Posted by juliedealer on November 5, 2001, at 18:18:36
In reply to Naltrexone makes a nice snack with beer, posted by Greg A. on November 5, 2001, at 17:23:01
>well I have been using some sort of antidepressant for probably the past 8 years. I personally have diagnosed myself with dysthmia (sp). I always seem to feel tired, no interest in doing anything, and periodicaly ( like the past month) lots of anxiety. it seems i have always had some level of anxiety, but I always attributed it to having lived with a really mean drunk (we in the family call her MOM). I thought that I was jusst oh poop.. what is the term...oh, when you are always trying to anticipate another persons needs, and you are constantly on the look out for it... damn it know it has a name but I can't think of it. any way alcohol has been in my life a long time, I used to have a great time when drinking. But now, I just feel better when I drink than when I don't. Frequently when I drink, I get the desire or drive to do something, like clean the house or cook or something. So it seems the two affects I like about alcohol, is it releives my anxiety and for a short period of time it actually gives me energy.
I have had at least 2 really bad episodes of severe depression. you know the kind where you feel like you are going down and black hole, and seriously contemplate suicide, sleep 18 hours a day, lose 30 lbs in 6 weeks. that kind..clinical?? But ever since the last bad one, I've never really come out of this continual depression.
I have a brother that was bipolar, lost his law practice, family, the whole thing. I can see that 2 of my other brothers have depression also. One brother is very similar to me, in terms of drinking and the depth andlength of depression. I had a sister who died in her mid 30's she drank like me and had depression also. My grandfather was the depression poster child, he drank alot too. In my family I am the only one that even acknowledges it.
I remember realizing that my mother had been prescribed one of the really old antideprssants, but she always called them her "nerve" pills. Only problem was she only took them once in a while, never as prescribed. So I guess what I'm saying is the family is full of depressed drunks!
Anyway, here is my theory on depression and drinking in my family... ( i;m sure you'll at least get a laugh out of it) My grandparents both came from Poland, this is a really cold northern european country, they got long winters and not alot of food. So i figure my ancestors, got thru the winters best BECAUSE they drank and were depressed. If you think about it whats a better way to survive the cold short days, than drink the alcohol you made in summer(cause there ain't alot of food and it keeps you warm) and sleep 18 hours a day. Stay drunk and sleep thru the winter.
So if you beleive that depression is inherited, my ancestors actually perpetuated this trait or gene, cause it helped the species to survive. So low and behold here I am... maybe I should move to Poland?
julie
poster:juliedealer
thread:13423
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20011105/msgs/13538.html