stevewm
03-16-2008, 10:01 PM
Hello My name is Steve.
I am 42 years old and was diagnosed as being an alcoholic but I said I was before being diagnosed.Went to a therapist yesterday and told him I was diagnosed as being a Bipolar 1 Mixed.I told him that I stayed mostly in the manic phase of bipolar but he detected in our conversation depression also.
He said he has studied over 60 books and done tons of research on bipolar and is a recovering alcoholic/addict with almost 30 years clean and is a licensed counselor/therapist.I have been in a treatment center for alcoholism once in June 07-Sept 07-Feb 08.
My therapist said most people bipolar/alcoholic or drug addict was what is called as having a dual disorder.He said most bipolar people use alcohol to self medicate to relieve the bipolar symptoms and over 75% alcoholics have a bipolar condition.
His claim is that when a person goes into a treatment center the first thing they want to do is to treat the alcoholism and after released the bipolar has been untreated and the bipolar symptoms is what leads a person to relapse.
He has several patients that has hundreds of relapses on their record and all of them once in his out-patient clinic were all treated first for their bipolar or other mental disorders and after they became stable their success rate has been 100% with no relapses and no need to self medicate with booze.
I was diagnosed as being ADD when 9 years old and put on ritalin for 3 years.My therapist said he believes I was mis-diagnosed at 9 and in fact was bipolar 1 Mixed at that time and Bipolar 1 Mixed is the hardest to diagnose and Bipolar can mimic ADD and ADHD.
I have been in and out of AA since 1986.Some in AA will tell you if you are on medications for mental disorders you are not clean and are in fact cheating and my therapist is aware of this and it hinders a persons recovery.Its in the AA Big Book on page 133 Now About Health that an alcohlic is to seek out these doctors to be restored to a sound mind.If doctors treat the mental disorders and the patient needs medication then that person is just as clean as an alcoholic who needs no medications.
The sad fact is those that attack the mentally Ill with the words your sick because of alcoholism just does not quite know his or her facts and needs to reread page 133 in the AA Big Book And About Health.
Also on page XXVII starting with the last sentence in the AA-BB Of course an alcoholic ought to be freed from his physical [over]craving for liquor and this often requires a definate hospital procedure before PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASURES can be of maximum benifit.
Here is my experience in a paticular treatment center.I admit myself under the influence and they do bloodwork and a physical and then I see a psychologist and he prescribes several things for withdrawals and then given a workbook/AA Big Book/Scheduel sheet/A Room.Then comes the rude nurses and therapist saying its time for AA Meeting almost every hour on the hour and note I am a chain smoker and the scheduel claims a 10 minute smoke break every hour on the hour when in fact its a lie.You dont get but maybe 4 cigarette breaks a day and after I am use to smoking a couple of packs a day and its knocked down to about 8 a day all I can think of is the nicotine withdrawals.
The nicotine withdrawals are actually worse than the alcohol withdrawals and in meeting the speaker/therapist claims any addiction will lead back to your drug of choice and [note]he/she is a smoker and therapist and cigarette addiction is as powerful as heroin addiction im told by some heroin addicts.Well the therapist fail to mention the cigaretts they smoke to is addiction and they claim all addictions if not arrested will cause a relapse.My opinion is they talk out both sides of their mouths.
I signed the 72 hour release that says in 72 hours im free to leave against medical advise.Thats just how rough the nicotine withdrawals are and I told them I came to detox off booze not cigaretts.
I believe many dont enter treatment because some treatment centers are no smoke period and some have a designated area but most dont.Some are dying because they cant smoke so they get no treatment.
I have been married July 27th will be 20 years and my wife does not smoke and x-rays reveal no second hand smoke damage and the doctors dont understand why she has no evidence that she has lived with a smoker.Its a mystery to me to.
Well thanks for listening.
Stevexxx.
I am 42 years old and was diagnosed as being an alcoholic but I said I was before being diagnosed.Went to a therapist yesterday and told him I was diagnosed as being a Bipolar 1 Mixed.I told him that I stayed mostly in the manic phase of bipolar but he detected in our conversation depression also.
He said he has studied over 60 books and done tons of research on bipolar and is a recovering alcoholic/addict with almost 30 years clean and is a licensed counselor/therapist.I have been in a treatment center for alcoholism once in June 07-Sept 07-Feb 08.
My therapist said most people bipolar/alcoholic or drug addict was what is called as having a dual disorder.He said most bipolar people use alcohol to self medicate to relieve the bipolar symptoms and over 75% alcoholics have a bipolar condition.
His claim is that when a person goes into a treatment center the first thing they want to do is to treat the alcoholism and after released the bipolar has been untreated and the bipolar symptoms is what leads a person to relapse.
He has several patients that has hundreds of relapses on their record and all of them once in his out-patient clinic were all treated first for their bipolar or other mental disorders and after they became stable their success rate has been 100% with no relapses and no need to self medicate with booze.
I was diagnosed as being ADD when 9 years old and put on ritalin for 3 years.My therapist said he believes I was mis-diagnosed at 9 and in fact was bipolar 1 Mixed at that time and Bipolar 1 Mixed is the hardest to diagnose and Bipolar can mimic ADD and ADHD.
I have been in and out of AA since 1986.Some in AA will tell you if you are on medications for mental disorders you are not clean and are in fact cheating and my therapist is aware of this and it hinders a persons recovery.Its in the AA Big Book on page 133 Now About Health that an alcohlic is to seek out these doctors to be restored to a sound mind.If doctors treat the mental disorders and the patient needs medication then that person is just as clean as an alcoholic who needs no medications.
The sad fact is those that attack the mentally Ill with the words your sick because of alcoholism just does not quite know his or her facts and needs to reread page 133 in the AA Big Book And About Health.
Also on page XXVII starting with the last sentence in the AA-BB Of course an alcoholic ought to be freed from his physical [over]craving for liquor and this often requires a definate hospital procedure before PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASURES can be of maximum benifit.
Here is my experience in a paticular treatment center.I admit myself under the influence and they do bloodwork and a physical and then I see a psychologist and he prescribes several things for withdrawals and then given a workbook/AA Big Book/Scheduel sheet/A Room.Then comes the rude nurses and therapist saying its time for AA Meeting almost every hour on the hour and note I am a chain smoker and the scheduel claims a 10 minute smoke break every hour on the hour when in fact its a lie.You dont get but maybe 4 cigarette breaks a day and after I am use to smoking a couple of packs a day and its knocked down to about 8 a day all I can think of is the nicotine withdrawals.
The nicotine withdrawals are actually worse than the alcohol withdrawals and in meeting the speaker/therapist claims any addiction will lead back to your drug of choice and [note]he/she is a smoker and therapist and cigarette addiction is as powerful as heroin addiction im told by some heroin addicts.Well the therapist fail to mention the cigaretts they smoke to is addiction and they claim all addictions if not arrested will cause a relapse.My opinion is they talk out both sides of their mouths.
I signed the 72 hour release that says in 72 hours im free to leave against medical advise.Thats just how rough the nicotine withdrawals are and I told them I came to detox off booze not cigaretts.
I believe many dont enter treatment because some treatment centers are no smoke period and some have a designated area but most dont.Some are dying because they cant smoke so they get no treatment.
I have been married July 27th will be 20 years and my wife does not smoke and x-rays reveal no second hand smoke damage and the doctors dont understand why she has no evidence that she has lived with a smoker.Its a mystery to me to.
Well thanks for listening.
Stevexxx.