Alcohol doesn't help depression or SAD. Alcohol is a depressant itself.

I'm on anti-depressants, and usually step up the dosage a bit in the winter. My worst time is from about Christmas to Feb/March. I also have a sunlamp that I use in the morning before going to work. It seems to help a bit, since going outside to get natural daylight is a bit of a chore when there's 3 feet of snow on the ground and the windchill is -20C.

I also smoke pot, which doesn't so much help the depression as it does stop me thinking about it and get on with other things (like watching Harold & Kumar movies and eating Doritos)

I'm not SAD, but if I lived in the Pacific northwest I'd consider eating a bullet.

Generation_D: MayoSlather [TotalFark] Add Favorite User Quote 2011-11-21 09:32:52 AM Ignore User
I'm not SAD, but if I lived in the Pacific northwest I'd consider eating a bullet.

You can't be "seasonally affected" if there's only one kind of season.

The PNW has that week or two of summer.

downstairs: Move to the south. We don't have winter.

Yeah, but then you're in the south.

RexTalionis: I don't have SAD, but it wouldn't make much of a difference to me anyway. I've been staying out of direct sunlight for nearly 20 years now.

And you're a lawyer... Mr. Slant? Is that you?

RexTalionis: I think the problem with people today is that they have too many emotions.

Indeed they do. I try my best to keep them deadened, but no, they keep coming back.

RexTalionis: Theaetetus: RexTalionis: I don't have SAD, but it wouldn't make much of a difference to me anyway. I've been staying out of direct sunlight for nearly 20 years now.

And you're a lawyer... Mr. Slant? Is that you?

Who?

First hit on a Google search, you illiterate twat.

/invectives are fun and I just wanted to say "twat"

There are very few benefits to alcohol. For any condition that pop culture recommends booze... it hurts more than it helps.

apeiron242: There are very few benefits to alcohol. For any condition that pop culture recommends booze... it hurts more than it helps.

False! The condition of "not currently getting laid" can be greatly accelerated into "getting laid" with the addition of alcohol.

Learn to ski or snowboard. That'll make winter fun.

But then you'll get SAD in the summer. But then at least you get to drink outside by the pool!

I find light depressing. Today I woke up and looked out on a fog-shrouded vista with perhaps 500 yards of visibility, and I LOVE IT! I have black-out curtains in all the rooms, and keep the lights low. Sunny days are what make me want to drink.

downstairs: Move to the south. We don't have winter.

Yup. My doctor said that he could give me drugs, I could significantly increase my daily exercise routine or I could move to a place with more sunshine. I opted for #2 and #3.

This time of year, the difference in weather between my old and new homes couldn't be more different. Here, the 5-day forecast calls for a mix of sunny and partly sunny days with temps in the high 60s to low 80s. The average length of day will be around 10hr 15min. My garden is in full autumn bloom. Back in my old state, the forecast calls for nothing but rain with high temps in the upper 40s. The average length of day is just under 9hrs. Little would be blooming and the deciduous trees would have lost much of their leaves, accentuating the gloom.

I actually know a handful of people who moved from my old state to down here, and in almost every instance, they or their partner had SAD. It was a lot more common than I thought.

apeiron242: There are very few benefits to alcohol. For any condition that pop culture recommends booze... it hurts more than it helps.

Yeah, well, my state needs altering and it's cheaper and easier to come by than weed.

Instead of this mostly serious and on topic discussion, I fully expected this thread to be full of LoLcats that has a sad. Not even one. You are slipping Fark.

Exercising a couple times a week works surprisingly well

Seasonal affective disorder is made up like A.D.H.D., lamprey fingers, periods and AIDS. Come see me when you come down with spontaneous dentohydroplosion.

Dinjiin: downstairs: Move to the south. We don't have winter.

Yup. My doctor said that he could give me drugs, I could significantly increase my daily exercise routine or I could move to a place with more sunshine. I opted for #2 and #3.

This time of year, the difference in weather between my old and new homes couldn't be more different. Here, the 5-day forecast calls for a mix of sunny and partly sunny days with temps in the high 60s to low 80s. The average length of day will be around 10hr 15min. My garden is in full autumn bloom. Back in my old state, the forecast calls for nothing but rain with high temps in the upper 40s. The average length of day is just under 9hrs. Little would be blooming and the deciduous trees would have lost much of their leaves, accentuating the gloom.

I actually know a handful of people who moved from my old state to down here, and in almost every instance, they or their partner had SAD. It was a lot more common than I thought.

I moved from Southern California to Chicago and by god I am regretting that decision more than perhaps any other I've ever made.

I just can't say enough about how much living in a nice climate truly affects your life. Chicago is absolutely brutal to live in by comparison. Seriously, if you are ever considering where to go start your life over, make sure it's someplace warm, friendly and active. Even if your paycheck is half what it would be somewhere else, chances are you'll still be much happier overall.

/Miss some Sharkies down at the beach in Newport or Santa Barbara or beers and relaxing in Catalina, Hiking in the mountains when I get restless or a quick jump over to Vegas for the night when I want to celebrate.

downstairs: Move to the south. We don't have winter.

Georgia, 10 miles north of Atlanta, Feb 2010

Mikey1969: Much better than being stuck in the festering sinkhole that is Phoenix.

If you don't like the politics in Phoenix, there is always Tucson or Santa Fe.

And speaking of stuck, how was traffic the other week when they shut the Alaska Way Viaduct down? Heck, how is traffic on any day when there is rain? Phoenix may be a cultural wasteland filled with crotchety old people, but at least it isn't claustrophobic the way Seattle is. I often felt trapped in my home because traffic was always so bad. Getting out of my car and riding my bike wasn't much better - I was safe once I reached the Burke-Gilman Trail, but outside of that, people are idiots. And I hate dealing with idiots when I am cold and wet.