Topic Tuesday // Breaking The Cycle: Addiction, Alcohol and Drugs // Tues 27th April, 7:00-8:30PM AEST

We seem to have trawled through ever professional you can think of to find help for our son but because he denies the extent of the amount of alcohol he is using, his mental health continues to deteriorate along with his physical well being. How do you help someone who denies there is a problem?

@TAB , @Bunniekins

Mr shaz was really really bad, and being sick and unwell

But over time and a lot of hard work with a couple of mistakes

We only buy 3 beers each for Friday night and that is it , sometimes we want more but we try very hard not too

@TideisTurning , @Daisydreamer , @Hello3 , @Calvin

Hi Hydrangea, (nice name)

I really feel for you and my parents would too. We had a similar thing going on in my youth, I'm 57 now. I did get off drugs but it then took a long time to come to terms with the mental health side of things. My parents were so good, soooo unbelievably good. They tirelessly kept in touch with me, they tried not to take things personally, they took an interest in whether I could survive financially or not (giving food or paying bills if they were worried I would spend cash on drugs) Now that I look back on it, I am so utterly grateful to them.

Mental health issues can also be linked to a sense of physical unwellness, which most mental health sufferers tolerate because they don't know anything different. There is unwellness or fatigue linked with low levels of certain neurotransmitters such as serotonin We are not lazy we really do find it hard to move the body under the chronic body inertia linked with schizophrenia. Some people report feeling as though they have been hit with bad electricity.

There is also a connection between music, movies and games, and schizophrenia. It is a long process. Overplaying computer games in childhood means that the child is always hyper, the brain is secreting large amounts of serotonin, dopamine and other neurotransmitters as the child fantasizes that it is in fight or flight. By early teenage the brain is depleted of serotonin, causing lethargy and depression. When recovering I went through a stage of avoiding media, especially violent movies, my brain felt supersaturated and I needed to rest my brain. By early 20's the brain can produce enough serotonin again as long as there are no drugs or games. If there are drugs it can take years to get back the serotonin lost in childhood.

It can be frustrating as parents talking to a son or daughter with these problems because they negate everything you say. It's good sometimes just to be with, be bright, drop off a scone and keep going, their brain literally cannot find the positive when depleted of serotonin, they don't mean to be mean.

Heroin raises the level of serotonin in the blood stream by catalysing the brain to secrete it which means longterm the brain becomes even more depleted. It is terrible that the person thinks they are self-medicating because they get the serotonin in their blood but their symptoms will return worse than before because the brain is being depleted. Understanding this is what got me off heroin. I understood that I was making what I called The Fear worse by taking heroin, not better. The idea arose,, "Just me and reality, every day straight". It took until I was 34, to get off drugs.

Hang in there with your son, if he becomes violent take him straight to rehab whether he wants it or not because he is probably on ice.

There are many drug and alcohol agencies out there to help you. Find an AOD (alcohol and other drugs) counsellor you connect with and work closely with that person. Go in person, not online. It doesn't have to cost money, many agencies are funded. Eg Turning Point, WRAD, ReachOut Australia, SECADA Keyword: PATIENCE This takes years and years to sort out once it has started. it is really good that you know he is taking drugs. That is a very positive start. Be gentle. He feels bad enough about himself already. GOOD LUCK

Merry Berry

@Shaz51 My downfall is red wine and as I say now a days it makes me feel so sick even after a glass. I have to stay off it all together.

I have some good news my son is going to have Hynotherapy to try and give up smoking cannibasis I am keeping everything crossed for him. Any suggestions people

well thats good @Shaz51 been a long time since I did just 3 drinks its all or nothing

I find that really helpful to understand the difference between substance use and addiction @Calvin. Also so true about the mental and physical attachment- there is often a lot of focus on the physical, but the mental impact is something is really significant. A few people tonight have spoken about dual diagnosis where the mental impact of addiction and the crossover with mental health too

@Time The fact you have taken the first step is a huge important leap.

@Hello3 @Calvin Question 3:

For many people, addiction, substance use and mental health are interrelated, and so is recovery.

One question that is often asked is what comes first, mental health or addiction? How are they related?

@Daisydreamer

For many people, addiction, substance use and mental health are interrelated, and so is recovery.

One question that is often asked is what comes first, mental health or addiction? How are they related?

This is often referred to as the chicken or the egg scenario, which came first? Co-occuring AOD and Mental Health conditions need to have a clear distinction between the two. Each situation should be case by case.

An example, our Peer worker advised that while he was in active addiction he is certain he would have had a mental health diagnosis due to some similiarity in symptoms. While he had been in recovery all those symptoms had disappeared.

If somebodies mental health is not effectively treated it can make it much more difficult to get into recovery and can also cause a higher risk of relapse.

Other things to note is that with AOD treatment there’s no involuntary admission compared to the MH system.