drug replacement for alcohol

[gem001]

Are there any anti-depressants that will make one feel as good as alcohol did before it stopped working? i haven't had a drink in 28 years and i've just about had it.

[madhat73]

Dear Gemm,
I am an alcoholic and have been sober for 1 1/2 years. I am also on antidepressents and anti-anxiety pills. I would so rather drink my illnesses away, but to me that is not an option. I think you should go back to the time when you decided to quit using alcohol. Did you hit rock-bottom? Did you lose your family, get arrested, become homeless? Just remember, if you start drinking again and you truly are an alcoholic, things will get ugly again real fast. Alcohol is truly not the answer for depression and anxiety. It will just worsen the situation!  Don't give up! There are so many people going through the same thing. First and for most, keep sober!!!

http://www.aa.org/lang/en/meeting_finder.cfm?origpage=29

[birdie0907]

Celexa made every day for me a happy experience. Another person wrote here that she had to go off it because she was too sensitive and it made her want to put the world in a bear hug. My experience was similar, but toned down to a normal manageable feeling, although I could handle working with my worst enemy and still feel thoroughly happy while fighting off his nasty attacks.
The experience is different for each person, so I leave it to your imagination to determine if this is a replacement for whatever feeling alcohol gave you. At least I was in total control of my senses with the med, which contrasts with alcohol making you think you are in control while your judgment and perhaps your personality is actually off base.
What is your situation? Depressed, angry, anxious?

[whodunnit]

No, there aren't. Sorry.

I must disagree though about alcohol not making people feel good. I used it for about 20 years and frankly I had a great time except for the hangovers. It was my substute for dealing with it properly and because I was a happy drunk it helped me get through for a very long time.

You say youi haven't had a drink in 28 years. If you were an alcoholic before stopping then you know what resuming grog will do to you. Probably fairly quickly. If you get miserable on grog don't go back to it.

I was certainly an alcoholic and the reason I stopped in the end was simply because I started to become violent and angry on grog. And I cannot go back onto grog as I know how quickly I'd deteriorate and reach the end.

But on the other hand there's only so much we can take of failed treatments aren't there? I've managed to find a good combo of meds and so on that allows me to feel fairly OK so I'm sort of content these days. But if I had not reached this level I know where I'd be. Not around.

Good luck mate and do what you feel is right. No one can tell you what is best, only you know.

[ILADVOCATE]

Alcohol doesn't really make people feel good but it can be a form of self medication. As I learned going back to health class alcohol does have an anti-depressent effect but not in a helpful manner. Any anti-depressent will treat depression better as anti-depressents directly target the receptors and alcohol just numbs people out.