I'm 19 years old.. I have a WONDERFUL boyfriend, but he is always out of state working... these past couple of months I have just been feeling really down.. I hate getting up in the mornings now.. I really don't look forward to the day at all anymore... I'm just getting over drug abuse.. I'm not going into a rehab... My boyfriend is helping me fight it.. I just don't know what to do anymore.. I'm just so confused all the time...

Hey bud! You need to find some help for your DEPRESSION which is exactly what you have. I would guess you will probably be PX'd fluoxetine. Take it EXACTLY as PX'd and you will feel a lot better. In the mean time I would also suggest finding a girlfriend or wife of one of your BF's co-workers to hang out with. Find someone in a similar relationship, with him being gone all the time. Just someone to relate to will help a lot. Just make sure you don't fall back to the drugs you damn junky ;-) Hang in there and it will be fine ;-)

I don't know any of his co-workers besides his cousin and uncle.. but his family really don't like me anyway...

Do you have a job? Do you have friends to do things with? Are you near civilization to go shopping and mall-crawling and out for pie?

I wish I were 19 and had a boyfriend now. We used to have to depend solely on the post office to get letters back and forth between us. Usually it took 2-6 days for mail to get through. Now people have computers with email, IMs, and cell phones with great long-distance plans -- much more efficient ways to be in contact with each other. Certainly he can be an important part of your life even though he is away from you.

And this is your big chance to show him what you're made of. What an opportunity to get your act together and surprise him when he comes home! Get a library card and start reading a chapter or two every evening. Become a volunteer at an animal shelter, hospital, library, or school. Learn how to knit or crochet and make him a winter scarf or a cap. Take up watercolors or oil painting and create a beautiful picture just for him. Start writing an evening journal and list five things that were good about each day. Write stories or essays. Write about people you see during the day and about the adventures you have. Let him read them when he comes home.

There will hardly be time to sleep, since you will have so much to do! Now get busy, lady!

I'm concerned at how isolated you sounded in your post. Do you have a job and friends about which Wondergirl inquired?

I think you have put all your happy feelings onto the long distance relationship you have with your boyfriend to the exclusion of everything else in your life. That coupled with a drug problem will lead to problems in my opinion. I think you need a support group immediately. Particpation in a 12 Step group will help you get grounded and alleviate some of your anxiety, depression, and loneliness. If either one of your parents were alcoholics, you can attend Adult Children of Alcoholics support group, for example. There are many programs.


Best wishes in the coming year,