Debbie Bruce: Addiction or Bipolar I?

Posted March 7, 2009

I have only been diagnosed with bipolar since November 8, 2008. I am 48 years old and have been married since I was 18. I think I was having hypomania since last April when I became involved with 2 other men that I know well. Then last month I had a short fling with a stranger. I feel so guilty, so messed up about this behavior. I have a great psychologist, and 2 counselors who know about this behavior. One is an addiction counselor who says this is normal when clean from drugs, my counselor says it is not acceptable. I wonder if I am totally Bipolar I, as I have been diagnosed, or if the addiction is the problem.

4 Responses to “Debbie Bruce: Addiction or Bipolar I?”

  1. Robin on October 20th, 2009 5:41 pm

    Debbie,
    I don’t know enough about blogs to tell how old our blog is, but I hope you have gotten help soon enough to help you. I have been diagnosed since about 1987 but have gone to therapy since 1985. When I first started going,I was told it was Clinical Depression. I was having a great deal of situations just like you. I was actively drinking. Self-medicating. As I look back, after years of therapy, I understand(and have been advised) that what I was doing is ABSOLUTELY normal. Impulse control is unmanageable during a Bipolar episode. It wasn’t until I received medication directly used for the Disorder that I received help.If you want to email me on a one-to-one basis, I would be glad to discuss it further with you.
    Robin

  2. Dana on March 6th, 2010 9:51 am

    I’m Dana and I’m bipolar and an addict, there are a lot of us out there. Abusing a substance only exacerbated my illness. You’ve got to get both under control and stop self medicating all together. Recovery is possible for both diseases of the brain. I have been living in he’ll throughout my twenties and didn’t get the propped diagnosis because I was using and drinking. I wanted to die all the time , life is still hellish; but I still have hope that I will fully recover and experience true joy in this life

  3. jenifer c. on October 11th, 2011 12:17 am

    I am also an addict in recovery, living with bipolar. I was diagnosed about 6 months ago, and I still have a hard time with my addiction during my mania times. I was wondering if maybe you could share how it is you deal with your addiction and your BP. Any kind of info, direction, advice, thoughts, and expieriences would give me insight on how to deal with my situation. Thank you

  4. deborah on December 21st, 2011 8:12 pm

    i am also an addict but not in recovery,living with bipolar 1. i wish all of you a very merry christmas. may the new year bring you peace.

Leave a Reply




CAPTCHA Image
*

PsychCentral Best of Web - Blog Award

Pages & Stories

Blogroll