Your essay was eye-opening, informative and very relatable. Being an alcoholic in recovery for 15 years, diagnosed as bi-polar with extreme anxiety disorder and most recently with COPD, anxiety had ruled my life for the past few years. I don't breathe correctly to begin with, therefore when I get in a stressful situation, I'm a crumbling mess. I too had a whole battery of tests run a few years back, fearing cardiac problems since I was experiencing dumbness down my arm during panic attacks.
I've had to do much of my own research to find answers, learn what will benefit me specifically. I too now am on plant-based medication which has improved my daily life tremendously. It's something I only share and discuss with a small group of people because everyone has an opinion on cannabis, usually an uneducated opinion. So thank you once again for sharing your story. I believe it will help others with anxiety, especially those of us who are also in recovery.
So glad you found some relief, Lynne. And you’re so right about the uneducated opinions! That’s a big reason why I shared my story. The misinformation out there is so damaging. Hugs to you!
When people choosing to live alcohol free one day at a time ask my opinion about "other drugs," I say "I'm agnostic on that topic." That I have no opinion on outside issues. I say the only requirement for getting sober is a desire to stop drinking. I say we are not doctors. Not that I trust doctors to be helpful about drug and alcohol recovery. I told a periodontal surgeon once that I don't drink or drug and my body often reacts weirdly to anesthesia compared to other people. He laughed and said, "And I'm in Al-Anon ha ha ha." Another perio surgeon responded by refusing to prescribe anti-anxiety and pain meds I require to undergo hours-long oral surgery, even the limited amount just for the surgery. I tell the woman asking about "other drugs," who shares her shame that some have scorned her for sharing her problems with meds and other drugs during her forty years without alcohol, that probably many of the scorners are probably on some kind of medication, often for depression, and others probably have gummies in their pockets. It's no secret, to me at least, that if we turn out to be alcoholics, we probably grew up in a lineage of alcoholics/enablers and/or in a crazy-ass home, so we will have other issues going on from surviving instability, abuse, chronic depression, and anxiety. I think it's great you're sharing this. Surviving addiction is a very big deal, and those of us sober today have only a daily reprieve.
Your essay was eye-opening, informative and very relatable. Being an alcoholic in recovery for 15 years, diagnosed as bi-polar with extreme anxiety disorder and most recently with COPD, anxiety had ruled my life for the past few years. I don't breathe correctly to begin with, therefore when I get in a stressful situation, I'm a crumbling mess. I too had a whole battery of tests run a few years back, fearing cardiac problems since I was experiencing dumbness down my arm during panic attacks.
I've had to do much of my own research to find answers, learn what will benefit me specifically. I too now am on plant-based medication which has improved my daily life tremendously. It's something I only share and discuss with a small group of people because everyone has an opinion on cannabis, usually an uneducated opinion. So thank you once again for sharing your story. I believe it will help others with anxiety, especially those of us who are also in recovery.
So glad you found some relief, Lynne. And you’re so right about the uneducated opinions! That’s a big reason why I shared my story. The misinformation out there is so damaging. Hugs to you!
When people choosing to live alcohol free one day at a time ask my opinion about "other drugs," I say "I'm agnostic on that topic." That I have no opinion on outside issues. I say the only requirement for getting sober is a desire to stop drinking. I say we are not doctors. Not that I trust doctors to be helpful about drug and alcohol recovery. I told a periodontal surgeon once that I don't drink or drug and my body often reacts weirdly to anesthesia compared to other people. He laughed and said, "And I'm in Al-Anon ha ha ha." Another perio surgeon responded by refusing to prescribe anti-anxiety and pain meds I require to undergo hours-long oral surgery, even the limited amount just for the surgery. I tell the woman asking about "other drugs," who shares her shame that some have scorned her for sharing her problems with meds and other drugs during her forty years without alcohol, that probably many of the scorners are probably on some kind of medication, often for depression, and others probably have gummies in their pockets. It's no secret, to me at least, that if we turn out to be alcoholics, we probably grew up in a lineage of alcoholics/enablers and/or in a crazy-ass home, so we will have other issues going on from surviving instability, abuse, chronic depression, and anxiety. I think it's great you're sharing this. Surviving addiction is a very big deal, and those of us sober today have only a daily reprieve.
Thanks for sharing my story!
Thank you for this piece. It gives me a lot to think about.