate my disorder so that I could still benefit from the program? The reactions were crushing. Mos

I've struggled with various eating disorders, including bulimia (purge type and laxative abuse), BED, Anorexia, and OSFED. I've been in and out of treatment centers and psych wards, I've done day treatment, outpatient, inpatient, you name it. Also, I was in there for xanax abuse and alcohol abuse, but a lot of the alcohol abuse was tied to my ED (since I often used it to purge).

Hi

I am looking for individuals to partake in a questionnaire or interview for a Thesis regarding Environmental triggers and their impact on Mental health issues. It is 100% anonymous and the final project can be forwarded to individuals that participate. All Mental health issues are inclusive, so I would like to understand your story and find commonalities over the board. Thank you in advance. Martin

This will mostly be a vent post and just me sharing a few bottle of the barrel things I go through daily, lol

I'm 18 years old, I have a strong and deep carving panic disorder that's been passed down by my dad's side of the family alongside addiction of every type and alcoholism. I had quite the abusive childhood varying to nearly type, excluding sexual. Also very sad and damaging events that occur still to this day that have psychologically damaged my path. Before 16 I didn't suffer from panic disorder as much as other things like mania and bipolar that I was being treated for, but after this age I started smoking weed and enjoyed it for a couple months up until I was given synthetic cannabis created in a lab with over 8 strains and whatever else could have been sprayed. Nearly tried to kill myself as it gave me a high no soul could live with, my reality smashed like a mirror. My heart raced and pounded, I puked but didn't pass out. Pure anxiety made me disregard the vomit and run around in it during my first ever psychotic and possibly schizoactive panic attack. I've never been the same since that day unfortunately, but it goes away with mental maintenance. Ever since then I get the same symptoms smoking marijuana. Pounding heart, full blown psychosis from any level of thc and a guaranteed panic attack.

Fast forward to now being 18 years old, please be judgement free because this is hard to admit but I'm a daily user of meth since January. I did lethal amounts of cocaine for the slightly younger lad I was at 17 to the point where I'd be falling asleep. Doing an 8 ball in a few hours or so with a 150 resting heartrate. I did maybe 60 grams of cocaine in 2020. Cocaine is where my heart palpitations started and I only went to get them checked out in a meth induced panic attack giving me an arithmia a few weeks ago. They took me to my infamously shitty hospital in an ambulance only to wait me out to see if a further cardiac event would occur and kicked me out 12 hours later without letting me speak to a doctor. Hopefully meaning I'm not in immediate risk of a cardiac event but sometimes my symptoms are mind shattering. I haven't seen a doctor in years besides that trip to the ER.

I have been using meth every single day since January and I've noticed something interesting, my panic attacks can no longer occur after being awake for more than 30 hours or so. Very unhealthy with or without drugs so do not try it. Meth either gives me a panic attack lasting

Hello All,

I'm here at day 14 and I'm all over the place. I feel like the first week was easier for me even though my head was super foggy. I was able to feel more proud of myself because the struggle was easier to identify with heavy withdrawal symptoms, or something like that. Now I feel a bit more clear-headed (dreams are still INTENSE AF), but my other disorders are popping back up. I feel extremely depressed and am having terrible body image issues. I struggled with an eating disorder for a long time in my teens and 20's (I'm 31 now) and I'm struggling again to feed myself. For a little background, my eating disorder is EDNOS (Eatind Disorder Not Otherwise Specified), which basically means I vacillated between anorexia, bulimia, over-exercising, and bingeing.

I'm anxious again at the grocery store, which sucks because it's already more anxiety-provoking since COVID began. Weed was definitely helping keep my appetite up and masking feelings around food. I'm aware that weed is used in extreme cases of anorexia and bulimia, but I have so many issues around substance abuse that it is most definitely not the right treatment for me. I also have unresolved trauma that is making staying sober difficult. Flashbacks are back already, and fuck, just so many things that make me want to use again.

Also, I live alone in the suburbs of the Midwest where I don't feel any sense of belonging. My parents are letting me stay in my childhood home while they are in Mexico for the next several years, so I don't have to worry about rent but I'm very lonely. Obviously COVID is making meeting new people next to impossible, especially here where there is a lot of denial about the issue. At least I have my 2 cats. Thanks for reading this, whoever takes the time. I'm just wondering who else is struggling in similar ways, and what you are doing about eating problems in these times and with similar co-occuring issues as you are working through sobriety. It's like a sick game of whack-a-mole and I'm tired and angry and frustrated and sad.

Thanks,

Displaced Midwestern Female Firmly Riding the Eternal Struggle Bus