Dear Lumia,
I’m 30 and I’ve suffered with depression most of my life, I was finally diagnosed with clinical depression at 18 and I’ve been on every type of antidepressant since. I’ve also been to clinical psychologists and councillors. At my worst in my teenage years I went days without washing, I didn’t give a f**k, my appearance was the last of my concerns. I’ve read your post a few times and I’ve tried to come up with some sort of inspirational response but after over 20 years of struggling I know (as I sure you do too) there is no quick answer to depression. I too have turned to alcohol to dull the pain of my sadness (I’m Irish so booze is the answer to everything
), but in the end I wake up to the reality of a hangover and my unaddressed problems.
For me in the past I went the opposite way with food, I starved myself as a way to distract myself from my emotional pain but in the greater scheme of things I think they are very similar.
I’m doing a lot better these days, medication free but using alternative medicine. I’d be more than happy to talk to you privately or on here.