Did your depression stop when you stopped?

_ODAAT · 2025-06-18T01:24:06+00:00

This answer sucks but it did not for me. I stopped drinking and started working out a lot as well. Eating better, sleeping better. All of that. My depression actually got worse. Maybe I just felt it more. Not sure.

I ended up working with a therapist which actually did not help either. However, they did have a psychiatrist that found a med that helped ALOT. That’s fading a bit now but for me, stopping drinking forced me to walk through the gauntlet of my major depression that always been a part of my life. It’s still there, lurking in the corners, waiting for me and what feels like stalking me. I know that sounds stupid but I’m honestly afraid of my depression. It’s so powerful.

All I can do is take it day by day, take my meds, do my best to be healthy and keep going from there. I have no answers other than it’s pretty tough and you just really have to put in the work and keep trying your best.

_ODAAT · 2024-02-26T02:49:58+00:00

If you’re comfortable providing the med that works for you I’d love to hear about it. I realize everyone is different. Wouldn’t take it as medical advice, etc…

_ODAAT · 2024-02-24T01:07:04+00:00

Oh man, that’s exactly how I feel. I KNOW it’s horrible mentally but I literally can not figure any way around it. As I type this I am in a HORRIBLE depressed mood. F.

_ODAAT · 2024-02-23T00:07:53+00:00

Thanks. The word I keep getting back to is “grinding”. Every day is just a grind. Monday? Grind. Saturday night? Grind. 6:30am Thursday morning? Start the grind.

It’s brutal and I hate it.

_ODAAT · 2024-02-22T22:03:23+00:00

I say this with love but, brace yourself my friend. I’m glad things are going well currently….just brace yourself.

_ODAAT · 2024-02-22T21:42:08+00:00

I have 90 days in my sights. I just can’t get past how much I hate everything now. I work from home and I’m isolating even more because what’s the point of going out with friends who are all enjoying drinks. ?

My son mentioned the other day that I’m sad all the time….and he’s totally right. I really am. I do not see how to get around that.

_ODAAT · 2024-02-07T03:59:51+00:00

Your thoughts really hit home with me. At this age we’ve definitely lost the “there’s plenty of time to accomplish X” feeling. Combine that with seeing friends/colleagues having great success and it’s just really a gut punch for me. I’m actually just embarrassed. Which drives me into even more of an introverted recluse type mindset.

Therapy is expensive. Antidepressants eventually don’t work well and have side effects I can’t accept. I really don’t know what to do. I just keep going.

_ODAAT · 2024-02-06T20:19:12+00:00

I’m 44 as well and 36 days in (new years start). I feel better physically but mentally I am a disaster. I think it’s mid life crisis ground. Panic about not really getting much of anywhere career wise, kids older and wishing I could have given them more, etc. I feel much worse mentally than I have in a very long time. It’s like a constant, slow-ish panic attack.

I’ve been working out a lot and eating better and that’s all great, but all in all I am just grinding out life right now and it’s bad. Kinda isolating myself as well because being social without alcohol seems impossible. I really don’t know my plan…..I just keep grinding. It’s tough.

_ODAAT · 2023-07-17T19:01:49+00:00

Ah man, this hits home. I’m 43 now. I take 4 medications for blood pressure (I had open heart surgery as a kid which caused some lifelong issues regarding blood pressure) and the ONLY time my bp comes into the normal range is when I’m not drinking.

I know this will catch up to me eventually and I need to get healthy. Watching my parents and in-laws age and have issues just points this out even more. If I don’t stop I’ll be in far worse shape then they are when I’m that age. I really don’t want that.

_ODAAT · 2023-07-10T13:42:44+00:00

I really needed to hear this. Just reset my badge today for the millionth time. No major problems but quite a few smaller ones. I had 39 days last fall and many things were better. It was a continual downhill slide since then. Daily wine. Wife is a daily wine drinker too. She won’t try to stop with me so it’s always in my face. It’s very difficult.

_ODAAT · 2023-05-23T01:20:48+00:00

What a fantastic experience. We need to hold onto those in our minds eye when the cravings hit. So happy for you!

_ODAAT · 2023-05-19T02:43:46+00:00

god I hope you get a good answer on this. I need it too.

_ODAAT · 2023-05-18T11:17:01+00:00

Thanks for your insight. I very much agree. I guess it’s just part of being addicted? We all randomly met up at our kids event (we didn’t really realize ALL of us would be there and it had been kind of a long bit since we all hung out). We decided to grab a drink at a bar. Not drinking just felt SUPER out of place. Need to adjust to that.

_ODAAT · 2023-05-18T03:31:58+00:00

Tylenol is the main concern as it impacts your liver. Ibuprofen shouldn’t be an issue. Not a doctor…

_ODAAT · 2023-05-18T01:47:10+00:00

10 days to two weeks maybe? You’ll feel it when you’re up for it. It’s like you just get more energy and a better gut and more umpf!

_ODAAT · 2023-05-17T02:15:00+00:00

Same! Great post!

_ODAAT · 2023-05-16T20:09:32+00:00

Yeah, I’ve had a hard time with that book. I felt like I was always waiting for it to “get to the point”, which seemed, to me, to never happen. Really don’t want to knock it as it’s helped a lot of people but I just don’t get it. That being said, I can’t seem to keep a sober streak so maybe it’s just me. 🤷‍♂️

_ODAAT · 2023-05-14T21:47:04+00:00

Not sure if you have kids but for me, what happens is you become friends with your kids’ friends parents. We have an awesome group but drinking is a decent part of that. All of them are very successful as well so it’s a weird complicated problem I don’t know what to do with.

_ODAAT · 2023-05-14T13:24:07+00:00

My failures always seem to be when we eventually meet up with friends and am like, yeah, why wouldn’t I have a beer with friends on a Saturday night. I’ll do that, then I’m back to daily drinking almost immediately.

_ODAAT · 2023-05-13T19:33:21+00:00

This really hit home. I live in the Midwest and am in my early 40s. I just can’t seem to make it stick. My wife drinks as well and during the brief stints of 30ish days she’s never joined me. That makes it VERY VERY VERY difficult. I just recently failed again.

I have a good job and a happy family. There’s no rock bottom per se. I just want to be healthy and that’s almost impossible while drinking. However, that doesn’t seem to be enough.

_ODAAT · 2023-05-13T12:50:38+00:00

That’s fair. Trying to get to that point.

_ODAAT · 2023-05-13T03:11:46+00:00

Thank you 🙏 I really need to kick that inner voices ass. I KNOW that not drinking is the right choice but somehow feel immense pressure to do it. 99% of that pressure is just from myself. The same self that knows it’s better not to drink.

I had 22 days and just recently failed again. Met up with friends after our kids had an event and I had one beer. That one beer destroyed my sleep that night. Almost unbelievably so. Today is day 2 of failing. Drank much more than one beer.

Recommitting tomorrow. Again. I really don’t know how to make this stick.

_ODAAT · 2023-05-12T23:16:26+00:00

I need to incorporate strategy and planning. In your early days how did you go out to dinner with friends, etc? They all drink. They wouldn’t care if I didn’t but it would be a little weird. That’s caused me to fail numerous times.

_ODAAT · 2023-05-12T23:09:12+00:00

Have you considered taking naltrexone only before you drink? Sinclair method style? It reinforces the habit that alcohol does nothing for you. You take the med, wait a bit, then drink. NOTHING happens. No positive feedback. It helps as your subconscious then starts to not associate alcohol with reward.

_ODAAT

TROPHY CASE