Im bipolar 1 ive been stable for six years but still struggled with drinking. Ive entered my first depressive episode since my diagnosis and its not going well. The most obvious thing to change is my drinking so here i am trying to start my sober journey again.
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Getting rid of the substances, including alcohol has been a game changer in regards to my mood stability. Grateful youre here with us.
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Welcome Jayla
My son is bipolar 1. After he gave up drinking and drugs. And finally stuck to his psychiatrist prescribed meds. After going off them a couple of times and waking up in psych wards.
He has it under control.
As a matter of fact he took his 10 year chip this past June. And he’s a proud papa of a 15 month old.
He stay on his meds.
He doesn’t drink or do any recreational drugs.
And he gets sleep. Regular nightly sleep has been crucial for him. It took open communication with his psychiatrist about the meds and they finally got the right mix. He hasn’t had an episode in ten years. He still goes to meetings and works his program. I thank God for that miracle all the time.
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Its an amazing thing you are here and giving this a go. Bipolar disorder complicates substance use because it is used to medicate, and the two often go hand and hand in that way - making both more difficult. I am not saying this to mean anything other then, to validate the challenges of being bipolar and trying to manage life.
You can do this, we are here. Others on this forum who live with comorbid/co-occuring mental health challenges, and I think…if we take a sound bite from the crowd it is heavy to the tone that putting down the drink helps to improve all aspects of our lives, invluding the other challenges we live with (even if we’re drinking to help medicate those things!).
I wish you strength on your journey. One day at a time, and when youre ready do the work on why you drink in the first place (with a program, person or place - such as this you trust) and explore who you are. Even and especially in the places that hurt. It sounds crazy, but you wont regret it. Xo.
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I have bipolar too. The one thing I can tell you is that once you put it down life gets better.
I was finding it hard to manage everything as well behind it all, giving up drinking has opened my eyes heaps more.
We are here!
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