how      do you beat depression with out drugs or alcohol?
451677
If you are able to identify the source of the depression it might help.  My job was making me miserable.  I came home & went to sleep.  I did not enjoy any of the things I used to.  I became very withdrawn.  One day I said "no more!".  I went back to school and within a suprisingly short amount of time have completely turned my life around.  I now have my own business, and enjoy life again.  Good luck to you!
233192
try to find things that intrest u then start contrentrating onthings that help u keep ur mind off the depression if severe see a counseler talk to freinds and family get out of the house and do activites and enjoy yourself hope u get better and find some joy
109243
Alcohol is an depressant in itself.Its a downer. By drinking with anti depressants..you are putting your heart at risk and negating the effect of them working. \n\nExercise is good for depression also on a positive note.\nBest of luck
674064
I am not sure that you CAN cure depression.\n\nAs for St. John's Wort, be careful with that because it can cause reactions with other medicines you may be taking.  Such as birth control pills.\n\nKnowing you have depression is the first step to feeling better.  Talk with a doctor to discuss medicine options, see a counselor/psychologist, try a self-help approach and do some research on your own.\n\nDepression is something that can be dealt with and you can learn to cope with it.  The main thing to remember is that however bad things get, it will pass.\n\nHang in there and Good Luck\n\nP.S. Don't let others tell you that medicine isn't the way.  Depression is a sickness and should be treated as such.  If you are Diabetic you need insulin, if you are depressed and there IS a medicine that can make you feel better, why wouldn't you take it?
476490
I know how hard it is to be depressed because of a drunk driving situation because my uncle died in a car crash on the way home one night from a drunk driver. My aunt has coped with depression and we gave her the advice to try new things like go to a casino if you dont like to gamble and get out and meet new people and make some friends and people who make you feel good and so far it has worked even if you are 35+ years old you can still have friends and have fun my other uncle is 55 and is enjoing life to the fullest just being around friends (people who care and make you feel good).\n\nHope this Helps!!! Sorry about your wreck
245103
There is a lot of help available for depression.  Depending on your condition, a doctor or psychiatrist can prescribe medication that can correct potential chemical imbalances that can cause depression.  Therapy sessions with a psychiatrist, psycholgist or other counselor can help you come to terms with how and why you feel the way you do.  There are also a wide variety of support groups and "help lines" that can provide both encouragement and (usually) free advice.\n\nInvestigate the possibilites in your community, and talk to someone about how you feel.  It's the only way to start feeling more like yourself again.
645113
learn some relaxation techniques\ntake deep breath ten to fifteen times imaging that all the positive energy is coming with the breathe you take in  and all the negative enrgy is going out as you breathe out.\ngo for good books it may include story of successful person\nexercise \ntry to solve crosswords, sudoku, any number game\ntalk to those people who are positive toward the life \nmake friends who can support you but avoid those person who always critise you\nlisten toyour favourite music\nstart writing in a diary what you are feeling at the time of depression and after depression.\nremember those moments when you were confident, happy, \ntry to say positively "I can do it"\ntry these these things and soon you can overcome your depression
788315
Try listening to Anthony Robbins' books-on-tape/CD. That's what I have done to get further in what I want to do and to stop the things in my life that are only hurting me.\n\nI used to always go to the liquor store to buy alcohol when I felt depressed. Now, I don't. Don't know how to explain it. If you have a library card (or if you don't, you can get one usually for free), you can take out books-on-tape and such. I really do recommed Robbins. Great motivational speaker. I just finished my first and only tape of his so far called, "Awaken the Giant Within." Listen to it over and over and follow what he asks you to do. Remember, everything you do basically has to do with your mind. If you change your mindset, in your case, you can change your body, and in your case as well, it doesn't take prescription drugs. I know myself. I am on 4 very powerful anti-anxiety prescription drugs and I'm not being over-medicated. It's just that my condition is pretty bad if I don't have the meds. But, there are other things you can change without the meds AND you CAN improve the parts of your life that you have been medicated for, i.e. depression.\n\nGood luck!
914228
take a couple roofies, or xanax and that should do the trick...
851599
Go get a lot of fresh air, walk or jog. The depression will lift and you'll find something else you'd rather be doing than on the net all the time.
990499
Ask your doctor about drug interactions.  That can get serious.  Try a simple and consistent exercise program.  That will release those magical endorphins nature gave you and help you with depression- and help you lose weight!
260896
Deep breathing or meditation.  Plus, avoid caffeine, alcohol and other recreational drugs.  Messes up your brain chemistry.  DO healthy things, like eat well, exercise, pursue interests, spend time with friends/family for support.  Take care of yourself.
37643
listen to some good music... *\ngo out with friends\nGo to some quiet place and enjoy the nature *\nTake some time off from work so that u dont get depressed in first place:)\n\n* these are the things I do
457577
lift weights, jog, get a massage from a licenced masseuse.  Do  something to make yourself happy again.   You have to make yourself happy before you spread happiness to other people. A doctor or pill ain't going to do it for you.  Exercise at least releases endorphins into the bloodstream and helps regulate mood.
188614
I understand your desire to stay away from "sledgehammer" solutions. When it comes to your health, remedies that are stronger are not always better. I have three things that have gotten me through times when I've been depressed, and they're all gentle solutions that I think will suit an intelligent person like yourself. \n\n1 - The first is what Freud calls the "talking cure". He insists that it must be performed by a psychoanalyst who you are paying for, but actually I've performed it by writing in a diary. The key is to be very honest, and try to find connections that you might otherwise be supressing, because these are the areas that need work. For example, what's the first thing that pops into your mind when you think of "depression"? If the answer is "flying a kite", then follow the chain... What do you think of when you think of "kite" and "flying"... You'll be surprised how quickly this takes you right down to an event in your childhood or an unresolved conflict that might have happened a year ago.\n\n2 - Looking for lies. A chair cannot make you depressed. A lampshade cannot make you depressed. Only another person can make you depressed. I believe it is because a chair and a lampshade cannot lie. Only a person can lie. Depression, it seems to me, comes from believing a lie. That conflict (between reality and the lie) takes up so much mental energy to maintain, it drains you as a whole. You may find, after using technique #1, that it leads to you to this conclusion #2. For example, after free associating your way to an event, you might find that it was when someone told you that you weren't worth a hill of beans. The problem is not that they insulted you, the problem is that you believed the lie. Beware, giving up on a lie that we've believed in for a long time is tougher than it sounds.\n\n3 - This one is going to sound goofy, especially after wading in deeply with the other two techniques. Get some light to shine on the cells in the back of your eyes. Go outside for an extended period of time without sunglasses (no need to stare at the sun or a light-bulb, indirect light will do). Use one of those gentle light therapy products like www.everlyte.com . Take a trip on a sailboat. Spend a few hours in open fields on sunny days. It's those cells in the eyes that produce much of the chemical that those pills seek to replace.
10951
I don't know of any specific excercise for depression that works best, but I would suggest something cardio and do it for a long time to really get the endorphin rush. I personally like running. Good Luck.
344677
Get on anti-depressants, that will do the trick.