Posted by Dog on December 9, 2003, at 17:47:24
In reply to Re: Wellbutrin for anxiety wha???, posted by DeeJay on December 9, 2003, at 9:40:51
alot of things can damage the brain... i am a lead inspector and i know that lead damages kids brains at young ages... been doing it for 10 yrs. and i've seen kids that have problems now because of lead poisoning ...being a man, i've even heard testosterone flooding my brain during puberty as an adolescent did a kind of brain damage...so brain damage happens to many at one time or another...
i've never really explored the possibilities the drug use did damage to me... it probably did, though i could never tell for sure... it was when i quit drinking (which also kills brain cells), quit smoking cigarettes and dope and quit other recreational drugs that i was able to go to college and study... because i partied so much, i barely made it thru high school...i quit drugs and then i went to a 2 year community college w/ an open door policy ... i couldn't have gotten into a 4 year college at that point...then i got an associates degree, i did OK there and then got a bachelors and then did some graduate study... i am a graduate school drop-out, as the depression really hit hard in grad school..... i was about 25 when it hit hard... because i had once, i believe, had a problem with alcohol and drugs, it was very difficult to begin taking a chemical again, even though it was for depression and from a Dr.
i almost finished grad school though and still might someday.
i know this guy in my small hometown, who people say drugs really affected him. i knew him before and after and definitely can see somethings affected him for the worse.
some other things i've heard: even if the brain is damaged some, while there are never new brain cells made, there can be new neurological pathways made... we only use a small portion of our brains and i have heard Dr.s say the brain can restore itself by creating new pathways...we must keep learning, i have heard also so our brains don't deteriorate...keep trying new things and keep ourselves exposed to good things like good art and good movies and good books and good exercise...challenging ourselves continually... i don't enough because of the depression, but want to... i think in Jan. i am going to take a class to see if i can still do it...i have a secondary teaching certificate that has lapsed and i have to take a class to get it back up to date...so sorry about your Mother.. it must have been very difficult, esp. at that age... 17 is a crucial time in a person's life...my mother died last May... she was almost 75... she died at my house... i was there when she died, holding her hand... it was difficult then at 40, i can't imagine 17... some say if you don't grieve right when someone close to you dies, that can cause problems like depression and things...only thing is, at young ages, we usually don't know anything about grieving...
> Now I know I'm not alone. My cousin and I have oftened wondered if recreational use had screwed us up...he's on Lexapro and is the most cynical kid I know, but super smart. As a teenager, I did way too much lsd, even did my 10th grade research paper on it..;p..no, not obvious at all...I didn't toke much...couldn't stay awake...but that's all I have done. And too many years of it, I'm afraid. My mom was sick at the time, died when I was 17....and I'm sure that's where that all came from. I have to get back to work as well, thanks for chatting with me. Take care, be back soon.
>
> Deej
poster:Dog
thread:285859
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031208/msgs/288106.html