Hi

[ithinkiamlost]

This isn't the first time I've been a member of this site but I lost the login details of my old account so decided to start again. I think I only posted a few replies and didn't get to know anybody.

I've been anxious and nervous all my life. When I got to about 16 years old things started getting far worse. From then until about 21 I struggled to leave the house or interact with people who came to see me. I would force myself to do things but this got harder and harder to do. Throughout that time I had been using drugs and alcohol to help me deal with my problems and by 21 I was an alcoholic.

For the next 14 years I continued to drink. I had periods when I stopped but within 6 months I would be drinking again. I'm surprised I'm still alive.

It's now been nearly a year since I've had a drink and for the first time since 16 I'm not forcing myself not to have one, I really don't want a drink :yesyes:

Unfortunately, quitting drinking hasn't helped my Social Anxiety. I very rarely leave the house, haven't worked for about 14 years, and have few friends.

I'm hoping to meet people in the same situation as me and by doing this get the strength to go out more and find work.

Sorry for the long post. There was a lot more I wanted to add but decided to bring these things up in other posts.

James

[venusbluejeans]

Hiya ithinkiamlost and welcome to NMP :welcome:

Why not take a look at our articles on our home page, they contain a wealth of information and are a great starting place for your time on the forum.

I hope you find the as site helpful and informative as I have and that you get the help and support you need here and hope that you meet a few friends along the way :yesyes:

[Davit]

Sounds familiar, I started drinking and smoking at 13 and quit at 23 when I woke up half frozen curled up to a rock after an all night in the bush drinking party. I staggered home and didn't touch alcohol till Many many years later. Now I make wine but drink little, I give it away. On a real hot day after working in the garden I like a bottle of Richards red or Guinness. I can't stand Canadian beer. If I thought for a minute I needed it I would quit just Like I quit the SSRIs and the benzo's. Half a life is no life. I was diagnosed with social anxiety but don't have it anymore. I'm retired but would still be working if not for Arthritis.
I like this site, I think It has potential. It certainly has good information.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Welcome to NMP James :welcome:

Well done for quitting the drinking!!!

---------- Post added at 06:58 ---------- Previous post was at 06:54 ----------


Now I make wine but drink little, I give it away.

I think we've just found a candidate for "member of the year"! :yesyes:

Have you thought of fermenting probiotic beverages? I know you can turn things like kefir into alcohol and there are others from what I recall.

[Davit]

I do think I thought about it when I had milk goats, all I made was yoghurt and soft cheese. I do make organic Sauerkraut in one gallon jars on the counter and freeze it to save the goodness that would be lost processing. It is easy and has crunch that from a jar doesn't have. I made yoghurt too when I had my brown swiss milk cow for feeding unwanted calves. Calf milked one side, I milked the other. Only other thing I make is apple cider vinegar. Oh and wine jelly. 41 years since I last got drunk. I can't think why I would ever have wanted to lose all sense of reality, I had some anxiety then but no panic attack. Getting drunk was just the thing to do. Drinking only stops the synapses from working temporarily, you have to be very blotto to kill brain cells. Your liver would die first. Still no reason to get drunk.
Small amounts of alcohol are used as a carrier in tinctures to get them in your system faster. Second to the fact alcohol mixes better with the oils in a lot of herbals than water and works as a preservative.

[ithinkiamlost]

Thanks for the kind welcomes.

[blueboy87]

Hello James. My story is kinda similar but a shorter timescale.
I hope you find it easier to go out ans socialize more as time goes on