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Basic InformationMore InformationTestsLatest NewsMarijuana Use Rising Among High School Seniors: Report'Predrinking' Nearly Doubles Booze Consumption: StudyIn Terms of Drinking, the Rich Are Different, Study SaysDelayed Auditory Processing Found in Fetal Alcohol SyndromeHeavy Smokers, Drinkers May Face Pancreatic Cancer Earlier in LifeDrinking, Driving Drops by Half Among Teens: CDCModerate Drinking May Increase Risk of Heart Rhythm Disorder: StudyHealth Tip: Don't Combine Medication and AlcoholWhy Some Mothers (Wrongly) Let Kids Try AlcoholAlcoholism Treatment Saves Families MoneyDoctors Should Screen Adults for Alcohol Misuse, U.S. Panel SaysPrescription Drug Abuse Drops Among U.S. Young AdultsCognitive Ability, Motivation Tied in Addictive BehaviorExtra Steps Urged to Cut Alcohol, Drug Use in Military: ReportQuitting Drinking May Help Alcoholics' Bone Loss'Doctor Shopping' Tied to Fatal Prescription Drug OverdosesHeavy Drinking Linked to Earlier StrokePot Use May Raise Risk of Testicular Cancer: StudyWomen's Brains React Differently Than Men's to Alcoholism, Study FindsHeavy Marijuana Use in Teen Years May Lower IQ LaterPrior Substance Abuse Linked to Opioid Abuse in Young MenTeens Who Drink, Smoke More Likely to Abuse Painkillers: StudyStudy Affirms Marijuana, 'Spice' Harmful in PregnancyBrain Scans May Spot Teens at Risk for Problem DrinkingBooze, Energy Drinks, Casual Sex Combo Common in College: Study'Bath Salts' Demonstrate High Potential for AbuseIllegal 'Bath Salts' Mimic Cocaine in the Brain: StudyEffects of Heavy Alcohol Exposure During Pregnancy EvaluatedHeavy Drinking in Pregnancy Linked to Host of Problems in ChildrenMom's Pot Use Doubles Risk of 'Preemie' Birth: Study'Abuse-Resistant' Oxycontin May Be Driving Addicts to HeroinTeach Prescribers About Dangers of Long-Acting Pain Meds: FDAMethadone for Pain Relief Leading Cause of Fatal Overdoses: CDCSummer Is Peak Time for Teens to Try Drugs, Alcohol: Report40 Million Americans Addicted to Cigarettes, Alcohol or Drugs1 in 10 Fibromyalgia Patients Uses Marijuana to Ease PainGenes May Influence Reactions to PainkillersMore Mental Health Woes in College Kids Who Abuse Prescription DrugsTeen Drinkers May Feel Like Social Outcasts: StudyState Laws Cut Teen Drinking and Driving, Large Study ShowsMental Health Woes Raise Odds for Prescription Painkiller AbuseNeural Link Between Resiliency and Alcohol, Drug Use Identified Questions and AnswersBook ReviewsSelf-Help Groups |
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Anxious, depressed, confused, angry....the typical...Tue, Oct 7th 2008I have been feeling anxious and depressed since before high school. I'm not exactly sure when I started feeling this way. At first I attributed my problems to being in high school, and that maybe all of this was just a normal part of growing up. However I'm now 19, almost 20, and nothing has changed. I have a history of substance abuse, I would feel anxious and depressed and drugs helped me cope, however I didn't intend to develop a habit. I have since then, overdosed, been in the hospital, been in rehab, and have "moved on." However in reality I haven't moved on at all. I don't feel any different than I did from the first time I tried drugs. I have lied to everyone I love and know by saying that I've been clean. I HAVE relapsed, many times, and it's usually to the point where I do way too much, scare myself, and then drive myself into further depression after it happens. Then I don't do anything for a couple weeks, and the stress and depression build up again. Recently I have started drinking alcohol regularly. This scares me because although it was not my previous drug of choice, it's still a drug, and I fear it's just going to lead me down the same path that I have been in so many times before. I constantly wonder why I can realize what's wrong with me, yet not fix it. Why I can understand and admit that I have a problem, and not be able to resist my urges. This I feel is causing the anxiety. It's just become more and more debilitating. I am now in college and I fear I am going to flunk out because I can not get myself motivated to even try in classes because 3/4ths of my day is my thinking of why I'm depressed and anxious. I become angry at myself for not being able to resist my urges. Some days I will feel normal, not anxious, not sad, not confused, but on those days I always reason with myself that I should do a drug. And then the next days I'm either on something, or anxious and scared that I'm about to do something. I don't believe the drugs caused all of the problems. I started being depressed, used drugs to cope, quit drugs, became more depressed. I don't even seem to fit into the categories of the typical "depressed" person. I don't constantly cry, I don't sleep in bed all day, I don't experience half of the symptoms that most people define as clinical depression. Is there a category for people who are just, generally unhappy? THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION WILL NOT BE DISPLAYED UNTIL YOU HAVE INDICATED YOUR AGREEMENT WITH THE DISCLAIMER PRINTED JUST BELOW. CLICK THE 'I AGREE' BUTTON TO AGREE TO THESE TERMS AND SEE THE RESPONSE.
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