go ask alice

Flux · Post by **Flux** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 9:52 pm

Kinetic II wrote:Here's a Pipa Toad in case anyone was curious.

http://tinyurl.com/rukg

I always wondered where they got tapioca!

alice · Post by **alice** » Wed Oct 22, 2003 2:37 am

very fuckin funny.

sheesh, what a bunch of idiots.

SHARPER · Post by **SHARPER** » Wed Oct 22, 2003 9:16 am

If this is a contest to see who is the most weird, who is the most crptic, who is the most......whatever, What's the prize (besides Alice?)

alice · Post by **alice** » Thu Oct 23, 2003 2:23 pm

well, just the other day i won the national merit scholarship award for stupidity.

it got taken away as soon as aunt mary and aunt joan joined forces to ruin our honeymoon.

guess i'll just have to be content with miss congeneality.

now if i could only get over the urge to kill both of them.

III · Post by **III** » Thu Oct 23, 2003 2:45 pm

>aunt mary and aunt joan joined forces to ruin our honeymoon.

what'd they do? get together and give yer hubby the clap?

alice · Post by **alice** » Thu Oct 23, 2003 5:25 pm

III wrote:>aunt mary and aunt joan joined forces to ruin our honeymoon.

what'd they do? get together and give yer hubby the clap?

i wish.

no, mike's aunt mary told my mom (joan) at the wedding that i was a manic-depressive.

read very good advice to find out the rest.

III · Post by **III** » Thu Oct 23, 2003 5:48 pm

well, are you?

SHARPER · Post by **SHARPER** » Fri Oct 24, 2003 8:30 am

Even if you are manic depressive - so what? Half the country is manic depressive and even if they aren't the docs say they are cause they don't know what else to do with themselves! Besides there are lots of lovely meds out there to keep the old brain chemicals in balance - people who don't understand manic depressive disorder - or even good old fashioned depression are usually pretty close minded people - I hate it when people ask me "What do you have to be depressed about?" Shit, if it weren't for opportunities like BM events where we can be whoever we really are behind our socially acceptable masks - we'd all be on prozac!

III · Post by **III** » Fri Oct 24, 2003 8:49 am

>we'd all be on prozac

prozac is contraindicated for bipolar disorder.

herself · Post by **herself** » Fri Oct 24, 2003 9:05 am

being bipolar can be dangerous. My shrink says I'm bipolar and I take medication. I don't notice what the lithium does to me at all. But sometimes when I haven't taken it for a while, I start feeling very angry that everyone around me isn't moving as fast as I am, and start to think that I am like a SUPERHERO! Monomaniacal thoughts are common. And that's only the manic phase. During depression you crawl into a hole and wait for it to go away.

The tricky thing is that mostly, the manic part feels GREAT! It's like a combo of X and coke w no drug side effects. YAY! I CAN DO ANYTHING! So you make a bunch of commitments and roll out a bunch of great ideas and then you have a down period and the phone is ringing and you just can't bear to answer it.

hh

SHARPER · Post by **SHARPER** » Fri Oct 24, 2003 12:42 pm

Yeah ok - maybe prozac isn't for everyone - the point is that there are as many kinds of meds as there are kinds/levels of depression- from bi polar to the as yet unnamed ones. meds can help if you are lucky enough to have a doc who prescribes the right meds at the right dosage for the right chemical imbalance for your situation. When the meds don't work or things get more weird than normal and you feel like you're loosing it even with the meds, there are plently of people who know what you are going thru and are willing to give you some space to get past the bad spots and keep watch over you until you are back to being as OK as you can be. Again - thanks to events like BM and the majority of inteligencia who go there, we have the outlet/s to be ourselves without fear of ridicule from close minded people who just don't get it.

DE FACTO · Post by **DE FACTO** » Fri Oct 24, 2003 1:12 pm

Hey is Alice back?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Oct 24, 2003 2:43 pm

During an enjoyable game of strip poker, is it considered bad form to get half a woody?

JezebelinHell · Post by **JezebelinHell** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 5:20 am

Which half?

Ivy · Post by **Ivy** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 7:03 am

When the meds don't work or things get more weird than normal and you feel like you're loosing it even with the meds, there are plently of people who know what you are going thru and are willing to give you some space to get past the bad spots and keep watch over you until you are back to being as OK as you can be.

For you, maybe. Lucky.

SHARPER · Post by **SHARPER** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 9:02 am

Hello Ivy -I've been traversing the web site and your name appears often both as a poster and as someone others seem to know - You may be luckier than you know - if the postings are misleading or if you simply need someone else to add to your support group - I'm here- e-mail me any time you need to talk- maybe we can get together some weekend.

Kinetic II · Post by **Kinetic II** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 9:56 am

SHARPER wrote:Yeah ok - maybe prozac isn't for everyone - the point is that there are as many kinds of meds as there are kinds/levels of depression- from bi polar to the as yet unnamed ones. meds can help if you are lucky enough to have a doc who prescribes the right meds at the right dosage for the right chemical imbalance for your situation. When the meds don't work or things get more weird than normal and you feel like you're loosing it even with the meds, there are plently of people who know what you are going thru and are willing to give you some space to get past the bad spots and keep watch over you until you are back to being as OK as you can be. Again - thanks to events like BM and the majority of inteligencia who go there, we have the outlet/s to be ourselves without fear of ridicule from close minded people who just don't get it.

Sharper, I'm going to do my best to not lash out here, but you touched on a subject that has been a personal hell for me since Memorial Day 2001 and my car wreck with a subsequent drop into depression. As much as I appreciate you trying to make this look positive, the point is most people in the world still discriminate or are ignorant when it comes to mental illness. With my experience and those of at least 11 people I know, the support has been barely minimal to mostly non-existant. People don't have the time to care anymore about all the issues in the world, you have to pick the things that influence you the most and a lot of stuff you have to ignore. And so it is with depression, a lot of people are not aware of the problems it causes and the issues people face with it.

I've also got to speak up about getting the dosage right. It's not an exact science when it comes to finding what anti-depressants work for you, and the mix and match experimentation process can be ugly. I've been there. I know. I'd encourage anyone who is considering treatment to make sure they've really talked with their doctor and they know them as a person, not just a name on a chart. That's difficult these days, but you can help by scheduling yourself for 15 min appts vs 5 min quickies.

I'm ranting but you hit an issue that I fought for 2 years. 3 weeks ago my doctor and I took a walk from her clinic to the hospital incinerator. And together we opened the door and tossed in thousands of dollars worth and 8 different anti-depressant meds along with other drugs. I am now essentially drug free for the first time in years. The tapering is continuing, it's been rough. But don't fall for Big Pharma's siren call. The world is not fixed by popping a pill. And with that I'll step off the soap box but it felt pretty damn good to say this to someone else. I'm finally FREE! And Big Pharma can kiss my ass.

SHARPER · Post by **SHARPER** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 10:09 am

Congratulations on kicking the meds! Yes, I DO know that now the hard part starts. First you find yourself someplace else and someONE else and some medical person tells you its "just depression" and "we can treat you". I could not agree more about people not understanding what depression really is - the so-called experts even down play it and think they can fix everything with a little pink pill!!!! Well who is going to explain to me why 5 years after an episode of "Major depression" reclassified as "situational" brought on by the ending of a 20 year marraige - I still take medication every day and when I tried to stop taking that medication I suffered bouts of anger directed toward all the wrong people! Oh yeah - they forgot to tell me that I could end up with bigger problems if I ever went off the medication - and yes, after the first few months friends and family got tired of holding my hand while I cried myself to sleep. Now everyone who knows me thinks I'm about 99% back to who I used to be - but I still take meds everyday - I still cry myself to sleep sometimes for no apparant reason and I still rely on "strangers" for my support group because they are the only ones who truly understand! I am basically a positive person and I am gratefull beyond words for the BM community that allows me to voice feelings without condemnation and in some cases - responses from people-on-the-road-to-friendship who help me more than they even realize - people like you.

Kinetic II · Post by **Kinetic II** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 10:09 am

And the above post was not a pity me, try to draw sympathy post. It was a cathartic rant, so if I offended anyone, I'm sorry. But I hope that others won't have to go through the stuff I did. Depression is hell, but being treated by clueless specialists can make it much worse. Just because someone has a degree or a title doesn't mean they know what's best for you.

Patient, heal thyself. It does work.

alice · Post by **alice** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 10:35 am

true bipolar disorder implies psychosis - a break with reality.

hyper and hypo-mania best describe the ups and downs i go through.

especially when being tormented by friends and family.

oh, and btw, this is an advice column, remember?

ramen · Post by **ramen** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 4:54 pm

Alice,

I'm a sorta normal person. After being to burning man several times, and hanging out with freaks and miscellaneous trash, I'm still just kinda normal.

What can I do to let out my inner weirdo?

Kinetic II · Post by **Kinetic II** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 4:58 pm

<snort!> Be careful what you ask for!

ramen · Post by **ramen** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 5:12 pm

This is the advice column, nyet? I need some serious help here. I want to shed my years of ingrained servitude to the dominant paradigm in order to let the underlying chaos and creativity bloom.

Advice from twisted campers appreciated, though not necessarily followed through on.

Chai Guy · Post by **Chai Guy** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 5:20 pm

I've also got to speak up about getting the dosage right. It's not an exact science when it comes to finding what anti-depressants work for you, and the mix and match experimentation process can be ugly. I've been there. I know. I'd encourage anyone who is considering treatment to make sure they've really talked with their doctor and they know them as a person, not just a name on a chart. That's difficult these days, but you can help by scheduling yourself for 15 min appts vs 5 min quickies.

I agree, I also believe it's important, No, ESSENTIAL, that any psychotropic medications be used in conjunction with some form of psychotherapy, preferably someone that comes with a Phd after their name.

Anti-deppresants should be taken with as means to help you feel well enough to deal with the reasons behind your depression.

alice · Post by **alice** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 5:22 pm

ramen wrote:Alice,

I'm a sorta normal person. After being to burning man several times, and hanging out with freaks and miscellaneous trash, I'm still just kinda normal.

What can I do to let out my inner weirdo?

well, you can come abduct me before i kill myself or someone else.

rodent · Post by **rodent** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 5:25 pm

ramen wrote:Alice,
What can I do to let out my inner weirdo?

cover yourself in green jello and run down the street screaming "the cows are comming... THE COWS ARE COMMING".

guarenteed to make the neighbors avoid eye contact in the future

sphene · Post by **sphene** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 6:43 pm

What color is the sound of rain?

Alpha · Post by **Alpha** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 6:59 pm

Purple, of course!

obQuery: Dear Alice, why is it so hard to score shrooms on the playa?

Kinetic II · Post by **Kinetic II** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 7:04 pm

Alpha wrote:Purple, of course!

obQuery: Dear Alice, why is it so hard to score shrooms on the playa?

You must have been on the wrong playa. That's all I kept hearing about was shrooms. Dragontear got offered some every day, multiple times per day. I saw plenty of 'em around and I'm like no thanks, I'm not going to do some for the first time and make another trip to see the cute REMSA nurses. Even though they were unbelieveably cute.

Flux · Post by **Flux** » Mon Oct 27, 2003 7:14 pm

Kinetic II wrote:I'm not going to do some for the first time and make another trip to see the cute REMSA nurses. Even though they were unbelieveably cute.

They're even cuter on 'shrooms.