Substance Abuse Issues

[VanTG]

How many of you lovely ladies have suffered substance abuse issues, before or during you HRT? Did it affect you in anyway?

Just throwing this out there. Something I am currently dealing with.

[Megan G]

Van,

I used to drink quite heavily leading up to the start of my HRT, I could really never explain why but I had no issues "tying one on". There always seemed to be something driving me to drink but never once did I think that it could have been related to my gender issues. Since starting HRT I rarely have a drink, in fact for the past year if I drank more than 6 beers a month that would be a lot!!!

I have lost all my desire to drink, and am much happier without it. Thankfully I have never been into drugs...

Megan

[Jorja]

Hello, my name is Jorja and I am an Alcoholic. It's been thirty five years since my last drink. If I can do it I know you can too. Just like crossdressing or being transsexual, you are not alone. With computers and the internet now days, help is just a few clicks away. Use them when you need too. I don't know if HRT did have an effect on helping me stop drinking but starting HRT and stopping drinking happened about the same time. I became the person I should have been all along and all of that went away.

[Suzanne F]

Hi I am Suzanne and I am an alcoholic and an addict. I have been sober for almost 13 years. I could have never faced the real me if I wasn't sober first. It took awhile in sobriety to get honest about this but I finally made it. You can stay sober! One day at a time.
Suzanne

[Frances]

I drink wine a bit too often and eat way too much when I drink wine. One habbit feeds the other, no pun intended.

[kimdl93]

This subject is interesting to me... As acknowledged by several individuals above, it seems that a fair number of TS individuals have experienced SA problems before beginning transitions, and I would imagine that this problem complicates the process.

Could I follow on with what I suppose are obvious questions? Was SA in whatever form, basically self medication in an attempt to cope with GID? Did you address the SA problem first, or concurrent with the process of transition? If the former, did overcoming SA help you in making the decision to transition? And if the latter, has the decision to transition made it easier to address the SA problem?

[arbon]

I have always been easily addicted to substances.

Alcohol was a big one for me when I was younger, in my late teens and early 20's I was really out of control. Its really hard for me to say how much of it was trying to cope with the gender issues and other life circumstances or how much was simply just the way I was. I think it was both. When I sobered up at 24 though I decided not to deal with the gender issue though and I was putting all that behind me. I stilled viewed the gender issue like I was a very sick person to be that way, and had a lot of shame about it. Eventually I still had to deal with it though.

Anyway, fyi, there is on-line aa group for trans people (TG,TS, CD or whatever - its pretty broad) that has meetings via email and skype. I'm not as involved in it as I used to be but it was very useful to me for a while. If anyone is struggling with alcoholism and interested in how to join it send me a pm.

[Judith96a]

Since I'm in the fortunate position of never having had substance abuse issues (unless cross-dressing induced adrenaline & endorphin count as "substances" - in which case I'm well & truly addicted) I'm not sure that I'm qualified to comment.

However, it seems to me that stress and substance abuse tend to go hand in hand. HRT changes your body chemistry, including your brain chemistry - and not necessarily in a linear fashion (as your body attempts to 'compensate'). Stress plus HRT? Who knows what that cocktail will produce?! Use whatever support, professional or personal, you have available. If you suspect that the HRT is provoking / exacerbating / impacting substance issues then talk to your doctor. Hormones are very powerful and perfectly capable of messing with your head in unanticipated ways. A good doctor will understand that!

Hope all goes well! You are not alone

[DeeDee1974]

This is a hard one for me and I know that there are different ways that people define substance abuse. I don't feel that I crave drugs or alcohol, but they have been a part of my life since high school. I use alcohol as a crutch to get through social situations. I drink a lot when I am stressed to numb the pain of the day. I usually have a small amount of pot in my home at all times in case I feel the need.

Saying no to drugs or alcohol when offered has rarely happened for me. Having too much to drink has often led to decisions I regret the next day.

I would hesitate to say I have a problem, but after everything I just wrote abstaining or seeking help might not be the worst thing in the world.

[Rachel Smith]

I gave up the drugs many moons ago to be able to drive harness horses. The drinking was my big problem. I tried to drink it faster then they could make it but the best I could do was get them working overtime .

Seriously though as I came to grips with my inner being it started to lessen quite a bit even pre-HRT. Once I started HRT the urge to drink went away completely. More often then not nowadays when I am offered a drink I turn it down and I can't tell you when the last time was I was drunk. I think some of it is due to HRT but I think most of it is due to finally being OK with me and who I am and the peace I now feel on the inside.

[Leah Lynn]

Although I've tried many things, alcohol was always my drug of choice. I did have a period in my life when I had to drink until I passed out in order to sleep. A minister helped me defeat that particular demon. I'm sure the continued use was to drown the gd. I still drink, but rarely do I have more than one drink a day.

Leah

[VanTG]

Thanks for the response, I was not sure what kind of response to expect. I have been having a tough time kick my drug use, but so far its been 2 days and I am therefore 2 days closer to starting HRT. I gave myself a timeline of 60 days drug free before I will commit to beginning HRT. I gave up drinking about 2 years ago and now have to kick this habit.

[Aprilrain]

I Started drinking and using drugs at 14 and got sober at 28. I didn't start transition until I was 34 but I came out as a "CDer" to my wife when I was 30. I wish I would have started transition then, I definitely wanted to! Anyway, I was sober for 8 years and then relapsed following a surgery. Opiates are my drug of choice. After a couple of years of off/on relapsing I have now been sober since 3/31/14. HRT had/has nothing to do with my alcoholism/addiction. To what degree my GD played a role in my drinking and using is frankly a moot point, I obviously have the disease now and it ain't going away!

[JohnH]

I used to drink quite heavily before going on HRT. In fact I once had to spend a night in jail for public intoxication, and then I had a hundred dollar fine.

I still like to drink, but the amounts that I drink are much less than before. I usually do not have more than two drinks a day, and only when I am eating supper.

Johanna Anna

[dreamer_2.0]

I've never been particularly fond of alcohol and will maybe have a few drinks per year. Other substances, however, that is a different story and I believe I may be an addict in that area. I enjoy escapism perhaps a little too much.

[sandra-leigh]

So far I have on found one non-food that I "crave" to any degree. I was on a (prescription) benzoid for years when the literature says "do not prescribe for more than 6 weeks". I was worried about the possibility of addiction and frequently under-used it, which my doctor would tell me off for. Eventually I took myself off of it, which worked pretty well. None the less, there are periods from time to time during which my agoraphobia goes up, making it difficult for me to be outside, and during those periods I sometimes get a craving for a half-pill of the benzoid. I have been successful in making my doctors aware of this and telling them to not prescribe any for me.

I do not drink alcohol, and do not smoke anything or use any non-prescription drugs. I made a decision at age 17 to not eat at McDonalds and I have kept that decision for over 35 years even when I was hungry. I made a decision at age 30 to become vegetarian and I have kept that decision for over 20 years even when I was hungry. I am blessed with control that way. Some day I should make a decision to stop eating potato chips...

[PaulaQ]

Hi, I am also an alcoholic, and my GD directly influenced my decision to abuse alcohol. Booze made me feel a LOT better about myself - until it didn't and became a more immediate problem.

I've been sober for 24 years now. Like Arbon, I didn't deal with my gender issues when I sobered up at all. I wish I had.

If you aren't involved in a 12 step program, I can't recommend them highly enough. AA saved my life.