Mental Questions and Answers

Feeling very lonely, even when I am around people. My world feels like it is imploding. Suggestions, Please.

Answers: There are a lot of people who feel this way. I did at one time in my life.

The good thing is that I believe you can overcome this. You may by suffering from depression and need some time on an anti-depressant. You don't necessarily have to be on that medication forever.just long enough to rise above the depression.

I suggest counseling....support groups. Telling a friend or family member how you feel. Maybe involvement in a church group if you go to church.

There is help out there. Don't be afraid to tell people how you are feeling or ask for help.

I hope this time next month you feel much better.

If your on medications and still feeling sad you might want to talk to your doctor about something stronger and something thats meant to deal with depression that's stronger than usual. There is medication for people who don't react well to other medications. That is probably the only way that you'll be able to start feeling better. Some times when you're depressed you feel sad even when you're with people that you know and like. There are new meds and I think that you should at least bring the subject up to your doctor and see what he says.

I'm slipping back into old habbits that i don't want to?

last year i was anorexic for a few months, to cover it up so no one would know i'd just say i had a lot to eat for breakfast. i was having a really tough time at home though so i use that kind of has an excuse... i know i'm not skinny, nor even close to a normal weight.. but this year i find myself going back to the, i'm not hungry i ate a lot earlier thing, even if i haven't eaten for a couple days.. i also find that i've gone back into finding ways to harm myself when i feel like something i did was wrong... whether its stabbing myself with a pen, biting myself, slittling my wrists, etc.. i really don't want to go back into this because it does suck and it's hard to get out of, but i really don't have anyone i trust enough to talk to about it... any advice?

Answers: You know, I can totally understand how you're feeling about that. I was there. People do not usually do these kind of things "just for the heck of it". There's something else going on - or something that you went thru that you are trying to cope with...usually having to do with blocking emotions or under a lot of emotional pain.

Here's a website that has some information as well as some things you can try to do in order to help - with the self-injury anyway...http://www.mirror-mirror.org/selfinj.htm...

However, nothing can substitue for a good counselor that you can trust.

I don't know how old you are, but one thing that really got to me - I was working with a youth group on college, and I was about to go on a retreat with them. My thought was, I CAN'T do this to these girls...if they were to find out, they would think it's ok. That was my big moment. I won't say I don't struggle now and then - I still do, and maybe I always will. But now, it's not as strong...and I think overtime it will continue to get better - as long as I keep fighting.

*Hugs*

aww sorry i know how it feels
you have to find other ways to cope with pain besides self injury
i would say go to someone who can help like a physchiatrist or therapist
good luck

Missing a day of taking my anti depressants?

Hi, I woke up this morning at a friends house too late to take my anti depressants. Its been more than two weeks with them, in fact its almost been a month. I have panic disorder, or GAD. Should I expect to feel some sort of affect from this?

Answers: If you just missed one dose you probably won't feel any effects. Most medications tell you that if you miss a dose to take it as soon as possible but not to double up on your dose.

No IT TAKE LIKE 3-4 DAYS TO GET OUT OF YOUR SYSTEM.
YOU R OK
JUST TAKE IT TOMORROW

It depends on the half-life of the drug you're taking (how long it takes to get out of your system). If you're taking Prozac, its half-life is about a week, I think. If you're taking Lexapro, its half-life is about a day or so. I CANNOT go one day without my dose, but you should ask your doctor about the particular prescription you're on, or research it on the internet - there should be a fact sheet on it somewhere.

What happens if i go to te emergency for a cut on my arm that could be construed by the dr. as self harm?

what determines if they will try and keep me or let me go? what happens / is the process of events if they want to"commit" me? please be kind, just needing information, not judgement or smart mouth comments. thank you,

Answers: They may well have a psychiatrist or a member of a self harm team come to talk to you. As long as you only intended to hurt yourself and not to kill yourself, or even likely to kill yourself through self harm they'll let you go. They well give you advice on where you could get long term help and therapy. With just one cut, and no suicidal intent I would say they most probably won't 'commit' you.

If you have a history of mental illness, and the injury is in a place that leads them to believe it may be self inflicted, they will likely call a psychiatrist down to interview you. If the psychiatrist feels it is likely that you harmed yourself they can put you on a 72 hour hold for psychiatric evaluation.
If you have no history of mental illness, and a legitimate explanation for the type of injury, they will most likely treat you and release you.
If you have history and good explanation...it will be a judgement call by the psychiatrist.

Your question would depend on lots of things. Presumably your have a history of cutting or you would not be worried. If they consider you a risk to yourself then they may decide to get you accessed. If you have a cut that requires hospital treatment then you must get it treated to prevent infection. If you have no history of self harm, then unless it looks like you did it yourself and you are presenting as mentally unstable then I would think that to them it's just another of the many hundreds of cuts that they deal with.

Edit
As I'm British and I think you may be American our Mental Health Act is no good to you, but I found this about the 72 hour hold that others have mentioned.
http://www.cchealth.org/medical_center/p...

They will only "commit" you if they feel you are at immediate risk of suicide or serious harm to others. Cutting does not generally constitute suicidal behaviour unless it's cutting your throat or something like that. A single cut on your arm will be cleaned, sutured if necessary, or glued/steri-stripped. They might arrange for you to be seen by a "crisis response" team if they feel you warrant it, or they might just patch you up and send you home, tell you to see your normal doctor.

We see so much self harm in A&E (ER) that unless it's severe or a serious suicide attempt, we couldn't possibly "commit" everyone we see. And there's no reason to the majority of the time anyway.

Did you ever want to smash a morror while you were looking at it?

I looked at a mirror once, and all I saw were bad things: My right eye, my busted nose, my bald head, my bad decisions I made, I just wished I had a sledgehammer to smash it all and make it go away and start again.

Answers: I've felt like that a zillion times because I have a very low self-esteem. More than likely you just want to be what you would call *perfect* but there are no perfect people in this world. Stop picking at yourself, look in the mirror, and see all the good qualities in yourself...we all have SOME, and I bet you could find a lot of them if you can get over your negativity. Good luck, my friend.

i feel exactly the same way...although my problem is very low self esteem, but i struggle with self image all my life...so i do know what you mean...your one of the few on here i do relate to very well i feel, i saw your other questions to.
keep hanging on bro

PINK feels EXACTLY the same way... She can relate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx10ZrVeK...
Great song to vent your frustration..
Just try to be cool with what you have. If you can't change it, make the best of it. Cool is only in the mind. Convince yourself you are awesome and others will believe it too. I promise!

smashing the mirror will not make those things go away...it may make you feel better right then and there, but the next day it will come back
if you do feel like this seek out counseling, sometimes it just helps to talk about things to someone that doesn't know you and won't judge you

Sexual addiction?

Has anyone battled it and beaten it?

I mean, I just want to have sex, and it doesn't matter with whom. For me it's the thrill of the chase and the act, and the person's body, that drive me.

However, this is really starting to mess with me, and lots of people have suffered.

What to do? I want to change, but i don't know where to start.

Answers: http://www.sexaddicthelp.com/
i have not... but i wish you well.
http://www.sexaddictionhelp.com/http://www.saa-recovery.org/

Pray about it.

Get married.

how can people get addicted to sex or anyhting else, espesially when other peopla re tcoing things all around you that you dont know what they are?

i would have to always think about why do i feel like haveing sex, and couldnt think of anything else

Try to focus on something else important.

What can i do if people are socially ostracizing me,that there's people influencing everybody against me?

im 30 years old, ive been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder...ive had exceptionally traumatic past, had lots of tradgedy befall me. ive never been employed, due to my problems. i live in a one bedroom apartment...i feel stuck, lost and hopeless like my life is going nowhere...i was in a mental institution for 18 months in the year 2000..

i shouldnt of gone there, but i was crying out for help, i exaggerated my problems and they sent me there..

i feel my lifes ruined and over...that ill never reach my goals of emigration from the uk, to build a new life..which is all i think and dream about.
the few friends i have are online..1 or 2...& have not been in contact for weeks.
plus for along time ive felt im being soacially ostracized and that people are being influenced to have nothing to do with me, or to stay away.also that people are really against me.

i dont know who to trust anymore because people have been that wicked to me..
so where do i go from here?

Answers: Oh sweetie. I know EXACTLY how you feel. I'm there too. I have been seeing psychiatrists and therapists for twenty years, and only recently have they hinted at BPD.

Everything you say...and I mean EVERYTHING, is how I feel, even today.

I would love to talk to you. I sorta stumbled in here today, and I'm not sure if it's possible to get in touch with you.

First, if you are addicted to pot or alcohol, stop. Very important.

Second, find a support group. Find a good therapist and a good psychiatrist and ask them to work together. A therapist can help you make plans, and it's someone you can cry and dump on without feeling judged...or at least realize it's not their job to judge you.

Third, LET IT GO. People aren't thinking of you as much as you think they are. This has been one of my biggest problems, and still is very big with me. I lost all my friends almost immediately when I went on disability after several operations in a row, which caused me to lose the only stable job I ever had. I went into a deep, deep depression. I sold my house to survive for a year, and when the money ran out, I had to go to my parents for help. This makes me feel even more trapped than before. Around that time I became attached to a predator from the internet.a man who abused me sexually and mentally for six years. Finally getting him off my back was one of the best things I've ever done for myself.

LET IT GO. Try to give it up to God, and do the next right thing. If you don't believe in God, believe that there is an infinite energy that no human words can ever concieve of or describe. You are a part of that. Tap into it and give your troubles to it as much to it as you can. Breathe. Take up yoga. Exercise. Eat right. DO THE NEXT RIGHT THING...don't think about the mountain; think of the next right thing.

Think of your goals as if they have already happened in your life, and give thanks for that. Always count your blessings. Remember the laws of attraction. You will get what you fear. I did, down the line, until it manifested in cancer. This infinite source will GRANT YOU THE WANTING, BUT WILL NOT GRANT YOU WHAT YOU WANT. Think of what you ALREADY HAVE. If you feel trapped, think to yourself, "I'm so happy I'm not trapped." (I think about my abundant, full life. I think about BEING where I want to be. I try not to WISH it.)

Would love to be your internet friend. Will put my addy here, but don't know how things are handled that way. njfray@yah00.com.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I know the despair that comes with wanting to be dead, but not wanting to die. I have been to the dark night of the soul hundreds of times. I know your pain.

Anbody have any tips for relaxing the mind?

Anybody have any tips for supressing anxiety and becoming constantly relaxed? I always feel like I'm worrying about something and its really really getting to my head. I havent thought clearly and its making me miserable. Help??

Answers: Try to get into yoga its very calming and relaxing, also take warm baths with lavender oils or soaps its a very calming sent, try listening to music like waterfalls or any of the pure mood Cd's, also whenever to many things are going through your head tell yourself to stop think of only one thing and figure out if you have the ability to change it, if you cant change it clear it out of your head and any time you know you cant change something remind yourself of that...say to yourself I cant change the situation so im going to let it go, eventually it will get a lot easier to not get so emotionally into things. Also like the person above said definitely stop watching the news that was one of my biggest worries there are way to many terrible things going on in the world and there's no need to burden yourself with it all. I suffer from generalized anxiety disorder and when I started doing all of these things I felt so much better. I hope it works and feel better.

cannabis.
or psilocybin mushrooms.

Try concentrating on one thing only and when you find yourself worrying or wondering off, don't be alarmed just go back to concentrating on that one thing again.

Paying attention to each breath I take is what I do or also called vipassana mediation. I do this as often as I can.

Try http://www.vipassana.com/ for more details.

I was having the same problem. I visited a pysCOLOGIST. We discussed a lot of the things that were stressing me and she taught me a method to clear and relax the mind. It does take some practice, since we are so tense and stressed, but it will work. and many times, you find yourself falling asleep.
Begin trying this. If you lose your thought, just stop and start over.
Get comfortable, preferable lying down. Quiet and somewhat dark.
Put on some very soft and relaxing music.
Begin by totally concentrating on your toes, relaxing them, when done, move to your calves, etc, then your upper legs, concentrating on the part continually, just relaxing and letting go. Then do the fingers, hands, arms, shoulders, neck, jaws, mouth. Trust me. I AM A VERY VERY TENSE person and this really worked for me. The first time or two, she actually talked to me telling me what to do and how to relax the toes, etc. Maybe you could have a friend who is willing to help for a few times. She needs to speak very softly and in a monotone voice. Just follow her command and keep your mind clear except of what she says to do. After a few times, you will be able to do this yourself. When you become stressed or tensed, just do this procedure. It takes a few minutes, but it sure is worth it. You can also do this in going to sleep at night. Your body will become completely relaxed and when you finish the procedure, you may even feel sleepy. Get a drink of cold water, walk for a moment, and then you are refreshed and ready to go again. DO AS OFTEN AS YOU NEED. It gives you a wonderful "after feeling".. Hope if works for you as well as it did for me.

Music is a great source of relaxation...you can get a cd like at Wal-mart that just has piano music or guitar or anything that would put you in a peaceful mood...you might listen to it while taking a bubble bath (you might laugh but light a few candles turn on the music and relax)

You could also go and get a swedish massage if you are willing to pay the price...I had one and it was so relaxing.

Go to the movies by yourself with no one to distract you by yourself a bucket of popcorn and Laugh!

MEDICATION
BUT LIKE ME I CANT BE ON THEM SO I DRINK SLEEPY TEAS SO IT CALMS ME DOWN

You may have a nutritional imbalance, not helped by stress. It's kind of a vicious cycle.

I relax my mind with prescription anti-anxiety drugs (non-addictive). Also fish oil - Barlean's is the best brand I've tried, no fishy taste. Two capsules make me calm in half an hour, no matter how stressed I am. I also take B-complex vitamins when I am REALLY stressed out. Someone in my family was dying, and taking B-complex calmed me down, made me able to deal with the situation, although it didn't diminish the sadness.

Meditation is helpful but can be addictive. Transcendental meditation or zen, whatever you choose. It doesn't matter if it's religious meditation or not; it affects the lymbic (sp?) system and relaxes your thoughts, and kind of "releases" stress from your body in a chemical way. It can be praying the rosary or saying a Buddhist chant - it all affects the body and mind the same way, very relaxing. It doesn't always make you feel cheerful - it can release emotion that you've been holding in, and you might feel sad and even cry, but it's healthy to release these feelings.

I would not suggest valerian or St. John's Wort, the health-store variety of anti-depressants. They help a lot of people, but they're too iffy. Valerian made me feel like a zombie, and SJW made me have a manic episode (and I'm not even bi-polar) If you want to try medication, see a trained psychiatrist.

Avoid people who stress you out, if at all possible. You can't always avoid co-workers, but you can avoid "friends" who say "snap out of it" or "there's nothing to worry about" and get impatient with you. You need to take care of yourself and they're not helping; they're hurting.

Oh yeah, and I don't watch the news. There's nothing I can do about the horrible, horrible things going on in the world and the smirking newscasters who smugly tell these awful stories. So I don't watch.

There is no difference between mental and physical stress - they are one and the same. Treat your body and your mind at the same time.

Get this book, "Turning the Mind Into an Ally" by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and learn how to do meditation. There is also meditation instruction at www.Shambhala.org.

Why do we have destructive emotions?

Answers: because people had abuse in their lives...

cause this is how we were conceived
but you can try to control them

Since we're animals, but more "cognizant" of what is going on around us (we don't just operate on instinct), our emotions can often become distorted by our perceptions.

For instance, if you were a wolf, and another wolf took your food, you'd either fight him to get it back or go look for something else, depending on your rank in the pack.

But as humans, we have no rigid, genetically coded "Rank" in a group. If someone takes your lunch, you might have a variety of responses (fight him, cry, rank on him verbally or even kill him!), but whatever you did, there'd be accompanying emotions usually that last LONG after the event is over.

Our upbringing and resulting beliefs, not just about life, but about ourselves, govern how we react (unless we CONSCIOUSLY deal with them...and even then, emotions usually win out!).

If you're a person who values "fairness", for instance, YOU may be obsessed for weeks or even YEARS with a "wrong" done to you, that might not even be noticed by someone else.

If you have a low sense of self-worth, someone making a random comment, or a teacher just not calling on you in class, might make you feel angry or depressed, whereas another person who thinks highly of themselves would just slough it off.

The best way to "control" emotions is to "re-think" your approach to the world. Do things that make you feel better about yourself from within, that is, because YOU think you're okay, not dependent on someone else.

Another technique is to ask yourself, when you feel a negative emotion, "Is this REALLY worth it? Will it solve anything?". Pick your battles! Don't let yourself get worked up over every little thing!

On the other hand, being a doormat and letting EVERYTHING go, is no way to live either. There should be a balance.

All emotions are destructive unless we learn to respond!
All feelings is karma, that's why we re-act!
Response'ability is the key...

part of life. We have different ways of dealing with things and reacting too stuff.

Panic attack??

well i think i have anxiety but im not totally sure. and i think i had my first panic attack the other night. i had this horrible horrible dream, which sort of related to what i have been worrying about for the past month or so. i woke up. i had this enormous sense of guilt ( i mean this was horrible, cant really describe it ) and i felt as if i was going to throw up. i couldnt go to sleep, because my thoughts were racing.but i finally went to sleep. what was this?

Answers: It sounds like you just have a little anxiety from to much stress I suffer from an anxiety disorder and the symptoms are alot worse than you decribed. But try to realx and not let to many things bother you because even though having panic attacks are usually genitic more and more people are getting them without having a family history of it. So just try to not let a lot of things make you upset and if something is really bothering you talk to someone our trust because holding things in can be to much for you to handle on your own and talking to someone will make you feel alot better. Feel better.

i think you just have normal stress in your life - 13 is a year of a lot of change!

a true panic attack makes you feel like you are actually about to have a heart attack.

It sounds like a regular anxiety attack, brought on by the dream. though panic and anxiety ARE often related, many people have panic attacks for NO apparent reason, brought on by nothing in particular! Panic disorder also tends to be genetic. (Does anyone in your family suffer from it?).

Here's a test: Anxiety can usually be dealt with by deep breathing, progressive relaxation and other similar techniques. Panic attacks rarely respond to this for more than a couple minutes, or not at all, if they're full blown.

If it happens again, try the deep breathing, relaxing muscles, or even exercising. If it works, you've got anxiety and reducing stress, or even short-term counseling should work.

If it DOESN'T work and you still feel terrified, that's panic! Ordinary counseling will do little for this, but "Cognitive-Behavioral" therapy WILL. It has a HUGE success rate.

You might also be told to see a psychiatrist, who may put you on medication (either an anti-depressant, which works on many people, or Klonopin, which is best for people who are NOT depressed).

This is done with the idea that, through CBT, you will learn to cope w/the panic through "self-talk" and other techniques, and gradually, will need less medication and may even be able to stop it.

Get help NOW, though, to determine what you have, and how to deal with it, so you don't become housebound (if it really IS panic...this happens to many w/panic disorder).

definitely not a panic attack. stress, yes... just start taking deep breaths and relax your mind. if you pray pray about whats bothering you. He will give you the answer.

Can a Family Physician prescribe a Psychiatry medicines ?

I need medicines for ADD/ADHD, i wonder can go to Family Physician for that or should i directly go to Specialists ?

Answers: Some family physicians specialize in ADHD/ADD and do prescribe the medications but most family physicians have little training in ADHD/ADD so I would be a little leery of getting them to prescribe them.

Your best bet is to look in your phone book for doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists that deal with learning disorders and seek their diagnosis. Psychologists diagnose and handle behavorial therapy but cannot prescribe medications.

NO! THEY ALWAYS SEND YOU TO A SYC. FIRST THEN IF ITS JUST LIKE DEPRESSION MEDS OR ADHD MEDS THAN THE SYC WILL GIVE THE FAMILY DOC A LETTER TELLING THE DIAGNOSIS AND THE DOSAGE AND ACTUAL MEDS.

WHY I KNOW THIS..

I had our physician take over my sons ADHD med management. No, a psychologist cannot prescribe any meds, but a psychiatrist can.

How do you find your soul after 17 years of drugs?

I'm scared of who i am, where i am, where i've been, and where i'm going. I've been clean for 2 years and i still don't know who i am. Depression stays, i've tried to kill myself and couldn't do it so i shot myself in the arm a year ago. i guess i just wanted to feel something. I'm on anitdepressants and been to rehab. but if something doesn't change quick inside of me i will go back to using. If you have gone through this please help with some advice because my patience is wearing out!!

Answers: First, it sounds like you MIGHT be beating yourself up over your past drug use. Guilt serves no purpose (if that's the problem), so LET IT GO!

Second: after being under the influence for that long, it's a miracle you're still alive, AND that you got clean, so give yourself props.

Third: Being an addict basically stops the normal process of self-development, so of COURSE you are unsure who you are! It's not going to happen overnight, and it's not going to just descend on you because you're off drugs. You must work at it (and it won't be easy).

Fourth: If you're in a 12-step program, take a good look around and you'll probably notice that the most miserable people are the ones who rely ONLY on the "Program" and the meetings, yet make no attempt to venture outside and experiment with living sober! They whine and moan about how rotten things still are, or how much they want a drink or a fix. Don't be like them! Try counseling as well...there might be a deep reason WHY you became an addict, besides just genetics.

Fifth: Get out and hang with NON-addicts. Make friends who don't talk about sobriety 24-7! Don't make a big deal about your recovery as "Defining" you. Try different jobs, pastimes, travel, read, find SOMETHING you can feel as passionate about as you once did about drugs or alcohol (and I don't mean a person...that's another trap).

It could be art, politics, writing, teaching, getting more education, music...anything!

Here's an example: a close relative of mine became an alcoholic at age 14! After 23 yrs. of drinking, black-outs, DUI's, rehabs, job losses and other bad stuff (including almost dying at least twice), he got diagnosed w/depression and got sober.

But it wasn't enough. Nobody would hire him except this rinky-dink factory that paid squat. One day, he was hit on the head by an 80 lb. wooden box, knocked off a stack & developed seizures! He tried to sue the company (worker's comp wouldn't cover it...he was a temp). but they blamed the seizures on his alcohol use, though he hadn't had any in 2 yrs! This guy could NOT seem to get a break. But he didn't give up, and didn't drink...amazingly!

Finally, he got a temp job as a carpenter and LOVED it. He worked hard, got promoted, learned more skills and is now working with a great company as a full-time carpenter, learning still more and loving it. He also has a huge interest in rock music, is learning the guitar and renovating his house. He has a wife and a kid who love him...and are VERY glad he never gave up & killed himself or started drinking again.

Yes, it took years, but he did it. PLEASE don't give up! Good things hardly ever happen overnight! You CAN do it.

I wish you the best of luck.

P.S. I second the person who said to read the book "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" (was it 7??!). It IS excellent!

Seriously, I would add attending a good local church to going to counseling. This worked for my friend more than any medical/psychological prescriptions so I am just passing it on.

Ask friends, counselors, acquaintances to recommend a church that is a sincere, honest to good group of individuals who are there to worship God regardless of your circumstances in life. If you lived in my area, I'd invite you to my church.

I haven't been thru what you have been thru but there's been times when i felt lost and alone. I started therapy a year ago and it has worked wonders on me, i have a very understanding counselor who i credit with pulling me out of a very deep depression, she takes the time to really listen to what i have to say and not criticize me.
Have you thought about going into therapy? sometimes it helps a great deal to have someone to talk to and help you figure out where to go next in your life. Good Luck!

let go and let God take over your life...

Are you in a program, going to meetings. How else are you participating in your recovery. When I first got clean and sober, my biggest fear was that I would turn out to be the piece of s*** that I thought I was. I wasn't sure of what was left of me after giving up the drink and drugs. I was scared to death. I just kept going to meetings, maintaining a connection with a higher power, working with a sponsor, talking to other alcoholic/addicts, and working the 12 steps. After 10 yrs I am still evolving. Currently, in sobriety, I have just lost my home, my long term relationship, pride and ego. I am not sure what's ahead for me or who I will be when its all said and done. But, experience has shown me, that it will be for my highest and best good. Hang in there, reach out for help. You don't have to do this alone. good luck.

Prozac will do loads more than any other antidepressant out there if you give it a few weeks to kick in. if you are having a hard time staying away from drugs, then you could try a meeting like narcotics anonymous. the people you would meet there are great support because they have gone through/are going through the same things as you

You need to find something to get that spark back. My first recommendation is usually to do something where you can help others. Get out there and volunteer somewhere. Serve a meal at a soup kitchen, read books to kids at story time at the library or local school, there are lots of places that need volunteers, so get out there and do something. It's amazing how helping someone else can make you feel better about yourself. Make sure what you are doing involves contact with people because the reward is in seeing the look of appreciation on their face. Don't just write a check and say that you're helping people. That won't help you here.

Ok, next, what is something you've always wanted to do or really liked to do in the past that you don't do anymore (besides the drugs, of course). Find a class or a group where you can work on developing that hobby. Don't get all focused on being the best at whatever it is, just look at it as a hobby. Something to do. Some examples: sewing, drawing/painting, an instrument, a community choir or theater...there are tons of things. Learning something new can give you a sense of satisfaction. Even if you aren't great at it, if you accomplish something, it will build your confidence.

Third, you need to get into counselling. I'm not talking about getting on medication (although that may be necessary to help you deal with the depression). I mean, go and talk to a counselor. Obviously you have a lot of feelings all held in that you need to get out. You can go to a psychologist or a member of clergy, but you need to find someone you are comfortable with and talk it all out. You need to get to the root causes of your drug use and the depression that you are having problems with now. You need to stop running and hiding from your problems. Until you stop and face the truth, you will always have problems with addictions (maybe not drugs, but you will find something else to self-medicate with...food, alcohol, etc.). I know this is scary to even think about, and that is why you need to find a counselor that you feel very comfortable with. You may have to go to several until you find the one.

I hope this helps.

I know exactly how you feel. I have been exactly where you are... I was addicted to Meth... I didn't think there was a way out... Until I made the decision to change my life and serender all to the Lord. Drugs take away any feelings of self worth. But with the Lord by your side you can do it. I went to rehab and nothing happened to change me.. I started going to church..(one I felt love at) and my whole life began to change and is still changing. I have been clean now for 4 years now and I owe it all to the LORD JESUS... That one day when in my heart I decided I wasn't going to let Meth rule my life...and I knew I couldn't make it on my own... I let the Lord take control. I stood up to Meth and said NO MORE.. Then I took the steps to make that change... I enrolled in school, I became active in my church... (you have to let the Lord in your heart. He will stay by you no matter what...) He Loves you. Don't get me wrong there are days that I am so depressed and feel so upset with myself... But then I get my bible and pray. The Lord loves you no matter what you've done, no matter where you've been, no matter how many drugs you used. He is always there we just have to open that door to our hearts and let him in.. He is waiting on you.

I will pray for you... I know the pain you are feeling... I feel it too... but you CAN NOT give up. you are worth more than that. Its never too late to change.. You have to do things to make the change. Jesus will be next to your side. all you have to do is let him help you..

I'm 48 and never "did drugs" and I'm STILL trying to find my soul. I'm so angry, and it's taken such a long time. It took a near-death experience to jolt me out of a depression-induced stupor, and that was two years ago.

Be patient. Healing takes a long time.

Stay away from people who try to kick you in the a** to "help" you. They're hurting you.

I'm on your side. I'm surprised more people DON'T use drugs. This world can be so cruel, you just want to shut everything out.

If you're even slightly religious, I would DEFINITELY suggest finding a tolerant church to join. Not some place that's going to call you a sinner and tell you to repent.

All I can say is be VERY aggressive about improving your general health - eating right, exercising, taking vitamins, etc. You will feel happier and the crap filling your mind will eventually diminish.

Best of luck! :)

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