Dual Diagnosis: Recovering from Depression and Alcoholism

Depression and alcoholism as a dual diagnosis kept me in a downward spiral until I reached out and asked for help. I drank because I was depressed, and then the alcohol depressed me even more, thus encouraging me to self-medicate with more alcohol. Recovering from either depression or alcoholism alone is challenging enough; recovering from the dual diagnosis of depression and alcoholism often feels impossible.

But it’s not impossible. My mere presence on earth is proof that a person can recover from depression and alcoholism successfully. I have by no means defeated these conditions, but I have found a healthy way to live with my dual diagnosis of depression and alcoholism.

Hope for the Dual Diagnosis of Alcoholism and Depression

There are still days where my depression kicks in, creating an emotional void in my chest and a weight drags behind me. Sometimes my alcoholic symptoms are strong and I crave a drink so badly I can imagine the taste and burn of my favorite cocktail. Even so, I don't consider these experiences setbacks. Now I know that I am successfully battling alcoholism and depression because I have hope -- which is something I lacked throughout the first 90 days of my sobriety.

In this video, I talk about what it was like when I hit bottom in my alcoholism, the earliest days of my recovery from my dual diagnosis of my depression and alcoholism, and the moment when everything finally shifted.

https://youtu.be/U4idlS9_tQA

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