Bipolar Disorder in Teen

How to Get Rid of Teen Bipolar Disorder
By Jen

I saw Nick's experience and I wanted to comment.

I was diagnosed bipolar in my teens. Because of the compulsivity of that disorder and some other things I got heavily into drugs, a lot of drugs...First pot, alcohol and ciggarets. Then speed, coke, hallucinagetics also exstasy and opium and I did them every way you can. I have never done heroin so I can't relate to that specific drug or its addiction. I know about hidding things though. When I was doing drugs I learned to be very secretive. Also my personality changed alot after doing drugs when I was young I always put everyone else first but after doing drugs it was all about me. A very selfish lifestyle. I don't know what I was running away from but I was running. I found heaven and hell. I should be dead today several times over. I just wanted to get to that high again and I couldn't bear the downs. It was really fun for the first few years but then it turned very wrong, very sour, and I was miserable. I thought about suicide too much. I thought it was my only option. I tried quiting many times but always fell back into it.

My family intervened. The first intervention landed me in the wilderness on a survival program for 45 days. That made a huge difference I got out of the drug lifestyle by not hanging around my old buddies and when I did do drugs I'd do them in small sprees instead of everyday. However I thought alcohol wasn't a serious problem until it became an addiction. I went into the hospital a few times. The second intervention was me going to Alcoholics Anonymous(there is also a Narcotics Anonymous). After a 10 day in-patient program and a 3 month out patient program. That helped with the bipolar and substance abuse. I've been clean from alcohol and heavy drugs for more than a year. And it's miraculous at the change in my life style and to have my brain back (still not back all the way but it's bettter than before!) Now I take my medication normally for my bipolar disorder. I just wanted to say life does get better but you have to take the steps to make it better. I used to think that I needed a substance in me all the time to get through the day. Now I have found the cure to addcition and that is through the support groups I go to like AA. It was so hard at first to go to those meetings I was so spacey and couldn't follow what anyone was saying (brain damage). Now I look at newcomers and I can see some of them go through what I went through and it makes me realize how far I've come and they remind me that I don't want to go back. They taught me how to get through the day, days became weeks and weeks became months. I learned that it's one day at a time. One of the biggest helps to get through the day is by talking to someone else who has an addiction. Just talking out how you are doing for that day. For me it's talking to other alcoholics. I have discovered who I am all over again. Thanks also to my family support and God. The benifits of being sober are so worth it! I'm telling you all of this so you will know there is an option ohter than suicide and so that you will find hope again. Just focus on getting through today, if I did it, you can do it! Hang in there life does get better.

Posted by Jen : April 20, 2005

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