Daily Recovery Club

living sober one day at a time

118 Days Sober: Medicine can’t fix a broken lifestyle

Posted by on 5 Comments

Doing yard work is something I missed living in my Haitian ghetto.

I’m back in the USA — again.

Mowing the lawn is part of my life. Since I was 12 years old, it’s been a weekly summertime ritual. This is my meditation, exercise, and nature time.

Life is good (and normal) when I’m pushing that little mower.

Second guessing mental health

I’ve been rethinking my bipolar medicine and diagnosis. This week I’m getting a second opinion on those and focusing instead on getting a stable lifestyle.

Mood swings are typical after a person hits rock bottom and tries to claw their way out. That’s not something medicine can fix.

Pills can’t fix my unsettled lifestyle:

  • Irregular sleep
  • Not enough exercise
  • Bouncing between culture (Haiti & USA)
  • Poor nutrition
  • Lack of daily routine
  • Sketchy relationships
  • Broken spiritual habits

All those things directly affect my mood. Why should I expect stable emotions if everything else is a mess?

Medicine stopped working

The first few weeks, I thought the meds were helping. Then I visited Haiti again and my mood swings returned. They especially trended downward towards depression.

What was the difference?

It was that list of lifestyle issues. While in America, I can structure a better lifestyle. While in Haiti, I’m basically on house arrest.

Nothing on the list above can be fixed with Depakote. So now I’m rethinking the bipolar medicine and focusing on living a healthy lifestyle.

Balanced lifestyle is point 4 in SMART Recovery. Many would argue it’s the principle behind steps 10, 11, and 12 in AA.

Simple Goals

So today I’m facing life with the same goals as before:

  1. Stay sober.
  2. Get stable.
  3. Be present for my kids

I’m just looking for better strategies for #2.

Related posts:

  1. 15 Weeks Sober (105 Days): Is my bipolar medicine making me depressed? It’s been creeping up on me for a few weeks. I have a steady feeling that nothing is worth doing. Behind that, the sinking suspicion that maybe my whole sobriety...
  2. 104 Days Sober – Birthdays, Cravings, and Broken People I love the recovery community I’ve found on the internet. Here are some blogs and tweets that helped me this week. I think you’ll like them too. Happy Birthday HD...
  3. 11 Days Sober: Dangerous “good days” in early recovery Today was a really solid day. My alcohol cravings were minimal, attitude was positive, and I had moments feeling like a healthy person. I spent time with the family, went...
  4. 26 Days Sober: How my rock bottom became a sober living house in a Caribbean ghetto I can’t imagine a more bizarre way to get sober – except it’s working. I’m 26 days sober and wanted to share a little more about my living arrangements. It’s not...
  5. 70 days sober (10 weeks sober) Is PAWS a real thing? This recovery shit is fragile, even after 10 weeks sober. It’s been 70 days sober, but my brain has been flipping out and bringing me back to alcoholic daydreams. It’s definitely connected...

About Sober Tony

Tony is the founder and editor of Daily Recovery Club. He is a widely respected authority (in his own mind). He's just trying to live a little longer and a lot stronger.

This blog is not professional or medical advice, rather a support community for others suffering from alcoholism. We are all experts on failure, starting over, and trying to laugh at the absurdity of it all. Find him on Twitter @soberTony

Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. asobermiracle says

    I’m glad things are going well. I’ve found that I need somewhat of a routine now to feel good. I used to think of it as boring, but now, if I am traveling a lot or trying to do too much, I become stressed and moody. Part of my solution is that I say “no” a lot more often to things people ask of me. Also, exercise, when I can stick to it, is amazing. Disciplining myself to do it, however, remains a challenge. ; )

    Reply

    • Sober Tony says

      That’s a really helpful point about saying NO.

      I keep doing the overcommitment thing and have never met a boundary that I liked. That makes routine really difficult.

      But that’s part of our recovery, learning to be regular people again.

      Reply

Leave a Reply