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Best of luck to you. If you can allow yourself to not get overwhelmed and just take one step at a time, I think you can feel much better over time. You could be a completely new person in a year. Don't expect it to be quick or easy. Baby steps and simple goals so you can feel successful as you go.
There's only 12 steps in AA, it took me less than 1 week to work them.
It was quick and in the end, the softer easier way.
I didn't feel better over time, I got better immediately , just like it promised in the big book.
There's a chapter in the big book of AA,
" We Agnostics".
Notice its not The Agnostics.
Everyone who walks into AA has a problem with God.
AA isn't tried and found wanting.
Its found difficult and not tried.
Ok, I drink too much, sleep too little, stress too much & remain chronically depressed.
Yes this is my life & real as for now. Are these factors intertwined or just loosely related? ANyone here have a Phd in Psych? I hesitate talking to counselors w/ MSW's or lower degrees as they're certainly not trained in this. A Psych D is most likely best but a good old-school PhD knows their stuff v well I'm sure.
Believe or not but booze actually reduces my need to eat, as in suppressant, & saves me cals that way. But I know opponents here will advise vs that - yet as far as having to bloat or other issues & maybe as a relaxant - it can't be beat.
Wine primarily, & Scotch or Vodka help out. I know this is roughshod typing to clarify a point but so be it, as it is grassroots look at the reality of how I feel daily. So be it, if those vs this behavior challenge - on assertion - that it is vile or not so politically correct to their sovereign eyes - & thus does not appeal to their higher haughty ideals.
If you find benefit drinking alcohol as an unbeatable relaxer keep drinking.
If you find you'd prefer to quit for good and all , we have a solution.
Til then..
What? Of course they are intertwined. The choices we make affect things we don't have control over and vice versa. The person you find most helpful to discuss all this with could be anyone at any level of the profession. The lack of letters behind their name means nothing if the person connects with you, listens to you, has experience dealing with similar problems, and offers advice you find helpful.
Again, what OP?
Yes they are interrelated....this knowing comes from personal expeirence in my past but thankfully not the present.
What you're doing now isn't working and you are clearly not happy. So do something different. Yes, alcohol is going to worsen your depression. If you can't take some time off from it, then yeah, you have a problem.
As for sleep, I have found a number of things helpful after suffering from insomnia for years. Meditation, controlling my caffeine intake, establishing a schedule, making sure I get a certain amount of exercise when I'm upset about something, etc. My big failsafe is to keep a book that is really boring next to the bed - used to use an economics textbook I was trying to read. It would put me right to sleep. These days I really like the "Sleep With Me" podcast, which is almost meditative in nature and is just very soothing to listen to.
An ordinary therapist would probably be best for you - no special degree needed. Psychiatrists are focused on chemical solutions really rather than talk therapy, and tbh you sound chock full of issues. I'm gonna put it bluntly: You're not special. Nothing you are struggling with is unique to you. And you know what? To make effective change in your life, you have to be willing to do what my British friend calls the "hard yards."
Ask yourself this: Are you ok with the idea of feeling exactly like you do now five years from now? If not, then you need to get started on making some changes.
I have dealt with extreme anxiety and depression on and off for years. Stress management has never been my strong suit. I have an obsessive nature when it comes to food. I know that to change these things, I can't drift along in a fog but have to act with intention. My therapist (a practicing Buddhist) calls it "walking with the intention of the tiger" which has been a helpful concept. (Big cats are very thoughtful in where they put their feet, if you haven't noticed.) You need to be mindful and deliberate. You have to choose to meaningfully address your stress and depression every day. Call it mindfulness, awareness, whatever - you need to figure out how to stop muddling through.
Drug induced sleep isn't authentic rest,
its merely unconscious.
Amitriptyline is an anti-depressant which is no longer prescribed for depression and is prescribed instead for chronic insomnia because it makes one sleepy.
It has nothing in common with drugs prescribed for insomnia such as ambien. Nor is it addictive like other medications commonly prescribed for insomnia.
You do not need to take it. For anyone with chronic insomnia, it can be a godsend.
Ok, I drink too much, sleep too little, stress too much & remain chronically depressed.
Yes this is my life & real as for now. Are these factors intertwined or just loosely related? ANyone here have a Phd in Psych? I hesitate talking to counselors w/ MSW's or lower degrees as they're certainly not trained in this. A Psych D is most likely best but a good old-school PhD knows their stuff v well I'm sure.
Believe or not but booze actually reduces my need to eat, as in suppressant, & saves me cals that way. But I know opponents here will advise vs that - yet as far as having to bloat or other issues & maybe as a relaxant - it can't be beat.
Wine primarily, & Scotch or Vodka help out. I know this is roughshod typing to clarify a point but so be it, as it is grassroots look at the reality of how I feel daily. So be it, if those vs this behavior challenge - on assertion - that it is vile or not so politically correct to their sovereign eyes - & thus does not appeal to their higher haughty ideals.
Me. I am a trained clinical psychologist. But I have to say, many MANY MSWs are certainly trained in the area of substance abuse and especially alcohol abuse, as well as eating disorder. One of my most knowledgeable colleagues had an MSW.
And yes, depression, anxiety, insomnia are all prime results of drinking too much.
Have you tried AA? There are many non-religious chapters these days. Look into local buddhist groups, our largest buddhist temple here has at least a half-dozen different AA groups meeting at the temple (which is in an old church). None of them are religious in nature.
Of course seek out one that is religious if that is your preference. But its a great way to get some free help and also to make contacts to find an individual counselor. Do not at all feel you need to seek out someone with a doctorate in Psychology. I assure you there are many MSWs and other counselors who are very knowledgeable in this area. For many it is their main area of practice.
Also don't think that AA is not useful to you given that your current excuse for drinking is to avoid over-eating. AA deals with ADDICTION, whether it is alcohol or narcotics or food. Find a group that is oriented to eating disorders as well as one oriented to the issue of alcohol. You may even find one group that can deal with both issues.
Also let me assure you that the main difference between a PsyD from a state university and a PhD is that the PhD programs concentrate more on research efforts and the ability to write papers than do the PsyD programs. Which is not to say that a PhD is going to be necessarily any LESS helpful than someone with a PsyD, but by the same lights, they are unlikely to be MORE helpful based on the degree designation alone. Many for-profit schools that issue PsyD degrees can be more problematic but even that is not ALWAYS the case.
Psychiatrists by and large are no more "focused on drugs" than any other practitioner. That would be PSYCHOLOGISTS - the guys with the MD who see one patient every 7.5 minutes. They rarely provide individual counseling, and when they do, its doubtful most of us could afford them, given how much they can make seeing 8 patients an hour instead of just the one.
Believe me!! I know first hand about all the things your are suffering.
The stress leads you to alcohol and alcoholism and then the alcohol becomes more destructive.
There is a vicious circle. You cannot sleep so you use alcohol to pass out but in reality that is not sleeping at all and you haven't received proper rest. You are depressed so you drink alcohol to feel better but in reality alcohol is a depressant and will exasperate your depression. You get home from a hard day at work or your work is hard every day and you cannot cope, so you grab a drink and sit down with several of them to relieve your stress. You drink everything you have in your house. But one day you start ordering booze delivered to your house so you don't have to drive drunk to the liquor store. Alcoholism is progressive. Catch it before you lose everything you have, the home, the family, the job (no longer employable), the savings, and the self-respect. It won't be easy. A residential treatment program combined with a 12 step program worked for me.
Believe me!! I know first hand about all the things your are suffering.
The stress leads you to alcohol and alcoholism and then the alcohol becomes more destructive.
There is a vicious circle. You cannot sleep so you use alcohol to pass out but in reality that is not sleeping at all and you haven't received proper rest. You are depressed so you drink alcohol to feel better but in reality alcohol is a depressant and will exasperate your depression. You get home from a hard day at work or your work is hard every day and you cannot cope, so you grab a drink and sit down with several of them to relieve your stress. You drink everything you have in your house. But one day you start ordering booze delivered to your house so you don't have to drive drunk to the liquor store. Alcoholism is progressive. Catch it before you lose everything you have, the home, the family, the job (no longer employable), the savings, and the self-respect. It won't be easy. A residential treatment program combined with a 12 step program worked for me.
That's so sweet: exacerbate not exasperate. But exasperated also works in a funny kind of way. Durn autocorrect.
Just about everybody is telling the OP to go to a 12 step meeting. Wonder if he will. Up to you, kiddo. People die from drinking on a pretty regular basis. Up to you.
Note that you will meet some of the best friends of your life, from all walks of life and socio-economic strata, and you might eventually have a chance to HELP OTHER PEOPLE.
Psychiatrists by and large are no more "focused on drugs" than any other practitioner. That would be PSYCHOLOGISTS - the guys with the MD who see one patient every 7.5 minutes. They rarely provide individual counseling, and when they do, its doubtful most of us could afford them, given how much they can make seeing 8 patients an hour instead of just the one.
Wow, I got that exactly backwards, LOL!
PSYCHIATRISTS have an MD, see a patient every 7.5 mins, and go for the drugs first shot out of the barrel.
PSYCHOLOGISTS have a PsyD or PhD and are generally not able to prescribe meds (though they may send you to a PSYCHIATRIST)
Sorry 'bout that.
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