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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Leah on February 19, 2000, at 11:13:25
Hi everyone,
I'm trying to figure out whether or not I need to get treatment or support for alcohol abuse. On the down side, there are things that indicate to me that it is a problem for me, and on the up side, things that tell me I don't have a problem at all. I'll start with the down side. When I drink, I often overindulge. On two occasions, I drank to the point of possible alcohol poisoning. I felt like my heart briefly stopped beating. I fell down. In a split second, I began to pray for my life. It was enornmously frightening, but, ironically, I often feel very self-destructive when I overindulge. A part of me is wishing something drastic would happen and wipe me out. (I don't drive drunk, though. I don't want the bad karma of having hurt anyone.)
On the upside, I often go a month or so without drinking or craving it at all. When I do drink, I don't always overindulge. I don't black out when I get drunk. I haven't had any major repercussions from drinking, for instance, with the law or with relationships.
I have tried posting a similar message in an AA type forum, but regreted it because I did not feel they were unbiased.
I suffer from depression and anxiety which I do not feel are related to the use of alcohol.
Posted by Cam W. on February 19, 2000, at 11:40:16
In reply to I need feed-back about alcohol, posted by Leah on February 19, 2000, at 11:13:25
> Hi everyone,
>
> I'm trying to figure out whether or not I need to get treatment or support for alcohol abuse. On the down side, there are things that indicate to me that it is a problem for me, and on the up side, things that tell me I don't have a problem at all. I'll start with the down side. When I drink, I often overindulge. On two occasions, I drank to the point of possible alcohol poisoning. I felt like my heart briefly stopped beating. I fell down. In a split second, I began to pray for my life. It was enornmously frightening, but, ironically, I often feel very self-destructive when I overindulge. A part of me is wishing something drastic would happen and wipe me out. (I don't drive drunk, though. I don't want the bad karma of having hurt anyone.)
> On the upside, I often go a month or so without drinking or craving it at all. When I do drink, I don't always overindulge. I don't black out when I get drunk. I haven't had any major repercussions from drinking, for instance, with the law or with relationships.
> I have tried posting a similar message in an AA type forum, but regreted it because I did not feel they were unbiased.
> I suffer from depression and anxiety which I do not feel are related to the use of alcohol.Leah - Drinking to excess, and other forms of drug abuse, are in reality self-medication to try to treat something that is bothering you (perhaps relating to your depression). People drink alcohol for many reasons: escape from the rat race, tension release, coping with stressful situations, etc. Even if the depression and anxiety are not related to the alcohol, they may be exacerbated or increased by the alcohol. Another thing, if you have to ask strangers if they think you should seek help, I think you already know the answer. Binge drinking can be just as destructive as someone who drinks every day. These are just my opinions, use them as suggestions, not absolute guidelines. Others in this room will have greater insight. Sincerely - Cam W.
Posted by Noa on February 19, 2000, at 12:06:45
In reply to Re: I need feed-back about alcohol, posted by Cam W. on February 19, 2000, at 11:40:16
I agree with Cam. It would be to your benefit to go for help to figure out what purpose it is serving. Why are you having these self destructive urges? If you are self medicating, what is the problem you are medicating? Good luck.
Posted by Carolyn on February 19, 2000, at 21:19:50
In reply to I need feed-back about alcohol, posted by Leah on February 19, 2000, at 11:13:25
Leah: I have had similar experiences. I engaged in binge drinking about once a week for a period of months...would drink til I could not function at all, or passed out. I discovered this was due to my depression. I was on meds, but apparently they were not working properly. When I got the meds adjusted, my need to drink disappeared. Now I am once again in a situation where my meds have quit working, and I often feel a tremendous desire for oblivion. Thus far I have resisted, because I know this is not the solution and will only complicate the problem. I too never drove when I drank...but anytime you drink enough to lose control, there is a problem. My recommendation...talk to you pdoc about this. There are also medications which can cut down on the urge to drink. Good luck!
Carolyn
Posted by medlib on February 19, 2000, at 22:02:15
In reply to I need feed-back about alcohol, posted by Leah on February 19, 2000, at 11:13:25
> Hi everyone,
>
> I'm trying to figure out whether or not I need to get treatment or support for alcohol abuse. On the down side, there are things that indicate to me that it is a problem for me, and on the up side, things that tell me I don't have a problem at all. I'll start with the down side. When I drink, I often overindulge. On two occasions, I drank to the point of possible alcohol poisoning. I felt like my heart briefly stopped beating. I fell down. In a split second, I began to pray for my life. It was enornmously frightening, but, ironically, I often feel very self-destructive when I overindulge. A part of me is wishing something drastic would happen and wipe me out. (I don't drive drunk, though. I don't want the bad karma of having hurt anyone.)
> On the upside, I often go a month or so without drinking or craving it at all. When I do drink, I don't always overindulge. I don't black out when I get drunk. I haven't had any major repercussions from drinking, for instance, with the law or with relationships.
> I have tried posting a similar message in an AA type forum, but regreted it because I did not feel they were unbiased.
> I suffer from depression and anxiety which I do not feel are related to the use of alcohol.Leah-
Congratulations on beginning to confront your problems with alcohol--being willing to seek information and consider help is a very self-affirming, health-seeking stance! Please persist in your efforts.
Binge drinking is a VERY common pattern in women alcoholics, and it often progresses to everyday abuse. (I have a binge-drinking alcoholic daughter who acknowledges her problem but is not yet willing to seek treatment.) However, you do not need to BE an alcoholic to have a problem with alcohol which requires treatment.
You might be interested in what Dr. Bob's colleagues have to say on this topic. If so,
go to his homepage, scroll (way)down the right-hand frame to "substance use", check the box, and hit "search" (further down). In the left-hand frame which comes up click on "Alcoholism Tests".
You can find other unbiased information on the subject on big consumer health sites such as Mayo Clinic's Health Oasis or Dr.Koop.
BTW, alcohol is a CNS (central nervous system) depressant, so alcohol on top of untreated depression and anxiety may temporarily relieve the anxiety, but will definitely worsen the depression.
Finally, it is very dangerous to mix large amounts of alcohol and most psych meds, so it's best either to deal with the alcohol problem first, or to make sure your pdoc knows about your pattern of drinking.
Hope some of this helps. Best wishes,
medlib
Posted by bob on February 20, 2000, at 3:00:05
In reply to Re: I need feed-back about alcohol, posted by medlib on February 19, 2000, at 22:02:15
> > I suffer from depression and anxiety which I do not feel are related to the use of alcohol.
Leah, are you on any medication (other than the alcohol) for your depression/anxiety?
I'm not asking for the obvious reason (the nasty affects the meds+alcohol combo might have, tho it is something to consider), but to follow the same line others are hitting on. If you are on prescription meds AND you're self-medicating, a change in meds maybe in order...
...now, the reason I bring that up (where did Wayne get to while I was gone? dagnabit!) is that a number of folks here are using Naltrexone to augment their ADs. Naltrexone apparently was first used to help alcoholics get over their dependence, but its effect on augmenting SSRIs was also noticed in studies of its use. So, you might be able to take care of two problems with one med here.
cheers
bob
This is the end of the thread.
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