Posted by Wildman on November 14, 2004, at 6:42:28
In reply to Does it follow that people with diagnoses who... » linkadge, posted by Colleen D. on November 13, 2004, at 18:16:58
Colleen,
As a fellow potsmoker _and_ BPII, I'd be inclined to let him smoke up if it helps his situation. I self-medicated with pot for 20 years before I was diagnosed BPII. I still smoke daily and find that it helps with my motivation (of all things!).
He's better off smoking pot than drinking, in my experience (if he's really BPII), and pot is cheap compared to seeing a pdoc regularly.
Suggest to him that maybe _someday_ he might want to talk to a pdoc (one that sees a lot of addiction cases) just to see what it is all about. Make sure it's not threatening, as your husband has _some_ ideas about the nature of his own demons, even if he won't share that with you (speaking from experience here).
Does your husband sleep OK? If not, work on that, as good sleep really helps a person have a solid mental foundation for dealing with what the day brings you. How about nutrition? There are many things you can help him work on without talking him into stepping away from the pipe.
If he can (at least partially) solve some of the issues that he self-medicates for, he is much more likely to reduce his intake of pot. See if he can "skip a day" once in a while, make it a special evening with just you and him. He's likely to be receptive to that - just to prove to both of you that he can miss a day and still feel OK.
Self-medicating people have found _something_ that helps with their problems (in their opinion). You may not see it that way, but they are trying to cope.
Hope this helps.
Wildman
poster:Wildman
thread:415219
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041113/msgs/415717.html