Joined: 04 Nov 2007 Posts: 11 Location: Colorado Springs , CO United States
Depressed And Can't Seem to Get Out of the House Posted: 11-11-07 13:06pm
Hello everyone!
This is my first post on ehealth so please
bear with me if seems a little disjointed.
I'm 31 years old and have been suffering
from depression most of my life. My
depression has gotten me into some legal
trouble over the last few years. It has
been the type of trouble that will stick
with me for the rest of my life.
I've always been something of a social
outcast. I am not very attractive which
made my middle school, high school and
college years miserable. I don't know how
I ever survived. After I graduated from
college I had a very difficult time
finding a well paying job "career" job.
Good news though, I just found my career
job a few months ago.
I have always wondered what causes a lady
to be attracted to a guy. Everytime that
I see a couple walking side-by-side my
first thought is what makes that gur so
much more attractive than me? What makes
him so much better than me? Then I get
even more depressed. This depression led
me to one of two places: alcohol and
pornography.
After getting a DWAI in February I'm proud
to say that I've been sober since May.
After the DWAI arrest, I still abused
alcohol for a couple of months. My
drinking pattern was an endless cycle. I
would go to a bar, then after seeing a
couple I would get depressed, start
drinking more, get depressed because I was
drinkning again, see a different couple,
get more depressed, and so on.
I've been getting treatment for my alcohol
abuse, and no longer use pornography.
This has helped with my depresseion.
However, even with an amazing job, I still
feel like my life is incomplete. I don't
have very many friends, can't remember the
last time I went on a date, and hardly
ever leave the house. The ironic thing is
that I do have interests. I've been
considering taking up fishing, going to
plays, joining a book club, etc. But I
can never seem to gather up enough energy
to follow through with any one of these.
I am tired of being alone. My loneliness
is getting to the point where it is
starting to affect my health. I used to
go out in public but the fear of being
discovered as a loner has led to withdrawl
from most social situations. There just
aren't very many activities one can engage
in where it is okay to be by yourself.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Tyler
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marvel
Supporter
Joined: 09 Sep 2007 Posts: 1104 Location: Toronto, Ontario (but only a private message away)
Thanks: 50
Thanked:8
Posted: 11-11-07 14:58pm
Hi, Tyler. Thank you for sharing your
story.
I see you've been trying really hard to
overcome alcoholism. Have you been treated
for depression?
Many people find that it isn't necessarily
the fact that they're depressed that's the
problem, it's the physical lack of energy
associated with it that's hard to
overcome. Medication or other treatement
can help with this. I know that a few
years ago when I was beginning my
treatemet for depression, my therapist
suggested a few simple lifestyle changes
that made my life easier and seemed to
give me more energy. Eating habits, having
a schedule and getting in some medium to
maximum impact physical activity during my
week are some examples. These didn't make
anything completely better, but I found
that I did have more energy to the things
that I had always wanted to do.
If you haven't already, talk to a doctor
or a therapist about possible solutions to
overcoming depression. They'll have
suggestions for everything from therapy to
medication.
I hope this helped. Good Luck!
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slumpflow
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 04 Nov 2007 Posts: 11 Location: Colorado Springs , CO United States
Posted: 11-11-07 16:08pm
Thanks for the advice. Yes I have been
treated for depression, I take lexipro
daily. I've been in and out of therapy
for my depression. Physical activity does
help, but when you are "discovered"
engaging in an activity (one that is
typically done in groups) alone (like
golf, hiking, moutain biking) I
immediately feel like a loser and quit.
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Georgia59
Moderator
Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Posts: 5557 Location: Along the Mississippi, USA
Thanks: 90
Thanked:32
Posted: 11-11-07 21:04pm
I'd keep up on the therapy for depression.
It really is a lifelong disease, and
you'll need to keep up on it. Maybe try
find a group or something that you can do
these activities with?
Plus, if your drugs aren't working, keep
talking to your psychiatrist about
adjusting medication/dosage until you find
a good mix for yourself.
