ReCATery (aka Sober Cats,800BETSOFF Cats,Like Chocoholics but for BoozeCats,etc)

[star seed 7]

I just looked at the current price on Google and it says $500 without insurance 

[michigancat]

To continue the meds discussion, how does one go about getting back on an anti-depressant prescription? I don't have a regular doctor or anything. In the past I've had family friends available to write the script, but that's not an option now. The last time I went through Lafene when I was in school 7 years ago or so. This particular med was the first of probably 6 prior that I felt did anything beyond noticeable side effects. I was broke at the time and it was something like $250 a month without insurance so I stopped after 4 months or so. I'd like to give it a try again now that I have insurance and am not broke.

I would suggest scheduling a regular health checkup with a general practitioner and mentioning all of this in detail. They may write you a prescription or refer you to a psychiatrist.

Psychotherapy may also be an option but I've found it's really difficult to find in-network therapists these days. May be different in KC.

My wife had really good luck with betterhelp.com doing virtual therapy. Out of network but relatively cheap and she likes it more than in-person therapists she's met with.

[420seriouscat69]

Lib, my Doctor got me right. I was almost a bit suicidal 8 years ago, before she got me on the right cocktail. I'd be happy to refer her to you. Let me know what you think.

[DaBigTrain]

[Pete]

I'd like to give it a try again now that I have insurance and am not broke.

I'd just pick a general practitioner at random from those that are covered by your program and call them and ask them if they are taking new patients, and setup the appointment. If they ask the reason, I'd be honest and say anxiety/depression.  Then, I'd do exactly as MichiganCat mentioned and tell them the story....Wish I was on meds this whole time, but didn't have insurance.  They hear that ALL the time, and they'll be very helpful.  Just understand that it may take some time and experimentation to get the right meds for you...and that the side effects for most people do get better with time (don't be like me when I was younger and just quit them at the first sign of a side effect).

[Pete]

Most employers have a health line or employer services thing you can call with "life problems" or whatever.  That will usually include half a dozen free therapy sessions.  I did this when I was first quitting drinking, and it was a nice addition to my overall approach.  The same services are available even if you "just don't feel right" and want to see if professional help would make life better.

[Institutional Control]

Does anyone have experience with Transcendental Meditation?  I'm considering looking into it as a way to de-stress and gain focus.  Does anyone have any thoughts about TM?

[Pete]

Does anyone have experience with Transcendental Meditation?  I'm considering looking into it as a way to de-stress and gain focus.  Does anyone have any thoughts about TM?

I’d sign up for a class, like down at Unity on the plaza or buy and app. Calm has some good guided meditation content.

Lots of people get a lot out of it.

[passranch]

Not sure if this is the appropriate thread but...final day of dry January for me.  Was surprisingly easy.

[Institutional Control]

Does anyone have experience with Transcendental Meditation?  I'm considering looking into it as a way to de-stress and gain focus.  Does anyone have any thoughts about TM?

I’d sign up for a class, like down at Unity on the plaza or buy and app. Calm has some good guided meditation content.

Lots of people get a lot out of it.

Thanks, Pete.  I’m going to give the Calm app a try.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

['taterblast]

i think i need to take a break and consider giving up alcohol for the rest of my life. that's incredibly hard to say. my problem isn't how often i drink, it's that once i start there's no stopping me until i black out. it's been this way for damn near 20 years now. it's the same vicious cycle of getting too drunk, feeling like crap about it, and then completely forgetting it happened two weeks later. it is affecting my marriage. i feel so awkward typing this out but i spend every day on this #blog so it felt like the right place to put it.

[420seriouscat69]

i think i need to take a break and consider giving up alcohol for the rest of my life. that's incredibly hard to say. my problem isn't how often i drink, it's that once i start there's no stopping me until i black out. it's been this way for damn near 20 years now. it's the same vicious cycle of getting too drunk, feeling like crap about it, and then completely forgetting it happened two weeks later. it is affecting my marriage. i feel so awkward typing this out but i spend every day on this #blog so it felt like the right place to put it.

Love ya, brother. Hang in there! Let me know if you ever wanna chat.

[stunted]

i'm seeing ketamine therapy pop up more and more in random places as treatment for depression. have a friend who struggled with depression and it has helped him a ton, he's become someone with a lot of passion for life. could be a great option, although there could be an addiction risk if you got a history for it.

[ChiComCat]

i think i need to take a break and consider giving up alcohol for the rest of my life. that's incredibly hard to say. my problem isn't how often i drink, it's that once i start there's no stopping me until i black out. it's been this way for damn near 20 years now. it's the same vicious cycle of getting too drunk, feeling like crap about it, and then completely forgetting it happened two weeks later. it is affecting my marriage. i feel so awkward typing this out but i spend every day on this #blog so it felt like the right place to put it.

I think there are some pretty qualified and willing individuals on here if you need to talk.  It seems like a great place to put it out there.  Good luck on your journey.

[nicname]

i'm seeing ketamine therapy pop up more and more in random places as treatment for depression. have a friend who struggled with depression and it has helped him a ton, he's become someone with a lot of passion for life. could be a great option, although there could be an addiction risk if you got a history for it.

Small dose kratom works well too, but also carries addiction risk.

[IPA4Me]

i think i need to take a break and consider giving up alcohol for the rest of my life. that's incredibly hard to say. my problem isn't how often i drink, it's that once i start there's no stopping me until i black out. it's been this way for damn near 20 years now. it's the same vicious cycle of getting too drunk, feeling like crap about it, and then completely forgetting it happened two weeks later. it is affecting my marriage. i feel so awkward typing this out but i spend every day on this #blog so it felt like the right place to put it.

That first step was a tough one. I know. It was almost two years ago that I made the best decision of my life.


https://www.aa.org/the-big-book <- you can download a section at a time for reading as PDF.


My private messages are open to chat. I can help get you connected to a group in your area.

[Pete]

i think i need to take a break and consider giving up alcohol for the rest of my life. that's incredibly hard to say. my problem isn't how often i drink, it's that once i start there's no stopping me until i black out. it's been this way for damn near 20 years now. it's the same vicious cycle of getting too drunk, feeling like crap about it, and then completely forgetting it happened two weeks later. it is affecting my marriage. i feel so awkward typing this out but i spend every day on this #blog so it felt like the right place to put it.

You sound like me before I quit. Alcoholism gets worse, never better…and it always gets worse.  There are many recovery methods, but I chose AA.  Stanford just completed the largest study to date on that question and found that AA was the most effective ( https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2020/03/alcoholics-anonymous-most-effective-path-to-alcohol-abstinence.html ). To each his own, though.  I just passed 7 years this week.

Before I entered AA, I looked for a lot of physical solutions for a spiritual problem.  I was bankrupt emotionally and spiritually, and was on a dangerous path physically.   “Maybe if I took Xanax?”  “Maybe if I worked out more?”  “Maybe if I changed my job?”  “Maybe if I changed my domestic situation?”  None of that rough ridin' crap was the cause. I was the problem, and wherever I went I was there.

For MILLIONS of people the answer to a happy and content life in recovery from alcoholism has been to work the program of AA.  Go to meetings, get a sponsor, work the steps (hard), and don’t drink.  If you are honest and willing, you will find that contentment.

One warning though, I’ve never seen anyone get the desired effect with anything less than total commitment.

[nicname]

Yes, AA is very holistic. It’s why their 12-step approach works with actual addictions, and non-addictions alike. For a lot of people, the addiction itself is a mere symptom of an underlying mental health problem. That’s no always the case tho.

[XocolateThundarr]

I am currently taking a 30 day break to see how I feel.  So far about two weeks in.  I do find that I am sleeping a lot better. 

[Pete]

Yes, AA is very holistic. It’s why their 12-step approach works with actual addictions, and non-addictions alike. For a lot of people, the addiction itself is a mere symptom of an underlying mental health problem. That’s no always the case tho.

I’ve never known anyone who was an alcoholic who only had a trouble with drinking and there was no underlying issues (e.g. fears, resentments, etc. the list goes on). I have only ever known alcoholics for whom drinking was but a symptom of their problems.  I can’t say that’s impossible to only have a problem with drinking, but I have never encountered it before.  It would definitely be a first for me.

[Fedor]

i think i need to take a break and consider giving up alcohol for the rest of my life. that's incredibly hard to say. my problem isn't how often i drink, it's that once i start there's no stopping me until i black out. it's been this way for damn near 20 years now. it's the same vicious cycle of getting too drunk, feeling like crap about it, and then completely forgetting it happened two weeks later. it is affecting my marriage. i feel so awkward typing this out but i spend every day on this #blog so it felt like the right place to put it.

You sound like me before I quit. Alcoholism gets worse, never better…and it always gets worse.  There are many recovery methods, but I chose AA.  Stanford just completed the largest study to date on that question and found that AA was the most effective ( https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2020/03/alcoholics-anonymous-most-effective-path-to-alcohol-abstinence.html ). To each his own, though.  I just passed 7 years this week.

Before I entered AA, I looked for a lot of physical solutions for a spiritual problem.  I was bankrupt emotionally and spiritually, and was on a dangerous path physically.   “Maybe if I took Xanax?”  “Maybe if I worked out more?”  “Maybe if I changed my job?”  “Maybe if I changed my domestic situation?”  None of that rough ridin' crap was the cause. I was the problem, and wherever I went I was there.

For MILLIONS of people the answer to a happy and content life in recovery from alcoholism has been to work the program of AA.  Go to meetings, get a sponsor, work the steps (hard), and don’t drink.  If you are honest and willing, you will find that contentment.

One warning though, I’ve never seen anyone get the desired effect with anything less than total commitment.

What did you do to get fulfillment spiritually?  My brother in law literally drank himself to death about a year ago.  Early 40's and he just destroyed his liver with alcohol.  It took years of heavy drinking and a very long, steady and noticeable decline but he just would not quit.  He would not take responsibility for anything in his life, nothing was ever his fault.  Very frustrating and difficult to watch.  He had a lot of underlying issues, but if nothing is your fault you never have to change...

[cfbandyman]

i think i need to take a break and consider giving up alcohol for the rest of my life. that's incredibly hard to say. my problem isn't how often i drink, it's that once i start there's no stopping me until i black out. it's been this way for damn near 20 years now. it's the same vicious cycle of getting too drunk, feeling like crap about it, and then completely forgetting it happened two weeks later. it is affecting my marriage. i feel so awkward typing this out but i spend every day on this #blog so it felt like the right place to put it.

You sound like me before I quit. Alcoholism gets worse, never better…and it always gets worse.  There are many recovery methods, but I chose AA.  Stanford just completed the largest study to date on that question and found that AA was the most effective ( https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2020/03/alcoholics-anonymous-most-effective-path-to-alcohol-abstinence.html ). To each his own, though.  I just passed 7 years this week.

Before I entered AA, I looked for a lot of physical solutions for a spiritual problem.  I was bankrupt emotionally and spiritually, and was on a dangerous path physically.   “Maybe if I took Xanax?”  “Maybe if I worked out more?”  “Maybe if I changed my job?”  “Maybe if I changed my domestic situation?”  None of that rough ridin' crap was the cause. I was the problem, and wherever I went I was there.

For MILLIONS of people the answer to a happy and content life in recovery from alcoholism has been to work the program of AA.  Go to meetings, get a sponsor, work the steps (hard), and don’t drink.  If you are honest and willing, you will find that contentment.

One warning though, I’ve never seen anyone get the desired effect with anything less than total commitment.

What did you do to get fulfillment spiritually?  My brother in law literally drank himself to death about a year ago.  Early 40's and he just destroyed his liver with alcohol.  It took years of heavy drinking and a very long, steady and noticeable decline but he just would not quit.  He would not take responsibility for anything in his life, nothing was ever his fault.  Very frustrating and difficult to watch.  He had a lot of underlying issues, but if nothing is your fault you never have to change...

Holy crap that is awful

[cfbandyman]

Hoping the best for 'taterblast!

[Pete]

i think i need to take a break and consider giving up alcohol for the rest of my life. that's incredibly hard to say. my problem isn't how often i drink, it's that once i start there's no stopping me until i black out. it's been this way for damn near 20 years now. it's the same vicious cycle of getting too drunk, feeling like crap about it, and then completely forgetting it happened two weeks later. it is affecting my marriage. i feel so awkward typing this out but i spend every day on this #blog so it felt like the right place to put it.

You sound like me before I quit. Alcoholism gets worse, never better…and it always gets worse.  There are many recovery methods, but I chose AA.  Stanford just completed the largest study to date on that question and found that AA was the most effective ( https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2020/03/alcoholics-anonymous-most-effective-path-to-alcohol-abstinence.html ). To each his own, though.  I just passed 7 years this week.

Before I entered AA, I looked for a lot of physical solutions for a spiritual problem.  I was bankrupt emotionally and spiritually, and was on a dangerous path physically.   “Maybe if I took Xanax?”  “Maybe if I worked out more?”  “Maybe if I changed my job?”  “Maybe if I changed my domestic situation?”  None of that rough ridin' crap was the cause. I was the problem, and wherever I went I was there.

For MILLIONS of people the answer to a happy and content life in recovery from alcoholism has been to work the program of AA.  Go to meetings, get a sponsor, work the steps (hard), and don’t drink.  If you are honest and willing, you will find that contentment.

One warning though, I’ve never seen anyone get the desired effect with anything less than total commitment.

What did you do to get fulfillment spiritually?  My brother in law literally drank himself to death about a year ago.  Early 40's and he just destroyed his liver with alcohol.  It took years of heavy drinking and a very long, steady and noticeable decline but he just would not quit.  He would not take responsibility for anything in his life, nothing was ever his fault.  Very frustrating and difficult to watch.  He had a lot of underlying issues, but if nothing is your fault you never have to change...

Worked the steps

[steve dave]

Pete, can you elaborate on the steps? I know it’s all out there for us to see ourselves but just a quick and dirty version? You are a great human who I look up to and I like your description of things.