[ripper]

Great thread.... not what I expected to be reading on one of my car forums, but very honest and heartfelt submissions which I appreciate. I also appreciate those of you staying strong with your sobriety and hope your strength can inspire those yet to get on the path.

A bit off topic from meth, but for the discussions that spiraled into mental health I thought the following may be of interest.

I'm two years retired from the military after 30 years of service and discovered depression for the first time in my life. I did everything to deal with it, stayed busy, worked out like a mad man, surrounded myself with great people, but it was always there, like a fog in the background. So recently I did something about it and started hormone replacement therapy (hrt). Been about six weeks on low doses of testosterone and hgh, and have to say that I feel like a new man. Working with a physician that specializes in hrt, I'm on a program for daily doses that I will take indefinitely. I think of it like vitamins that I inject. Basically no big deal but....... I mention my experience because I rarely hear hrt as an alternative treatment to depression/mental health. While on active duty, hrt wasn't an option, but after I retired I started seriously considering it and through the support of my close friends who were on hrt, I finally gave it a go and seriously glad I did. So far, wow. Everything is better and I am a better person to be around.

Hope this was helpful. Semper Fi, G