Getting the Right Help-Big Time Important."Call me when you Sober"
A Psychiatrist is the
best place to start
Getting the right treatment for Alcoholism/Depression/Anxiety/Addiction is key to your recovery. Symptoms of Anxiety Depression can lead to fatal results.
Sounds logical. Doesn't it? Unfortunately
my friends not so straightforward. A Psychiatrist would seem the right place to
start. But is it? Symptoms of depression anxiety and a call me when you sober
attitude could ruin the best of intentions. The medical profession by it's own
admission is sharply divided on the core reasons for Alcoholism and Depression.
As a result the treatments are as varied as the wind that blows. Your mission
in life, once you think that you are heading for disaster,has to be a
determined search for the right one for you. My own example is a classic case.
It was nobody's fault. Just circumstances and my own lack of information and
knowledge. To refresh-
I drank most of my adult life. Got
seriously hooked and got very ill. Visited a number of professionals and
finally was admitted for "Sleep Therapy". It worked wonders for me.
Have a look at my 2006 posts.
Came out of that nightmare and then found myself almost exactly one year later with a huge and dangerous Depression and prescription drug problem. Once again I floundered around and then finally hit the jackpot. A couple of old school professionals could see that my Symptoms of Anxiety Depression were severe and arranged for ECT(Shock Treatment). I walked out of that a brand new man. Once again have a a look at my 2006 posts.
A total of 4 Psychiatrists,8 Psychologists
and 3 General Practioners were finally on my CV until I finally hit the jackpot.
The point is that you would think that all
you have to do is present yourself to the nearest Doctor and Bob's your uncle.
Not so. A Psychiatrist treats the worst cases but sometimes a Psychologist is
the answer to get some good old fashioned one on one. You will come across the
Call me when you Sober brigade. Move on.
Here is a brief summary of the different
treatment regimes that can help Alcoholism and Depression:
One on one couselling involving Cognitive Behavourial Therapy. In other words they try and talk you out of the mess.
A soft Rehab programme where you sit
around discussing your problems and addictions. Eating well and hopefully
sleeping most of the night with a little help.
Continual visits to the trusted family
physician and regular handouts of pills to help you relax,sleep and even think.
The "last resort" treatment. The
big Daddy of them all. ECT. Electro Convulsive Therapy. But this is for the
worst cases of Depression and suicidal tendencies.
All have their merits and frankly all can
work depending on your level of severity. By the time you need treatment you
are probably incapable of organising any of these options and will rely on the
good favour of your loved ones to butt in. Withdrawal symptoms from Alcoholism
are a frightening prospect to face even for the toughest of the tough. Sleep
Therapy worked a treat for me. One week in Noddy Land and I awoke to a new
beginning. Highly recommended.
I will get into the organisations such as
the Alcoholics-Annoymous and Alanon who tend to provide the help once you have
been to the medical guys.
The point is you do have options. Ask
about them. A Psychiatrist, Psychologist or General Doctor have your best
interests at heart. If something is not working,move on. I would not be writing
this blog today if my loved ones had not kept pushing for the best and correct
treatment for me. Symptoms of Anxiety Depression and the occasional Call me
when you Sober did not deter me finding the best help, when it really counted.
I always like to quote Sir Winston
Churchill. In the darkest days of the Nazi threat he urged his little island:
"If you are going through hell. Keep
going."
Tough
Love-A Solution or a Problem? Addiction and Anxiety need a special action
Addiction and Anxiety
can force your loved ones into action.
Tough Love has been practised for years.
It is not really in the Medical Text books. But it can work even though the
Anxiety of the loves ones can prevent them using this tactic. Addiction and
Depression can sometimes result in this heart wrenching decision.
Anybody who has
been
involved in the
world of Alcoholism and Depression, be they the sufferer themselves or close
family and friends are well aware of the term "Tough Love". The
Anxiety of using it can outweigh the emotional rollercoaster it inevitably
involves. The deadly combination of Addiction and Depression may leave you with
little choice. But what does this actually mean and has it a place in the
treatment of these two awful silent killers?
At one time or
another as a sufferer of Alcoholism and Depression you will be confronted by
this alternative "treatment". It normally makes it's appearance in
your Caregivers office and is offered to your loved ones as something to
seriously look at. I had "Tough Love" applied to me and it worked. A
final ultimatum from my loving partner, Mary. She asked me to choose between
the bottle and her. Sitting today years after this event it seems like a
complete no-brainer. Of course I would choose her. However at the time I was
lost in the dark world of Alcoholism and Depression. A very dark and isolated
place where reason, compassion and logic have been replaced by hopelessness,
despair, suspicion and confusion.
I made the right
choice and after Sleep Therapy and ECT (Shock Treatment) I re-entered the world
of reality. So it worked for me. Would it work for you is the question?
Generally
"Tough Love" will involve family members forcing the issue with the
sufferer, in most cases against their will. It could be forcing you into rehab,
a divorce or the immediate withdrawal of alcohol and drugs. For the sufferer it
means a very unpleasant choice to be made. They will be very aware of the
consequences of these actions to them. The Anxiety of choosing this method
should always be offset against the possible outcome of the Addiction and
Depression raging in the Sufferer. On most occasions these decisions will be
taken with the support of the Doctor, Psychiatrist, Psychologist etc.
Mary explained
to me later that it was a terrible decision for her to make but she felt it was
the only way to get me on the road to recovery. Even my Psychologist had a good
laugh with me later. In my case, all's well that ends well. But this is not
always the case. The "Tough Love" scenario can lead to the addict
digging in their heels and almost adapting a " nobody loves me
anymore". Of course this is not true but in their condition it can be seen
as an act of disloyality and betrayal. It should be used with caution and at
the right time.
Presently I am
helping an old friend battle with his Addiction and Depressioin problems. He is
a wonderful man and like all of us has his demons. Years of abuse and illness,
hospitals and promises have not worked. A visit from his spouse for my advise
resulted in a decision to confront him with an ultimatum. Clean your act up or
lose the love of your life. It was not an easy decision for me to take but at
the end of the day the object is to save his life and his mind. If it means he
is going to be pissed off with us all, so be it.
Apply it with
compassion for your crippled loved one. A positive outcome will relieve your
Anxiety of applying it. To let Addiction and Depression take it's course could
result in a far worse scenario. As a general rule I would seriously consider it
when the illness has reached extreme levels and the overall health of the
sufferer is approaching dangerous territory. With luck, prayer and timely
medical intervention you can hopefully all laugh about it later on.
