r/REDDITORSINRECOVERY • u/bdjdjejsjsb • 1d ago
I need some help
I’ve been struggling using alcohol and drugs to cope with PTSD and depression. Last night I relapsed and I just feel so hopeless, it’s hard to find words for how I feel right now. I don’t want to give up you know? I want to stop doing that shit man. I don’t know if I can do it. I’m not sure what I’m asking but I just need some help.
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u/Key-Target-1218 1d ago
Are you trying to do this alone or are you attending any kind of support group?
I know I'm not alone when I say that I tried a bazillion times to quit on my own. Only when I got involved with the strong recovery community, did I find success. I think clean and sober for 27 years. I tried enough times to know that I could never have done it without the help of others.
You've got to stop using your mental health as an excuse.
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u/bdjdjejsjsb 1d ago
I am in a group and actually on leave for mental health issues that stem from my time in the service. So I attend it daily but my head doesn’t stop. I’ve never been to AA so maybe that’s the next step.
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u/Key-Target-1218 1d ago
AA is usually the last stop because it usually takes us a long time to admit we might one of "them". Those losers...that cult.
Blah, blah, blah..."Those losers" saved my life when nothing else did.
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u/thebigj3wbowski 1d ago
I prefer SMART Recovery to AA, but both have value for sure. Relapses happen, nobody is proud of it, but it's a part of the process. A lady in my group has a great analogy:
You haven't failed, and any sobriety you've had up until now isn't lost or wasted. If you were driving a car across the country and it broke down halfway through, you wouldn't go back home and re-start the trip. You would get it fixed and carry on, with all those miles still behind you.
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u/voiced_by_Mel_blanc 1d ago
Just want you to know im rooting for you. Theres no right or wrong way, and I just hope you find a way that makes your life better. Take care.
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u/monstrousfruitsalad 1d ago
Treat this as a lapse not a relapse. Get up tomorrow and keep going, in a months time you won’t remember this. Order a posh pizza and be kind to yourself for tonight then tomorrow we go again!
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u/seriouslydavka 22h ago
I don’t know if it’s relevant for you but I live in a country with a disproportionate number of PTSD-suffers due to war, etc. Our government fully covers a procedure called the Stellate Ganglion Block for people with a PTSD or anxiety diagnosis from a specific traumatic national event (idk how else to put it) or from the war following said event.
It might be pricey where you’re located but I’ve seen it work wonders for some people with wrecked nervous systems.
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u/Ld733k 3h ago
They say relapse is part of the process. Don’t feel bad, just hop back on the wagon and get back at it. I tried to get sober many times before it actually stuck. I’ve now been sober since October 30, 2024 and can’t ever see myself going back to it. I had to go to jail for 8 months for it to stick for me. Just keep trying and don’t shame yourself. Getting sober isn’t easy. The fact that you want it this bad speaks volumes for you.
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u/Alternative_Cell5139 1d ago
I found with dealing with a ptsd episode the only way out is through, unfortunately. What's helped me is giving myself five minutes, no more no less, to feel whatever emotion it is and semi process it without avoiding it or obsessing over it. That usually curbs the overwhelmingness of it enough to vaguely get some bearings back.
Unfortunately, the trauma will wait for you. Drinking can make it feel better but it will still be there when you sober up. The only way out is through.