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Is it possible to live a 'sober' life ?

M

Merkury

Bluelighter
Joined
Apr 16, 2019
Messages
39
Yesterday I was reflecting on this. I've been 'sober' for 10 years, now I only drink, say, in the weekends.
However, I can't really say I feel "that good" during the week.
There is always some kind of racing thought in my head, I'm constantly worried about my life in this society,
in the back of my mind (jobs that come and go, money come and go, still living with parents at 34......)

I'm wondering, is it worth to stay sober and face the suffering ? Drugs - meds have side effects, but being
sober has its price........

I have OCD and I can't help but ruminate all day long ( and nights ), but I'm starting to wonder if it would be
better to have some kind of drug - med in my system, and maybe live a life that's worth living / enjoying......

Anybody having this kind of thoughts ? Anybody that feels GREAT when sober ?

This song by Bumblefoot I find describes my feelings very well.

 
"Hard" drugs will cause more problems in the long run unless maybe you have an iron will and only use sporadically. A lot of people start out thinking they can control it but eventually end up wind up addicted. I'm newly sober from alcohol and finally feeling "good" about it.
 
There is a small line for some people between Drugs and Medicine?????? you need to Know the location of that line. I try and take medicine and not drugs?? weed in a Vape pen may not count, but I do that very rarely. @Painful One , has a huge amount of knowledge in this area. I would stay away from your DOC and try to get professional help with ant mental heath issue that can and should be helped with medicine.
 
Iceman1216 said:
There is a small line for some people between Drugs and Medicine?????? you need to Know the location of that line. I try and take medicine and not drugs?? weed in a Vape pen may not count, but I do that very rarely. @Painful One , has a huge amount of knowledge in this area. I would stay away from your DOC and try to get professional help with ant mental heath issue that can and should be helped with medicine.
Click to expand...

Why you would stay away from my DOC ( sincerely asking ), do you think antidepressants are 'unhealthy' ? I become 'normal' on them, but emotionally numb, so if that's what you meant I agree with you, plus they are a crutch and don't target the 'source' of the problem
 
the neuron can and will be able to be redirected.

one must study all of the research.

it is fascinating and truthful. ♡

scientifically sobriety is the way,the body
and we ourselves, heal.

focus and learn and sure it is possible
and very probable with time.

i vote yes ! ☺👍🏼
 
Merkury said:
Why you would stay away from my DOC ( sincerely asking ), do you think antidepressants are 'unhealthy' ? I become 'normal' on them, but emotionally numb, so if that's what you meant I agree with you, plus they are a crutch and don't target the 'source' of the problem
Click to expand...
Antidepressant are not what I would call a DOC ( and I do not know why as I write this?) I consider them medicine , I take 10 mgs of Lexapro daily. I do not know it it helps or not? I was prescribed after Cancer and was diagnosed with PTSD, boy did that piss me off, but was and is true. Life was easier younger when I just grew out of shit?? Now I am getting to an age where the only thing I grow out of is Life lol haha (60 , not old, yes old :ROFLMAO:)
I do not know your cituation , but if you antidepressants are giving you a normal life , then that is good. Mine keeps me in the middle of my emotions, Not to Low and not to high either. Its a trade off
 
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Iceman1216 said:
Antidepressant are not what I would call a DOC ( and I do not know why as I write this?)
Click to expand...

haha , sorry it must be the alcohol I ingested last night (here in Italy it's "Carnival" this month )....
sorry for your illness, oh I know Lexapro, I took it for a brief time, it was actually not that bad !
but being a musician, I'm always scared that SSRI will numb my creativity... .
 
I agree that the line between a medication and a drug gets blurry in the middle when you're considering cases like medical marijuana or low-dose benzodiazepines used strictly for the control of acute anxiety attacks, but accepting this fact doesn't mean that we can then discard the entire distinction. This is the black and white thinking that underpins certain 12-step acolytes, who act as if they honestly don't see a difference between taking Prozac and smoking crack. As for your original question of whether a sober life is honestly possible for some people, I'd say it depends. There may be a subset of the population who are biochemically fucked and genetically destined to live in permanent depression or anxiety unless an external substance is regulating their neurochemistry. We accept that this is the case for people with severe schizophrenia/bipolar disorder, but then when the same logic is applied to depression/anxiety people seem to have the misconception that this is entirely a matter of willpower and that whilst schizophrenia is an unfortunate condition that happens to people without their control, depression is some kind of character flaw that could be ameliorated if only the sufferer tried hard enough. Even when the viewpoint isn't expressed in exactly these terms, the fact that this belief underlies their thinking becomes clear when they refer to antidepressants as a crutch, criticize people who are sober for working with a psychiatrist to get their anxiety under control etc but then wouldn't dream of doing the same to someone having an acute psychotic episode who takes Haldol.

However, before writing yourself off as someone who requires a substance to function normally, I think it would be prudent to honestly try every single other option available before resigning yourself to a lifetime of medication/drugs. And I mean giving it your honest best attempt, not a half-hearted pseudo-attempt in order to get as quickly as possible to the point where you allow yourself to throw your hands in the air and turn to drugs. I would recommend a real, regular exercise routine, a completely healthy diet (including experimenting with different ones like keto, paleo etc. to see if any affect your headspace), meditation, an active social life, a fulfilling romantic relationship, ensuring your career is in the right place as well as working with a therapist and trying CBT to challenge your thoughts and change your thinking patterns. For me personally, once I'd tried all that for a lengthy amount of time - say, 6 months to a year - if I was still feeling dysfunctional and living an unfulfilling life at the end of it, then I would turn to pharmaceutical/recreational remedies and feel none the worse for it, since I'd honestly given myself the opportunity to experience what life is like when I'm at my healthiest & best and still found it lacking.

This may sound extreme, but so is deciding you're going to need to take substances for the rest of your life, and I think that a large problem like "feeling anxious/depressed most of the time" requires a similarly dramatic solution.
 
@Rio Fantastic : Excellent points . When I defined SSRIs 'a crutch', I meant that they don't cure the illness. I took them for a year, and when I stopped them depression came back to bite me. But I have to admit it healed the 'obsessive thought' routine that was affecting me. Sorry to get so personal, I am just curious to hear various opinions / stories on this subject.
 
not sure what you're trying to say. alcohol is a quick way to have fun. of course afterwards one feels like garbage. unfortunately it's a habit, plus beer is quickly and easily available and sponsored everywhere, so having' triggers' is quite easy. btw cool nickname !
 
Everyone's different but at the end of the day if you use to substances as a way of dealing with life then what you're actually doing is preventing yourself from growing emotionally and practically through those difficult experiences.

If you use a substance occasionally as a pressure release valve that's a different thing but using them to cope with day to day life is a recipe for being unhappy in the long run.

Taking drugs isn't going to fix those things that you're worried about, just hold you back from taking positive action for even longer. Unsteady employment and living with parents at 34 shouldn't be too difficult to sort out, becoming financially secure might take some more time but the first two shouldn't take too long if you put the effort in.
 
Hylight said:
the neuron can and will be able to be redirected.

one must study all of the research.

it is fascinating and truthful. ♡

scientifically sobriety is the way,the body
and we ourselves, heal.

focus and learn and sure it is possible
and very probable with time.

i vote yes ! ☺👍🏼
Click to expand...
Thank you !! I agree that our bodies and minds are built to be sober. Some of us have had a little different wiring that does need some adjustments, from time to time, or daily to correct some issues.
But yes living a completely sober life is possible and works well. Now it may not be easy, but worth it.
 
My advise is to avoid “drugs”.
But if “medication” is needed then do not feel bad about it and do not let anyone else make you feel bad about it.
Life is no good when you have a condition that is crippling your life.
I would say “obsessive thoughts” , racing thoughts and OCD -where you are just ruminating and stressing out everyday would be a condition where medication would be helpful and possibly required.

Medication also comes with “side effects” .

So, only you can make that decision on if your life is better, you are more comfortable, function better, and have a better quality of life with medication.

Then you have to figure out which medication and the correct dosage, combinations of medications work to do the above.
It is a challenging issue as everyone’s body is different. Doctors can help advise but you really have to advocate for yourself and take control of your situation.

Don‘t suffer too long without getting help. I did. I suffered way too long before getting help.
I am much more comfortable, functional, and my quality of life is better!

On the other hand, Don’t jump right to medication.
Like @Rio Fantastic said above, try every other option before turning to medication.
 
Merkury said:
not sure what you're trying to say. alcohol is a quick way to have fun. of course afterwards one feels like garbage. unfortunately it's a habit, plus beer is quickly and easily available and sponsored everywhere, so having' triggers' is quite easy. btw cool nickname !
Click to expand...

Alcohol is of course pleasurable and (if not done to excess or alcoholically) a relatively harmless way to relieve stress and unwind. However, THECATINTHEHAT and LucidSDreamr may have a point - what's the longest period you've gone without drinking or taking drugs i.e. in total sobriety? If you spend your weeks looking forward to the weekend to drink then spend the first couple days of the week recovering and then repeat that cycle forever then you aren't leaving any room for emotional growth and may be inadvertently trapping yourself with the feelings that are driving you to drink by relieving them with a quick fix rather than working through them. Also, alcohol fucks with your testosterone levels and that could be directly causing or worsening your anxiety.
 
Rio Fantastic said:
If you spend your weeks looking forward to the weekend to drink then spend the first couple days of the week recovering and then repeat that cycle forever
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I've been doing on the last 10 years. In my mind, going out on weekends = drinking, if anything to cope with the feeling of having to 'fit in' with the generic people one would meet in clubs / bars .

The opposite solution would be doing the 'hermit' thing, which then would lead to more depression .
 
Or you could make a decision to find out who you really are as a person, what it is that you like doing, who you like spending time with and what excites you and then start to build a happy and healthy life around doing those things.

That will require hard work though.
 
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