Does caregiving lead to drug abuse among caregivers?

PS. I DO love a FAT doobie, now and then...Wink.

i believe self medicating / substance abuse is a little higher in the caregiving population. ive seen stats on the subject but they vary widely and probably are lower than the reality. even when things are sailing along just fine, the dread, guilt, and anticipation still looms heavily. then theres sadness, helplessness to fix the situation, empathy, heartache, well, you see my point. the emotions run high and sometimes conflict with each other. my va phsyc docs neither one have any awareness of carer burden and stress and wouldnt give me so much as an aspirin to keep me settled down. bout once a week i pour down a half pint of everclear. ya haveta do something to unwind your head imo.

Chardonnay is good, lol, or a nice frosty blender drink are my vice of choice, but after mom's hip/back injury I am too tired most times to even think about it.....bought a half rack of corona light for the fourth and still have 7. But ya I can see the tendencies are there, if one is not mindful, it is a lonesome stressful road!

It is true Yaya...a little here and there to relax, but OUR luck is, we would get a real buzz going.....and someone would FALL, Knock over a porta potty, hit the life alert by mistake, poop Their pants......you know..BUZZ KILL!

At the end of the day (moms gone to bed ) I do have me a cold glass of wine and sit on the balcony of our apt and watch the world go by people out having fun ect. I see nothing wrong with it. I do it in moderation and check on her while she is sleeping . After a while I go to bed myself and get ready for another day of being a caregiver. Have a good night all.

Mom's Dr. prescribes her a lot more valium then is really necessary. I take it when absolutely needed, to be able to care for her without rolling my eyes at her 8th(same) question or God Forbid, losing my temper and snapping at her. I think her Dr. gives the extra "Vitamin V" knowing my stress level and that I gave up working and health ins to take care of Mom. He has been her Dr. for over 20 years. I think HE takes it, when he knows she's coming! (j/k) I am VERY aware and VERY careful not to over do. I have a healthy fear of addiction.

Chocolate and potato chips are my drugs of choice. :) I couldn't care less about booze or dope. I would attribute 20 of my extra pounds to my caregiving for both my parents (for 8 years) and now my mom (12 years).

I sometimes wish I could tolerate moms PK's the way things hurt sometimes...but I did try one once just to see what she is taking and what I could do. I turned green and the room spun, I spent a good 3 hrs laying on the couch with a pan at the ready...not worth it...I don't know how she tolerates em she is half my weight but I guess a broken hip is more painful than my mild arthritis! My doc does give me the Xanax and a half of one of those is nice on a bad day/nite. Sure calms the raw nerves!

Oooo, another great topic! I think the job absolutely lends itself to potential substance abuse. I'm all for a glass of wine or two or a cold beer now and then but I get too paranoid over the possibility that something might happen (like a fall) and I'm gonna need to be on my game, so to speak. So I never allow myself to really "let go." I'm so damn responsible...
Chips and chocolate are good too. And ice cream, right Boni? Heehee. An occasional toke would be nice too, or a special brownie. Dh and I made a batch of brownies once that had me seeing technicolor cartoons...on the backs of my eyelids. Those were the days.....

I've filled my coffee mug with cabernet in the morning from time to time. ...does that count?