Dual Diagnosis

When a person is affected by both an emotional or psychiatric illness and chemical dependency, they are suffering from co-occurring conditions.

Psychiatric illness and chemical dependency affect an individual physically, psychologically, socially, and spiritually. Although the two conditions are separate and independent, they interact in ways that make diagnosis, treatment, and recovery more complex.

the Foundations Associates (Dual Diagnosis Link)

DRA (Dual Recovery Anonymous) is a 12 step program that helps a person recover from both the Chemical Dependancy and to live with a Psychiatric illness to the best of their potential.

DRA advocates the use of outside medical help and does not itself treat mental illness. DRA is not affiliated with any other 12 step program nor does it have any opinions on them.

There is an article on their website , on AA and NA's view of medications and how it is wrong to keep a person with a mental illness to keep from getting the help of medical profession or to be told they do not have a mental illness and should just use AA (or whatever program they advocate.)

Here are the Links to the websites.

Dual Recovery Website Link 
Medications and Recovery Literature Link

Make sure you click on the LINK ABOVE -

there is LOTS of info on DRA and meeting format and info on how having an emotional &/or mental illness along with an addiction of any kind makes it much more difficult to stay clean and sober. 

DON'T GIVE UP or LOSE FAITH !! It is Possible !! Please go read the information if you are struggling with relapse and If anyone ever wants to talk about Dual Recovery - they can send me an e-mail or post here -

I am a member and will try to help. Just not up to starting a regular meeting yet. Have a great day.

Thanks for this.

Was just talking to my sponcer last night and she mentioned that I maybe needed to also find some things about dual recovery.

i am not used to my sponcer yet but I think its good that she understands dual recovery and knows alot about it because she is dual diagnosis also.

Thanks ((((( Sobergirl ))))). A meeting in the future would be kool. But for now take care of you and get to feeling better. And thanks for the info. I will check it out.

Hugz and prayers to you

Presently, I'm struggling with accepting that I 'might' have a mental illness ('might' as in if I don't get it diagnosed, then that means I don't have it). 

For the last couple of months, I've been dealing with major anxiety attacks where I just want to run - I don't know from what, but just run.  I get a feeling inside of pure terror.

I get so down that I think of harming myself or more.  I'll be sitting here at the computer, with tears rolling down my face for no apparent reason.

Miigwetch for listening.

 Hi Whisper ! Glad you found us!! Yes..Please look into Dual Diagnosis meetings in your area. I was so glad to learn that there are such meetings. People who do not have a mental illness have difficulty relating and are uncomfortable sometimes with our sharing. It is nice to have a place to share how our illness and addictions affect each other because they certainly do. I have great difficulty sometimes discerning if my problem is because I am not working my program 'hard enough' or if it is my other 'illness' acting up. Finally I have a Doc in the program that helps me out. (Hugs)

Welcome Whisper and anyone else who has to pull double (or even multiple) duty in sobriety.

I am one of those AA's who will speak openly and honestly about my problems other than alcohol and will freely say that if I do not deal with them, they will deal with me and eventually they will take me out, one way or the other.

For me daeling with my depression and PTSD is as much a part of my program of recovery and my sobriety as "Don't Drink Go To Meetings."

It's kind of hard to make a meeting or maintain that "concious contact" when your mind has you trapped reliving some nightmare from childhood or some tother part of your life or the "brain soup" is running low on a few of the chemicals it needs to keep you on your feet.

It is a shame that there is not enough acceptance of the fact that many AAs have "problems other than alcohol" and need to look outsdie AA for the support they need to live a happy, joyous and free life sober.

I cringe when I hear some iddiot playing doctor and telling another member of this fellowship that they are not sober if they are taking medications or they run down the need for counceling. They are usually the same idiots that berate the fact that so few people seem to stay sober anymore.

So welcome to this place where you, all of you, is accepted and supported.

Your Brother In Recovery

hobie

Pink's ideas on multiple problems:  Somedays it rains and some it shines.  Then there's the day it does both followed by an ice storm!

It shined the day I found out I was alcoholic. Hope soon followed. Older Lady that adopted me said there was more and it began to rain. After that.....well, I'm still here, barely surviving the simple discovery of more.

I love AA. I revere the Power behind AA. I believe in singleness of purpose because I respect AA. Alcoholics Anonymous has never been out to get people with other problems. Maybe a few misguided members have but not AA. So I see it like this:  this other problem is a part of my life thus I may mention it, but not talk about it. There is a difference between mentioning and talking about. Refer to As Pink Sees It page 14,238. J/K

It just would not be fair to expect AA members to know or understand my other problem. It would be like forcing my family to understand my alcoholism. They need to know I have it and thats it.  It won't hurt for them to learn more or show me empathy but that should be at their request, followed by as much humility as I can possibly muster.

Outside the meeting I'm a human being and can talk about anything I want including my other problem, however, I'm mindful that the newcomer comes here, to AA, you know the alcohol recovery place, for a booze problem first and formost.

I made my own little theory to keep my ego in place. Did this cause I've seen long term sobriety argue its way right out of the disease of alcoholism and then die drunk....go figure. Anyway, it works for me, and it goes like this:

There is only 100% pain. At 101% pain we expire / die. Some days my alcoholism attacks me 100%. Other days my other problem does. Or maybe they hit me 60% other and 40% alcoholism. Even in recovery, me being better and all and my problems being in remission they still have 100% of an area to attack me and cause me pain. So it becomes necessay to apply 60% and 40% efforts from each recovery program. This is what the Pros (docs) call synergizing your programs. I think thats soo cute - I'm synergized    Mind you, this is only theory for keeping my ego right sized.

Some days I think my other problem is worse than alcoholism. Now you know what my ego could do with that. I could work my way right out of AA. I'm in worse shape, require more recovery, blah, blah, you just don't understand blah, blah. That's just not true. Remember, at 101% you're dead or maybe have returned to your home planet.

Still I know that alcoholism gets its fingers into everything and pulls it into its world. Thats a simple fact I can live with. It's like the movie the THING. It shapes itself after its victim taking on all its attributes till it looks and acts just like the victim did in the first place, cept now its the THING.

A simple work shop asks who is worse off? The THING? or the Thing's THING? The 100% alky or the 60 / 40 alky? The 100% alky is being attacked by more alcoholism on a given day but has 100%  of the program required to keep it in remission. The 60% alky is the same with 60% recovery program plus has to 40% to mow the lawn with or whatever 

Pain is pain and 100% is all there is. God doesn't give us more than we can handle whether its 100% of a recovery program or 60 + 40 = 100%. I do appreciate what it says in the opening thread, it's more "complicated."

It's more complicated not we're more complicated    That was not an invitation to brag

Anyway, all I'm really saying is the THING is out to get us and if you're not careful it'll use that other THING which is out to get you, so try to keep your THINGS synergized.

 Just trying to be a bit lighthearted this morning with all this but truely it has worked for me keeping my ego in place for some time now.

"God can't part with the sight of your Silverwings"