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are anti-depressants ever used to beat alcoholism?

edith headedith head 5,106 Posts
edited May 2006 in Strut Central
a dear friend of mine is a mess and isn't just any kind of alcoholic but the kind with the genes and life-ruining, lose your job proclivities. so he has been in and out of recovery but has never gone to a psychiatrist. and i know for a fact that crippling depression and guilt is a daily part of his life. i am not all for anti-depressants but i think for certain people, their lives have improved because of them. since a lot of people use alcohol when their coping mechanisms are shot, i wonder if you know of anyone who has had hopeless drug & alcohol probs where anti-depressants have taken the edge off these cravings.please learned me, batches. i'm trying to help but dude is knee deep

  Comments

  • hcrinkhcrink 8,729 Posts
    A****y, firstly, sorry to hear about your friend. That is rough stuff to deal with in close friends. I can actually speak from first hand experience here - I have taken anti-depressants for the last several years and have in the past had problems with drugs/alchohol. And while I'm reluctant to endorse battling addiction with, well... more addiction - I will say that medication has greatly helped me with long-term problems that sound much like that of your friends. I think if he can find the right medication, and a good doctor it could most definitely help. However, that isn't always easy. There are a lot of crappy doctors out there dealing with psychological problems who just don't know what they're doing. Also, some of these anti-depressants are very addictive in their own right. Should I choose to go off mine, I have read that it will be very unpleasant. But, yeah, I guess that's getting ahead of things. Anyhow, good luck - I wish your friend well. Depression is a horrible, horrible thing for all involved.
  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    Has your friend ever seen a therapist? That'd be a good first step before deciding to go straight to medication.
  • wholewheatwholewheat 437 Posts
    Anti-depressants may help your friend deal with their depression, which, as you said, is very likely strongly linked with their alcoholism. Both depression and alcoholism are extremely destructive and stigmatized, making things that much harder for those dealing with them. My sister has been an alcoholic for about 15 years. She recently completed a year of sobriety. She had tried numerous times to deal with the problem in various ways and had never been able to get it together until this most recent attempt. She was without question also dealing with depression, and it seemed to me that the alcoholism and depression fueled each other. I think anti-depressants can sometimes be one component of dealing with these problems, however they also need to really understand the roots of their depression (if they are other than purely chemical) if they are to overcome this.

    I hope things work out. You are a good friend for reaching out on your friends behalf.
  • Dabney_SoulmanDabney_Soulman 890 Posts
    like Crink, I've been on Anti-depressants for a little while now. I'm not so sure they are an answer to anything by themselves. The truth is you must be willing to change your behavior in order to get results. I was given a perscription after I got in some serious shit (and when I serious I mean serious). Having the pills meant nothing, It was after one horrific event (AKA my rock bottom) that I woke up to the reality of where my life was going and from that point on everything changed.

    If your friend truly feels helpless and wants to change their life I'd say you should recommend them to a psychiatrist, otherwise youre just going to have to hope for the best, you really can't force something like this on them.
  • edith headedith head 5,106 Posts
    Has your friend ever seen a therapist? That'd be a good first step before deciding to go straight to medication.

    no he hasn't. he's been in aa and the cdrp at kaiser where they won't let you see a therapist until you've been clean for a while, which i think is a bunch of bullshit

    and he is bad at staying clean long enough to make it to that level. it seems like a vicious cycle to me. the depression is fueling the self destructive behavior, not to mention he doesn't have anything in common with fellow 12 steppers except the dependency thing.

    j**f check yr pm
  • edith headedith head 5,106 Posts
    thanks everyone

    the prob is that he had an appt with a psychiatrist yesterday that his mom setup but relasped the nite before. he was clean for 2 months and the psychiatrist knowing this wouldn't see him until he completed the CDRP.

    it's really frustrating as hell.
  • Dabney_SoulmanDabney_Soulman 890 Posts
    the prob is that he had an appt with a psychiatrist yesterday that his mom setup but relasped the nite before. he was clean for 2 months and the psychiatrist knowing this wouldn't see him until he completed the CDRP.

    sounds like others are really concerned. This type of behavior can actually be enabling. He needs to make the appointment himself.

    it's really frustrating as hell.

    I totally understand as both an enabler and one who has issues. There really is no easy way to get your friend the help.

    I hope he overcomes this
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