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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by juliedealer on October 22, 2001, at 10:56:43
unfortunately I'm sitting here drinking, insteading of doing something productive.
Posted by kid_A on October 22, 2001, at 12:18:45
In reply to anybody around...I got the day off from work !, posted by juliedealer on October 22, 2001, at 10:56:43
> unfortunately I'm sitting here drinking, insteading of doing something productive.
and whats so unproductive about drinking? at least your giving your arm a little exercise lifting the glass...
tonight i think i will actually not drink... we'll see if i can make it...
Posted by Greg A. on October 22, 2001, at 14:55:50
In reply to anybody around...I got the day off from work !, posted by juliedealer on October 22, 2001, at 10:56:43
Hey Julie,
I'm one up on you cause I have the week off work! I'm going to try to not be too productive during my time off. My usual habit is to try to get so much done, I'm a wreck by the time I go back to work. So I'm scheduling some breaks and going to do some stuff that I never seem to get time for on weekends.
Was your day off drinking just an experiment? As a recently reformed drinker I'm curious, so if you feel like giving you thoughts, I'm listening. Or we could talk about anything besides drinking too.Greg A.
Posted by juliedealer on October 23, 2001, at 7:53:04
In reply to Re: anybody around...I got the day off from work !, posted by Greg A. on October 22, 2001, at 14:55:50
I just feel so damn anxious when i get home from work. That is what starts me off. lately, I've started drinking in the morning...real alcoholic behavior I know. I wish I could get off this merry-go-round. The problem is I just don't care enough right now to actually DO something about it. Right now it is 7:40 am and I'm thinking about having a beer. Pretty pathetic. I staaarted effexor back on Sept 24, so it has been about 4 weeks now. Hope this stuff will be of some help with the problem.julie
Posted by Greg A. on October 23, 2001, at 11:29:50
In reply to no greg, not an experiment (more), posted by juliedealer on October 23, 2001, at 7:53:04
Cheers Julie!
You have started to answer my next prying question - what brings you to this Board. Anxiety is something pretty familiar to me. I was treating anxiety long before the word 'depression' was introduced to me. I now believe, that for me, the two are totally linked. I know that's why I drank. I just wanted some relief from the tightness and nervousness I felt. And for a long time alcohol did it. I could be the life of the party when drunk (not too drunk), my shyness was not so much of a problem, and I believed people liked that version of me better. And I did so much want to be liked. Years later, I found that most of my drinking was done on my own at home. It relaxed me, but not in the same way as before. There was a real component of sadness and depression to it and a real rebound of anxiety after.
I cannot say that quitting drinking initially helped me. In 1998, I stopped from July until December. Unfortunately the last month of that period was spent in the hospital and therapy for depression. Since then I had not even tried to stop drinking. Until a short while ago. When James correctly, if somewhat bluntly, observed that my post about reasons for drinking was 'what all alcoholics say' it really hit me. They were just that - excuses. I quit - for one day. Then another, and so on. I have no great plan in mind. I just know that I do not want to be an alcoholic.
Four weeks on effexor is early in the use of an AD. You should begin to notice some beneficial effect around that time, so don't get too worried if nothing has happened yet. Do you see a regular doc or a pdoc? I have found that the more knowledgable and current the doc is on AD meds. the better the results for me. Different people respond to different things. This Board is full of ideas and stories from people and their search for the right med or combination of meds. The problem sometimes is that it takes so damn long!
Julie - do you drink to stop the anxiety or because you just want to drink? I have some thoughts on dealing with and reducing anxiety, so let me know if you are interested. They might involve stopping drinking though!(but not right now)Take care,
Greg
Posted by juliedealer on October 23, 2001, at 20:27:13
In reply to Re: no greg, not an experiment (more), posted by Greg A. on October 23, 2001, at 11:29:50
that laast paragraph was a good one, do I drink cause I'm anxious, or am I anxious to have a drink ? I'm really not sure. What I do know is depression runs in my family and so does alcoholism.
julie
thanks for your posts, you ar egetting me to think
Posted by Greg A. on October 24, 2001, at 11:48:58
In reply to hey greg!, posted by juliedealer on October 23, 2001, at 20:27:13
Julie. Are you new to ADs or has this been a problem for a considerable time? You mention that both depression and alcoholism run in the family. I know depression does in mine although no one ever admitted to it. I am determined to do a better job of managing my illness that my father did. Not because I need to be better that him, but because I want a life better than he had. The drinking, or lack of it, is just a part of helping myself.
Greg
This is the end of the thread.
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