Has anyone else struggled with this? On top of depression and anxiety, I was diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder in 2010. Pretty much during the winter months and anytime the weather is crappy, gloomy, overcast and rainy my depression hits me hard, I get completely detached and just feel like crap and it makes me want to drink. Does anyone else have similar issues?
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I have that too. I bought a lamp thats supposed to be like the sun lol. I find taking vitamin D during the winter months helps and keeping warm but it’s no substitute for a good dose of hot sunshine. It doesn’t help either that all the boozy holidays fall during winter (at least where I live) so it feels like sobriety is that much harder. You have to take extra care of yourself and do things that make you feel good.
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Yep, I’ve got it, too. I put some full-spectrum light bulbs in my home office, which helps a fair bit. But like @Keileigh said, it’s also hard to avoid the booze in the period between Thanksgiving & New Year.
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Have it too, starts to get rough somewhere end of October and finally gets better somewhere in March. Past couple of years I’ve started taking a high dose of vit D and last two winters I have used a light therapy lamp from september-march every morning which also really helped. Besides this I try to go outside for a walk everyday around lunchtime in the dark months as it is often pretty light outside at that time plus a bit of exercise is also helpful.
Upcoming winter is gonna be my first one without alcohol so I’m curious as to how that goes. Even with all of these things I’m doing it is still definitely a harder time to get through than spring/summer, it’s a really crappy disorder 
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Yes I get it too. I’m already worrying about how I’m going to deal with it. I live in the countryside too so after dark (from 4pm) there’s nowhere to go as it’s mostly in darkness. It gets me down just sitting in every night. This will be my first winter without alcohol too. We can do it though. Plenty of fresh air in the daytime, sun lamps, vitamin December, meditation. I’ve even been thinking of getting a head torch so I can get out on night runs! Good luck x
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So, I went out and bought a sun lamp and I feel like it really worked. I felt silly and was feeling like I was just making it all up in my head. But the past couple days the weather has been absolute crap, I was feeling awful but I used it and felt much better. Today, has been beautiful so I won’t be needing it today, lol.
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