How has 2020 and coronovirus affected your recovery?

[speedracer]

Hi guys! Just curious how the events of 2020 are affecting your recovery? After a stern warning from the wife this morning that I am more interested in facebook, youtube, and the news than her, I had to admit she had a point. So I am taking a good look at myself. I apologized. I am dealing with anhedonia at month 16, so I not very motivated to begin with. I used to party hard on occassions and we used to have good times. Now I am completely sober and kinda I started wondering if the stress and isolation of 2020 may also have something to do with it. I obssess too much on politics, and I admit facebook and other social media is starting to feel like an addiction. The division and hate in our country is freaking me out.  Bible prophecy seems to be unfolding in front of my face. BLM, Trump vs Biden, truth vs lies, left vs right, and the dystopian society we are living through with face masks and social distancing is all so creepy.  My pscyhe may be fragile after 20 years of adderall use, even if I mostly took it as prescibed. I have symptoms of depression which i attributed to recovery and I started taking some wellbutrin 3 weeks ago. Mental health is the big goal. Improving my quality of life is the whole point. I dont want to hurt my chances by veering out of bounds with obssesive thoughts about the "end times" or civil unrest.  My wife scared me this morning when I could see we have a serious problem beyond just the recovery. If I dont make a course correction, I might not have a wife when this journey is over. I think its partly due to the underlying ADD, but I also think I am distracted by the crazy events of 2020 and what looks like the most important election of our lifetimes. WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK? Is social media stealing your attention? Is the stress of 2020 aggravating or interfering with recovery? Do you have underlying ADD issues? Should we be avoiding the news, social media, and any other potential sources of stress until we are out of the woods with recovery? 

[DrewK15]

@speedracer I deleted all of my social media accounts right after I got into recovery due to struggles with comparison. I would get downright depressed watching all of my friends travel, get married and start their families while I recovered from my life wreckage. Plus is so addictive. I don’t have a source on this statement, but I’ve heard it said some of the same minds that design slot machines consult with Silicon Valley to make social media more addictive. I’m confident saying social media is making your ADD tendencies in the rest of your life worse.
 

I don’t watch the news. I maybe veer towards keeping my head in the sand too much, but I am fully aware of the important issues in our society without constantly filling my mind with it. Politics is like the new religion of the 21st century and I am not interested in it. I think it’s important to have a basic understanding of what is going on in the world, but at some point I think you just have to shrug and concede it’s out of your control. I’ll perform my civic duty and vote based on a couple issues that matter to me and then move on with my life.

I don’t feel much stress from what’s going on in the world I think in part from the attitudes I take and my habit of unplugging from it all. Take a couple weeks off from social media and news, focus on your wife, and I think you’ll be able to answer your last question for yourself.

[speedracer]

Great advise my friend. Thank you!  I will do that starting today. And if I like it, i wil roll it into a 90 day commitment. 

 

[Civilengr2020]

5 hours ago, DrewK15 said:

@speedracer I deleted all of my social media accounts right after I got into recovery due to struggles with comparison. I would get downright depressed watching all of my friends travel, get married and start their families while I recovered from my life wreckage. Plus is so addictive. I don’t have a source on this statement, but I’ve heard it said some of the same minds that design slot machines consult with Silicon Valley to make social media more addictive. I’m confident saying social media is making your ADD tendencies in the rest of your life worse.
 

I don’t watch the news. I maybe veer towards keeping my head in the sand too much, but I am fully aware of the important issues in our society without constantly filling my mind with it. Politics is like the new religion of the 21st century and I am not interested in it. I think it’s important to have a basic understanding of what is going on in the world, but at some point I think you just have to shrug and concede it’s out of your control. I’ll perform my civic duty and vote based on a couple issues that matter to me and then move on with my life.

I don’t feel much stress from what’s going on in the world I think in part from the attitudes I take and my habit of unplugging from it all. Take a couple weeks off from social media and news, focus on your wife, and I think you’ll be able to answer your last question for yourself.

Awesome advice @DrewK15...I seem to have the same issues and have been debating with myself whether or not Facebook, twitter, and Instagram, are the last remaining drugs in my life I need to quit in order to be truly sober.  i have been vyvanse and alcohol free for six months now but have found myself increasing my anxiety levels by looking too much at my social media.  I will be giving it a try. 

[speedracer]

8 days ago I posted I would cut out social media becuase I was feeling so stressed out and depressed. Too much politics, coronavirus, and BLM.  So I have cut down , and I do feel much better. But I must be addicted becuase I cant stop. LOL I still check in. Could I really be feeling better because I cut down on social media?  

Today and yesterday I had great days with family. Took the wife on a date night last night and then we had a soccer game for the kids this morning. Last night I almost drank a beer. Its been 16 months of complete sobriety and now I am thinking about tipping my toes into drinking again socially. Generally and objectively speaking, life is improving. Good things are happening despite the crazy in our world today.  I dont want to screw it up. But maybe I can drink beer or wine safely without any problems. What do you guys think? Any thoughts? Anybody try beer and wine after 1 or more years off adderall?

[DrewK15]

@speedracer if life is improving, why potentially mess it up by adding alcohol back into the mix? Only you can decide whether or not alcohol is a problem, I don’t know your past but if it was a problem before it most likely will be again. That said I know how it goes, when things are improving the temptation to make things even better comes in. For me alcohol=brain fog/hangover=greater desire for Adderall. It isn’t worth it for me, I haven’t had a drink since I quit Addy.

[SleepyStupid]

On 10/12/2020 at 9:37 AM, DrewK15 said:

I deleted all of my social media accounts right after I got into recovery due to struggles with comparison. I would get downright depressed watching all of my friends travel, get married and start their families while I recovered from my life wreckage.

this. i was never addicted to social media even before all this, but I started actively avoiding social media during recovery to avoid that spiral of comparison. 5 years later, i have 0 desire to jump back into the fray.

I think a strong interest in politics and general goings-on is more than understandable, especially this year! the question is what makes it unhealthy - I check in on my Google News app several times a day. frankly I could probably tune it down a bit, but I think it becomes unhealthy when you add the social media context to it - getting stuck in echo chambers, battling people online, prioritizing your digital life over your physical one..