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Emotions and Substance Abuse
In the forums, Dini responded to one forum member who confessed that he is addicted to drugs. He said:
Hy Ty and welcome to these forums. There are plenty of people around who can give you some honest answers, insight and compassion. And right off I gotta say I respect your honesty and straightforwardness about what is going on with you. thumbs down As a sober alky, I can tell ya that being honest with oneself about an addiction is the first, and perhaps the hardest, step in the direction of sobriety.
The second is asking for help. Which is a tough one too for many of us. I commend you for doing just that here. Whatever else you've got going on Ty, it includes emotional honesty, and I respect that a lot.
Couple of thoughts if I may, bearing in mind that I am not a mental health professional (I'm on the consumer end of that spectrum)?
You ask a question right off the bat and it's a good one because, in my humble opinion, you answered your question within the asking. (Funny, how we sometimes do that when we peck at a keyboard or pick up a pen). You say "I really need to decide to seek some help or do some self-therapy." Like I said Ty, I'm no expert, but in my humble opinion there is no such thing as "self" therapy. Therapy involves sitting in a room and being as honest as you can be with a therapist who you feel comfortable and safe with, not sitting in a room by yourself. You seem like an intelligent guy; so if you could have solved your problems by doing that you would have done so by now.
So my suggestion would be to seek some help BY seeking some therapy. With a real therapist. Check around this website or the blog; Jimmy and a few other people have some EXCELLENT advice about the process of finding a therapist who works for you. I used it when I had a terrible therapist and found a great one.
I don't mean to at all minimize the addiction aspects of your experience; been there. But I do believe, and it has been my personal experience, that the abuse of drugs or alcohol is a symptom of underlying stuff, not the problem in and of itself. You can put down the bottle or not sniff the line and still have the problems that cause you to engage in addictive behavior; you seem to know that – you realize and acknowledge that even without a cocaine or other binge you are having severe mood swing problems. That's where the professional help comes in. I have some pretty severe mood swings myself at times and I don't need a bottle to create them. But I do seek psychiatric and therapeutic help for it.
Ty, I'm glad you're here and I admire and commend your sincerity and honesty. That alone is a tremendously admirable character trait and a tremendously good sign that you are on a path toward help and healing. thumbs down
My two cents Ty; forget the "self-therapy." Go for the help. It's the real deal and it's there, and it does help. You are not alone. And you don't need to be alone. Seek some help, and stick around here and let us know how you are doing and how it is going. With the kind of honesty you've got, you'll find yourself with a support group around here in no time.
Glad to meet you Ty, and I look forward to getting to know you. thumbs downthumbs down
And I can't say it enough; you are not alone! 