Living with Depression Drug Free

My first battle with depression was when I was five years old and growing up in Brownsville, Tennessee. As a young man, I was informed that I would not amount to anything and my only job would be a farm-hand or working in the local cotton gin. For the years that followed, I kept hearing these say things so much that I began to believe them. I wanted more from my life but according to all those around me and especially those that I looked up to, working on a farm or in the cotton gin was the best that I could hope for. A deep depression set in and I gave up. The only dedication that I maintained was getting good grades in school because I knew that only I could control that. There were not any doctor's prescription to help ease the pain for me nor were there support groups. It was just me in a seemingly never ending rut with nothing to cling to.

After that incident, my life became a blur and no more dreams of a better day. During my sophomore year in high school, a counselor said something that I could not believe. He called me into his office and after looking at my grades mentioned that I could get into college. This was a new choice being offered and even though he was told of the decision that others had made about my future and he explained to me then that only I could do that. At first I wasn't sure about what he was saying and it only became clear to me that he was right when I walked into the counselor's office the following day only to learn that he had been fired. I surmised that he must have been telling the truth because in my community those who told the truth disappeared leaving only the liars. This was the long awaited prescription that I had been waiting for. This information was the only support group that I needed.

Depression still affects me now but because of what happened to me before, I know that no drug will ever be needed to help me go about my day. I know now that I do not need a drug to make me smile or get along better with others. I know that I do not need to visit the biggest drug dealers on this planet even though they are the legal ones. I know that if I did not need to see them, I certainly did not need the illegal ones. There are days now that being a single father living in this current economy with worries about providing for my family, depresses me greatly. I have my college education and am now seeking a higher secondary education. I have my own businesses and if its God's will I will keep the doors opened yet there are times where now I sometimes do not wish to get out of bed but I do anyway and without a prescription. I do it because each day is different and nothing like the last one. Each day is different because we can decide to make it different by not doing the same things exactly like we did yesterday. One thing different than before makes each day worth living and if for no other reason than to see the change we made.

The answer to living with depression drug free is the same as living with any distraction life has to offer. Depression is a part of life and seeing it as so should lead many of us to understand that our life is ours to control. For many of the pills which are manufactured by the above mentioned legal dealers, there is a part of you that can do a better job relieving whatever ails you. Taking one might mean that you will have to take another, but finding the remedy from within emboldens the spirit. This recommendation should not be seen as an advocate against all treatments because there are great uses for medicine and it must be said though that just because it works for me does not mean it will work for you but what if it does. What if the saying we had in the Marines combined with my personal favorite is true? In the Marines we would say "mind over matter" and my personal favorite is "Jesus suffered worst". What if being drug-free were as simple as repetition of these two sayings to empower the mind, body and spirit to overcome depression, anxiety and many other ailments? Whatever one chooses is okay and no one should ever try and dictate what another should do. Just know that not all answers are absolute and the only real concern that anyone should answer when it comes to seeking treatment, is their own.