Journey to Recovery from Treating Anxiety with Addictive Substances

Carl Antisell, Minding Your Mind speaker at the March 2017 AKFSA event "No More Running: Living with Social Anxiety Disorder," shares how although he seemed "really put together" to others he used alcohol and other addictive substances as a way to mask the pain he felt in his ongoing battle with anxiety and depression as a teen. In his recovery, he learned healthy and effective ways to handle his emotions.
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[@rossrcfallacaro3422]

You deserve to be giving a talk on TEDx. I wish mindfulness and breathing helped me. I’m a 37 year old man, I own a beautiful home, have an amazing and beautiful wife, 2 amazing children, and let’s just say I am in the “mental health” field and worked with people who had everything from substance abuse, eating disorders, combat veterans with PTSD - as I am one myself -and marriage and family therapy. I am an extremely well educated individual who is not only overly well versed in peer reviewed literature and all encompassing interventions and modalities, but has also used them in practice. However, I need help. I suffer from disabling anxiety and substance use to combat it. I don’t know what to do. I’ve tried to get help at the VA, but they do nothing but Medicate with some psycho education which is hard to sit through when it is on an undergrad level. I feel hopeless

[@virtusetglorie]

I hope you're doing better man.

[@backseatgaming9087]

Well done on overcoming your social anxiety Carl!

[@Carlos-pp5ih]

Very well put together! and addressed, information like this needs to be shared more often to remind the silence suffers with these invisible injuries feel some comfort knowing that there world doesn't have to be clouded in the dark by this stigma. Hope that you share more of your solution tips on your continuation of this great presentation.

[@wiggity77]

Thank you for this video. He pretty much describes my life in detail.

[@HomemakerDaze]

Social anxiety and general anxiety are the worst issue in my life even worse then my depression or me being a recovering drug addict. Cause the anxiety gives physical symptoms.

[@larslover6559]

Anxiety is an addiction too. It sounds crazy but we can actually become addicted to feeling anxious even though it feels horrible. Anxiety has wrecked my life to the point I cant function in society. Only Jesus can give peace..

[@robdangripp9406]

Drug abuse can bring on anxiety specially when you're trying to function while you're so induced with the high that you're getting. Sometimes I feel like it's more like a fascination than an addiction.

[@leeroy5665]

My anxiety is 90% physical symptoms. Crippling heart attack, stroke, fearful symptoms that have become my normal state, highly stressed all the time and have done my best to medicate and self medicate and treat this. Been down the mental health road, antidepressants, benzos, seizures, rebound anxiety...not for me. Now I wage a mental war everyday just to get through the day. All my relationships with family are strained, they don't understand how every little thing gets under my skin I'm so tired of being tired.

[@ayushg8343]

I can totally relate with you. I am searching for the way out of it. God will come to my rescue.

[@raehenne4082]

What happened to the foundation? I can't find any others videos about social anxiety and the last time they uploaded on this channel is from 2017!!!

[@davecash7669]

So inspiring!

[@eddiew2325]

Hi Dave

[@momma-kins6241]

I was that little kid...😢

[@momma-kins6241]

Where do I start. I feel like I'm drowning in panic attacks...

[@Ranger6483]

This is my Life, I need help please

[@pembatamang8233]

Try to talk to someone ... can you do that ?

[@umeshnamdev8684]

I m struggling how can you help me I'm from india... very less people know about this disorder here... society is always ready to make fun of you in my country and they gona call me mad but I know I'm not mad ...

[@guyfromostrava]

Hang in there man! Try to get all the information yourself and try self therapy. Don't give up hope

[@letsgoBrandon204]

I hope you're still hanging in there. I'll tell you what I've learned so far with my therapy. It hasn't finished yet and I'm by no means a therapist, so don't take this as gospel truth. My therapy program has been getting me to do experiments and rate my subjective anxiety level while I'm self focussed and when I'm deliberately focussing outside myself. If you go somewhere there are people and stay self focussed you feel anxious. Try that again, but this time force your focus outward onto details in the environment. Colours, sounds, shapes, etc. Human brains aren't good at multitasking so the anxiety naturally dies down when focussed on something else. It takes practice because we're well practiced at introspecting. Find a situation you can deal with and feel anxious in, but is just about manageable. Practice focussing outward there. It's like training for a marathon, you can't just get up and run one, you have to build up to it. Like the guy said in the video, he doesn't need to hold the water bottle any more. He has trained beyond that. It's hardly an ideal situation for you. You should have guidance and support from a therapist in my opinion, but this is the information I have and it's what I'm working on right now.

[@umeshnamdev8684]

@@letsgoBrandon204 Thanks for your advice and support bro and its been 3 years of my comment i am really ok and cope up with the situation and now its hard to believe that it was me who commented 3 years ago, i am really confident and know how to deal with any situation .. it was my depression phase ..

[@umeshnamdev8684]

@@guyfromostrava Thanks for support

[@Ranger6483]

I know the feeling I'm from Africa, they just call you crazy here, but you are not alone