Bipolars dealing with Alcoholism Group

Do you all have online meetings, or is it just a posting board?

I've been struggling with alcoholism since I was 19. I have tried sobriety countless times, but then a "mood swing" hits and I'm back to drinking. I'm so sick of this cycle.

Thank you.

Jackie

Hi Jackieh2012, Welcome to MDJ and our very special small, close-knit group. We are a posting board. Our group has 4 very experienced group leaders with quite a bit of sobriety time between us. Ours is a supportive, encouraging and informative group. If you ever have any questions or need anything, please feel free to contact me or any one of the other group leaders by private message (PM) so we can help.

If you are looking for online meetings, I strongly recommend looking for a meeting through the AA intergroup. For information about online AA meetings sponsored by AA intergroup (AA itself does not sponsor online meetings), see:

http://www.aa.org/lang/en/subpage.cfm?page=219

I have used a board for online AA meetings and 12 step work (that I got through AA intergroup), www.12stepme.org I cannot say enough good things about this group, but I warn you, do not go there unless you are serious about working your program. They are pretty active in getting visitors involved with their sponsors and working the 12 steps through in about 30 days. My sponsor with their program was marvelous. We worked on the phone and online.

I know there are other members here who have used other online meeting sites they might want to recommend.

Is there anything you want to talk about?

Welcome to the group, Jackie. You have found a very supportive online group of people you can talk to via posts, PMs (private messages) and friend chats. Quitting drinking isn't an easy thing. You say that part of the problem is due to mood swings. Are you on any medications for your bipolar? If so, it sounds like they may need adjusting to prevent the mood swings. That would definitely help you. It sounds like maybe part of your drinking behavior is self medicating because of the mood swings. Just a thought.

I am glad you found us and are joining. Feel free to keep posting.

Bipolar Disorder mimics alcoholism and many doctors misdiagnosis us. I agree with the above. Arey you seeing a psychiatrist regarding your mood disorder. If not..go. I self medicated for decades using alcohol to deal with my moods. It seemed to work and I did not accept my bipolar diagnosis. Finally I fell into a deep depression that lasted 3 years. It took awhile but my psychiatrist finally got me on the right "cocktail and I am pretty stable today. I still have my ups and downs but they are not as serious and I can function. I got sober after being diagnosed with a weak heart that was damaged by large amounts of alcohol. I go to meetings and have a sponser and also act as a sponsee for others that want to quit drinking and stay sober. You have come to a good place to share with others and get support.