I was just wondering how do you cope now that you can no longer use drugs or drink and what meds, if at all, do you take now? I have heard I may get some negative responses for posting about drug addiction but part of SAD is worrying about what others may think. At this poing I care more about recovery and getting better than anything else. Thanks for any responses.

Why would you get negative responses? I'm not addicted to substance, but my emotional makeup makes me vulnerable to stepping into situations with women that are not advisable. Good luck with your recovery.

I read an earlier post about some people who are recovering addicts getting negative responses to the subject of drug addiction recovery and SAD. The post is "Drug addicts that have SAD". I am new to this forum and have been sober quit a while. I found it really sad that they were saying that they didn't feel comfortable talking about it on this particular message boards. I started to private message them and then thought how stupid. Hello! These boards are about recovery and SA stems from fear of what people think and to be afraid to post about one particular recovery for fear of ridicule about another is sad and made me a little angry. For me these two are very related. One of the main reasons I drank or did drugs was to relieve my anxiety and to feel like I fit in. When I got sober and that crutch was taken away life got better and worse. I overcame a huge problem but another one kicked in. I developed social anxiety after I got sober. I had always been shy but after I got sober I gave up all my old friends and had to start over making new friends. This was always a little difficult but became panic inducing. Before I got sober it was more of a general anxiety/panic disorder. Then having to socialize and attend AA meetings with no benzo or calming agent I developed social anxiety and have spent the last 10 years trying to deal with it. My psychiatrist just started me on Klonapin wafers prn and am excited about trying to be social again. I wanted to see if any people in recovery are taking benzos and how it has affected them.
Thanks

I'm so happy you are successful in sobriety. I read that soooo many people who do drugs/drink are self medicating for anxiety. I have a friend at work who does this, and unfortunately she is her worst enemy in managing her anxiety. I agree, if you can't open up and talk about it here then there's a problem. But people here are diverse and sometimes we/they say the wrong thing. I hope it hasn't hurt your feelings. Congrats on wanting to socialize again. I hope this place can be a help and not a detriment.

Thanks FairleighCalm
No one's hurt my feelings yet. I have gone to diff websites and after having something maybe not even negative but not positive posted about something I said, not ever gone back. I don't usually even respond on web sites. I'm usually more of a observer. I was admittedly a little afraid to post after reading that earlier thread and other's response to it. I agree diff people have diff opinions, fear of rejection is my main problem. Expressing myself is another. I felt sorry for the other recovering addicts who said they were't going to discuss it on this site and felt the need to defend them I guess. Being defensive/running away. Sometimes it's hard to find a middle ground. Live and let live for me is still difficult.

Well, you'll get no judgment from me or many others here. Sometimes I think I've screwed my life so badly that it's too late to recover...and I didn't have an affliction like drink/drugs, just my own poor judgment and instability. But hey, today is a new day and new things can and will happen. Live and learn and be grateful for the second chance, right? I hope you'll continue to post, you seem to have a lot to offer from your experience and recovery.

brotherly hug

Thanks

I went through treatment for alcohol abuse about thirteen years ago. It has been a long hard road. There are so many things at work. Basically after quitting drinking all my real problems came into the light. Klonopin was a huge help to me. I still take it when I am going to be in a situation that might cause panic. When I was first sober though I was only given very very small amounts of klonopin because it is highly addictive. I also take prozac which stabalizes my mood and prevents me from falling into a deep depression. I will probably always be on prozac and always have a klonopin nearby just in case.

The first step to getting well is getting sober. I am proud of myself that I did that and I have stuck to it. Because it has been tough getting better. I recently started a therapy program on cds available through the social anxiety institute. I think it is going to help me overcome this. It is not easy but I feel that I am making progress. I would highly recommend looking into it. But they are pretty expensive.

I know that I have to change my thought patterns by cognitive thinking otherwise it will be the same old tapes over and over again.

Congrats on your sobriety and I have found there are a lot of very nice people here. I would think there have been a lot of people who were addicted to something at one time to kill the pain and lessen the anxiety. So no worries.

thanks, I have been sober for 11 years and have been on ssri's for sa up until now. I have recently been given Klonapin prn and I am nervous about taking it due to its addictive properties. I've taken it 3 times in about 3 months and I've been ok so far. I'm kind of excited about having it for social situations. I'm just afraid of becoming dependent on it.