greggorious wrote:I'm in a combination of the hungry ghost and hell realms. Uttersly depressed and addicted to alcohol.
hi greggorius..hey..i'm really sorry your depressed
I know nobody wants to hear other people tell them to go see a doctor or get on medication when they've hit rock bottom..this is a very deep,intimate,and personal problem so when people casually advice it to you it makes you feel like they can't be bothered..and no one understands you.. but my friend..i truly say this from the bottom of my heart ..The only reason we are asking you to do this is because we are not qualified to give out advices based on the fact that we don't know if there's any underlying medical condition that is seriously affecting your mental health..we only want what's best for you because we care about you..but other than That we are here for you and will support you in any way we can on your road to recovery.
I enourage you to share your problems and not isolate yourself as this tends to make people feel even more depressed.
So my first advice to you would be Seek Professional Help.
Now my Personal Advice:
The truth is Life will never be All happy..doesn't mean it has to be depressing either.Remember we have to stick with the middle path.
Your main concern now is getting out of this depressing mindset.
first of all "Nothing" happens just by itself.You are depressed because "something" caused it.
Maybe your not in a position to know what it is or investigate deeper because you are at the moment battling with depression..but you need to understand that the only reason it's there is because it arose out of something else.This "something else" probably has a lot to do with your thoughts..you may have been focusing on this depression..it is good to focus on depression but not when you identify with it...when you identify with it it magnifies and intesifies..it becomes exagerated..it plays out and churns all sorts of unwholesome thoughts,memories,fears, that leave you feeling down, depressed and confused.This depressing feeling that you are left with is probably what you are focusing on.
I know this is hard when you are in this situation.Sometimes when i'm depressed i don't even want to know why i just want to dwell on it. But the easiest way to help you at this point is to distract yourself from this depression.Distraction,as superficial as it might seem, will serve to shift your focus from this depression to something else given it is not unwholesome.Drinking alcohol is a distraction.But an unwholesome one.
I know when you get better and You will! you won't need any distractions..you wont need alcohol or anything else..you will put this depression under a magnifying glass and scrutinize every inch of it.till it has no hold on you.Because you see it as it really is.
So try to substitute alcohol with something skillfull like sports or volunteering.When you volunteer to help others and see people who are suffering terribly or in worser hell realms than you are...your energy and focus will be diverted to help them..you are also creating good kamma which will benefit you.
I know this example is a bit extreme but bear with me.
You know what depressed people who commit suicide have in common with Buddhists?.. We're both trying to be Free From Suffering.
The thing is you don't have to die to do that..you don't have to be addicted to alcohol or any other substances to do that..what your actually doing is substituing one suffering for another.
The Buddha taught us..The Eight Noble Path..The path to Free Us From Suffering..This is for us..Right Here and Now..some people go their whole lives never realizing this..they think money,food,alcohol,drugs,beauty,sex,suicide etc, can fix their depression.It can't even fix their general dissatisfaction with life much less severe depression.They run away into these momentary pleasures..each time they've exhausted their resources wanting more..truly living as hungry ghosts would.
But the dhamma was made known to us and no matter what condition we're in we can use it to our advantage.We have the means to work towards our own salvation.This is why besides seeking professional help you have to keep practicing the dhamma as it is truly the way to Be Free From Suffering.
Okay..don't worry..and don't be too hard on yourself.. i hope this helps you my friend
Yana