tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239140084937897595.post5608362607649411259..comments2023-10-19T10:26:30.108-04:00Comments on Yin and Yang: The Mentally Ill and AddictedUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239140084937897595.post-32430745955236509182011-04-23T11:05:32.408-04:002011-04-23T11:05:32.408-04:00Hey Kate,
I find it interesting that you think sc...Hey Kate,<br /><br />I find it interesting that you think schizophrenia can be addictive. Some find psychosis a bad trip, and are mighty relieved to be on medication that stops it, but others like me felt more alive when they were psychotic, and find medication frustrating, as it make you seem to live not up to your true potential. Its hard to know what is so difficult about taking medication; whether it is the side-effects or the loss of psychosis.<br /><br />For me, life had meaning when I was psychotic. True, some of the meanings were a lie. And I think my psychosis is linked to mania, which is very addictive. I have a friend who is bi-polar and she misses her mania very much. Again, her life seems to have little purpose medicated, but she just recently started a volunteer job that she's good at and that she really likes, so now her life has more purpose.<br /><br />My husband had a drinking problem, but he denies it because he could stop drinking without any help. Its that old idea; if I can control it its not a problem. Also, he looks and sees no one else in his family with a drinking problem, so he thinks he can't have one. I missed him when he drank, he went into this happy dopey world and then fell asleep. I do think the pressure I put on him to stop drinking caused him to stop. But this only worked because he loved me. In return I gave up having diet soda's in the house, he thinks they are unhealthy for me. The reason he drank in the first place, his life was stressful, stopped when I helped him to live an organized, safe life with a close confidant and best friend. He also gave up smoking because I wouldn't allow it in the house and because his company put a "tax" on health plans of smokers, and he didn't want to pay the tax. Nowadays he's really proud that he stopped drinking and smoking, but if I died I bet he would go back to both - at least the drinking.<br /><br />Mental health for some is fragile, like you say, you have to work at it as a program in order to enjoy it. I use therapy, my husband uses me. Its no shame to lean on somebody, I loved that old Hillary Clinton adage that it takes a village to raise a child. To be a happy adult for most it takes a web of influences and a circle of friends.<br /><br />Glad you are my friend!<br /><br />Love,<br />KarenKaren May Sorensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14436905322393073250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7239140084937897595.post-14386494686634005092011-04-21T23:31:43.433-04:002011-04-21T23:31:43.433-04:00Hi Kate,
I had anorexia for many years, which is a...Hi Kate,<br />I had anorexia for many years, which is a type of addiction, so to some degree, I understand what it's like, but not totally, because I've never been an alcoholic or drug addict. The reason I never drink is that most of my immediate family members are alcoholics. In fact I just got off a phone call earlier with my dad who was totally drunk as usual for him, and that's one of the reasons he doesn't give a damn about what happens in his offspring's lives, because his life is ruled by alcohol. I feel sorry for him, but it's hard not to be hurt by his behavior which has been hurtful most of my life. I have two siblings who went through stings in AA and then they stopped going. I think of the two, the one who got in the most trouble for his drinking is perhaps still drinking, but I don't know for sure, so I would'nt say this to him. It is not really my business, except that I always end up being the one everyone goes to for "help" in my family when they need money or some kind of assistance like getting out of jail. My mom is someone who I am very proud of because she hasn't drank in 12 years, and for her AA really seems to help. But I am aware that AA is not a magic cure for every alcoholic, and I don't tell my siblings that they should be going to meetings, nor do I really believe it would necessarily be the answer for them both. I am proud of them for trying as hard as they can, when they can. In my sister's case, she has Bipolar Disorder, as does my mother, and so I can only imagine that it is extra hard to deal with alcholism on top of that. In my brother's case, he was told he might have a mental illness, but the details of what was said in the hospital to him about that were never made clear to anybody else. I do know that he has never gone through with getting psychiatric treatment, and he currently sleeps on a couch he's been sleeping on since last fall, because he doesn't have a full time job anymore, and I feel sorry for him because I see in him a lost, wandering soul like I was once, back when I was psychotic and undiagnosed. I fear for him that he is deeply troubled but doesn't tell anyone what is going on with him, and I hope on a regular basis that neither he nor my sister will commit suicide, because this has been a fear of mine for many years now. <br /><br />It's hard to know how to react to another person's alcholism, and I do think that it is hard to do it "right" all the time. I found that Al-Anon was not something that seemed right for me, and I stopped going, though my mother always berates me for this fact, because I "should" be going to those meetings. I feel I have enough stress without worrying about one more thing I "should" have to do every week, and it's just too much to deal with that right now. Then again, perhaps it would help, I do not really know.<br /><br />Thank you for bringing up this important topic. In Florida, where I live, the budget for mental health and also for addiction treatment has just been totally slashed, and people are concerned about both issues together as they go hand in hand.Feminist Voice with Disabilitieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04971702402040080054noreply@blogger.com