It turns out the best antidote to rapidly declining mental health is becoming completely obsessed with someone who just isn't that into you, and putting the power of your salvation in their indifferent hands.
I never did learn the rules of intimacy and sexuality, so I just figured I'd make up my own, and enacted relationships in my own head that served as powerful stimulants, sedatives and sometimes full on hallucinogenics.
This episode also talks about concurrent mental health concerns, and that I cannot talk about alcoholism without also acknowledging my mental health concerns, as they were not separate issues, but elements that fed on one another.
Recovery from addiction is a conversation that is being had more and more, which is fantastic. I also see the importance of advocacy for mental health recovery, that a diagnosis does not have to mean a life of despair or even more subtle dreariness and desperation. We need to talk to each other about strategies that work, and believe that we can have rich, fulfilling lives, not just 'get by' or 'learn to cope.' We can learn to THRIVE because we are often FORCED to learn. We've hit that wall. We have no choice but to go back. What an opportunity.
Call to action: Share this with someone you think might relate to it. We never know what little things might make a difference in someone acknowledging their own need for help.
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Thanks to Bensound.com for the intro and outro music
Here is a list of suicide crisis hotlines by country:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines
Here are links to support groups with an online presence that can be vital in recovery:
For a comprehensive list of 12 Step Meetings:
https://12step.org/social/online-meetings
Smart Recovery:
https://www.smartrecovery.org/community
Refuge Recovery
https://www.refugerecovery.org