Feeling sad on my birthday
SAMHSA’s National Helpline | SAMHSA
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SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.
Also visit the online treatment locator.
SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357) (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service), or TTY: 1-800-487-4889 is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders.
This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations.
Also visit the online treatment locator, or send your zip code via text message: 435748 (HELP4U) to find help near you. Read more about the HELP4U text messaging service.
The service is open 24/7, 365 days a year.
English and Spanish are available if you select the option to speak with a national representative. Currently, the 435748 (HELP4U) text messaging service is only available in English.
In 2020, the Helpline received 833,598 calls. This is a 27 percent increase from 2019, when the Helpline received a total of 656,953 calls for the year.
The referral service is free of charge. If you have no insurance or are underinsured, we will refer you to your state office, which is responsible for state-funded treatment programs.
In addition, we can often refer you to facilities that charge on a sliding fee scale or accept Medicare or Medicaid. If you have health insurance, you are encouraged to contact your insurer for a list of participating health care providers and facilities.
The service is confidential. We will not ask you for any personal information. We may ask for your zip code or other pertinent geographic information in order to track calls being routed to other offices or to accurately identify the local resources appropriate to your needs.
No, we do not provide counseling. Trained information specialists answer calls, transfer callers to state services or other appropriate intake centers in their states, and connect them with local assistance and support.
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Suggested Resources
What Is Substance Abuse Treatment? A Booklet for Families
Created for family members of people with alcohol abuse or drug abuse problems.
Answers questions about substance abuse, its symptoms, different types of treatment, and recovery. Addresses concerns of children of parents with substance use/abuse problems.It's Not Your Fault (NACoA) (PDF | 12 KB)
Assures teens with parents who abuse alcohol or drugs that, "It's not your fault!" and that they are not alone. Encourages teens to seek emotional support from other adults, school counselors, and youth support groups such as Alateen, and provides a resource list.After an Attempt: A Guide for Taking Care of Your Family Member After Treatment in the Emergency Department
Aids family members in coping with the aftermath of a relative's suicide attempt. Describes the emergency department treatment process, lists questions to ask about follow-up treatment, and describes how to reduce risk and ensure safety at home.Family Therapy Can Help: For People in Recovery From Mental Illness or Addiction
Explores the role of family therapy in recovery from mental illness or substance abuse.
Explains how family therapy sessions are run and who conducts them, describes a typical session, and provides information on its effectiveness in recovery.For additional resources, please visit the SAMHSA Store.
Last Updated
Last Updated: 08/30/2022
Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs
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Misusing alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs can have both immediate and long-term health effects.The misuse and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, and prescription medications affect the health and well-being of millions of Americans. NSDUH estimates allow researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and the general public to better understand and improve the nation’s behavioral health. These reports and detailed tables present estimates from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).
Alcohol
Data:
- Among the 133.1 million current alcohol users aged 12 or older in 2021, 60.0 million people (or 45.1%) were past month binge drinkers. The percentage of people who were past month binge drinkers was highest among young adults aged 18 to 25 (29.2% or 9.8 million people), followed by adults aged 26 or older (22.4% or 49.3 million people), then by adolescents aged 12 to 17 (3.8% or 995,000 people). (2021 NSDUH)
- Among people aged 12 to 20 in 2021, 15.1% (or 5.9 million people) were past month alcohol users. Estimates of binge alcohol use and heavy alcohol use in the past month among underage people were 8.3% (or 3.2 million people) and 1.6% (or 613,000 people), respectively. (2021 NSDUH)
- In 2020, 50.0% of people aged 12 or older (or 138.5 million people) used alcohol in the past month (i.e., current alcohol users) (2020 NSDUH)
- Among the 138.5 million people who were current alcohol users, 61.6 million people (or 44.
4%) were classified as binge drinkers and 17.7 million people (28.8% of current binge drinkers and 12.8% of current alcohol users) were classified as heavy drinkers (2020 NSDUH) - The percentage of people who were past month binge alcohol users was highest among young adults aged 18 to 25 (31.4%) compared with 22.9% of adults aged 26 or older and 4.1% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 (2020 NSDUH)
- Excessive alcohol use can increase a person’s risk of stroke, liver cirrhosis, alcoholic hepatitis, cancer, and other serious health conditions
- Excessive alcohol use can also lead to risk-taking behavior, including driving while impaired. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 29 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver daily
Programs/Initiatives:
- STOP Underage Drinking interagency portal - Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking
- Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking
- Talk.
They Hear You. - Underage Drinking: Myths vs. Facts
- Talking with your College-Bound Young Adult About Alcohol
Relevant links:
- National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors
- Department of Transportation Office of Drug & Alcohol Policy & Compliance
- Alcohol Policy Information Systems Database (APIS)
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Tobacco
Data:
- In 2020, 20.7% of people aged 12 or older (or 57.3 million people) used nicotine products (i.e., used tobacco products or vaped nicotine) in the past month (2020 NSDUH)
- Among past month users of nicotine products, nearly two thirds of adolescents aged 12 to 17 (63.1%) vaped nicotine but did not use tobacco products. In contrast, 88.9% of past month nicotine product users aged 26 or older used only tobacco products (2020 NSDUH)
- Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death, often leading to lung cancer, respiratory disorders, heart disease, stroke, and other serious illnesses.
The CDC reports that cigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States - The CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health reports that more than 16 million Americans are living with a disease caused by smoking cigarettes
Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use data:
- In 2021, 13.2 million people aged 12 or older (or 4.7%) used an e-cigarette or other vaping device to vape nicotine in the past month. The percentage of people who vaped nicotine was highest among young adults aged 18 to 25 (14.1% or 4.7 million people), followed by adolescents aged 12 to 17 (5.2% or 1.4 million people), then by adults aged 26 or older (3.2% or 7.1 million people).
- Among people aged 12 to 20 in 2021, 11.0% (or 4.3 million people) used tobacco products or used an e-cigarette or other vaping device to vape nicotine in the past month. Among people in this age group, 8.1% (or 3.1 million people) vaped nicotine, 5.4% (or 2.1 million people) used tobacco products, and 3.
4% (or 1.3 million people) smoked cigarettes in the past month. (2021 NSDUH) - Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2020 National Youth Tobacco Survey. Among both middle and high school students, current use of e-cigarettes declined from 2019 to 2020, reversing previous trends and returning current e-cigarette use to levels similar to those observed in 2018
- E-cigarettes are not safe for youth, young adults, or pregnant women, especially because they contain nicotine and other chemicals
Resources:
- Tips for Teens: Tobacco
- Tips for Teens: E-cigarettes
- Implementing Tobacco Cessation Programs in Substance Use Disorder Treatment Settings
- Synar Amendment Program
Links:
- Truth Initiative
- FDA Center for Tobacco Products
- CDC Office on Smoking and Health
- National Institute on Drug Abuse: Tobacco, Nicotine, and E-Cigarettes
- National Institute on Drug Abuse: E-Cigarettes
Opioids
Data:
- Among people aged 12 or older in 2021, 3.
3% (or 9.2 million people) misused opioids (heroin or prescription pain relievers) in the past year. Among the 9.2 million people who misused opioids in the past year, 8.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers compared with 1.1 million people who used heroin. These numbers include 574,000 people who both misused prescription pain relievers and used heroin in the past year. (2021 NSDUH) - Among people aged 12 or older in 2020, 3.4% (or 9.5 million people) misused opioids in the past year. Among the 9.5 million people who misused opioids in the past year, 9.3 million people misused prescription pain relievers and 902,000 people used heroin (2020 NSDUH)
- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Understanding the Epidemic, an average of 128 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose
Resources:
- Medications for Substance Use Disorders
- Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit
- TIP 63: Medications for Opioid Use Disorder
- Use of Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Criminal Justice Settings
- Opioid Use Disorder and Pregnancy
- Clinical Guidance for Treating Pregnant and Parenting Women With Opioid Use Disorder and Their Infants
- The Facts about Buprenorphine for Treatment of Opioid Addiction
- Pregnancy Planning for Women Being Treated for Opioid Use Disorder
- Tips for Teens: Opioids
- Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Grants
- Tribal Opioid Response Grants
- Provider’s Clinical Support System - Medication Assisted Treatment Grant Program
Links:
- National Institute on Drug Abuse: Opioids
- National Institute on Drug Abuse: Heroin
- HHS Prevent Opioid Abuse
- Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America
- Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Network
- Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) Network
Marijuana
Data:
- In 2021, marijuana was the most commonly used illicit drug, with 18.
7% of people aged 12 or older (or 52.5 million people) using it in the past year. The percentage was highest among young adults aged 18 to 25 (35.4% or 11.8 million people), followed by adults aged 26 or older (17.2% or 37.9 million people), then by adolescents aged 12 to 17 (10.5% or 2.7 million people).
- The percentage of people who used marijuana in the past year was highest among young adults aged 18 to 25 (34.5%) compared with 16.3% of adults aged 26 or older and 10.1% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 (2020 NSDUH)
- Marijuana can impair judgment and distort perception in the short term and can lead to memory impairment in the long term
- Marijuana can have significant health effects on youth and pregnant women.
Resources:
- Know the Risks of Marijuana
- Marijuana and Pregnancy
- Tips for Teens: Marijuana
Relevant links:
- National Institute on Drug Abuse: Marijuana
- Addiction Technology Transfer Centers on Marijuana
- CDC Marijuana and Public Health
Emerging Trends in Substance Misuse:
- Methamphetamine—In 2019, NSDUH data show that approximately 2 million people used methamphetamine in the past year.
Approximately 1 million people had a methamphetamine use disorder, which was higher than the percentage in 2016, but similar to the percentages in 2015 and 2018. The National Institute on Drug Abuse Data shows that overdose death rates involving methamphetamine have quadrupled from 2011 to 2017. Frequent meth use is associated with mood disturbances, hallucinations, and paranoia.
- Cocaine—In 2019, NSDUH data show an estimated 5.5 million people aged 12 or older were past users of cocaine, including about 778,000 users of crack. The CDC reports that overdose deaths involving have increased by one-third from 2016 to 2017. In the short term, cocaine use can result in increased blood pressure, restlessness, and irritability. In the long term, severe medical complications of cocaine use include heart attacks, seizures, and abdominal pain.
- Kratom—In 2019, NSDUH data show that about 825,000 people had used Kratom in the past month. Kratom is a tropical plant that grows naturally in Southeast Asia with leaves that can have psychotropic effects by affecting opioid brain receptors.
It is currently unregulated and has risk of abuse and dependence. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that health effects of Kratom can include nausea, itching, seizures, and hallucinations.
Resources:
- Tips for Teens: Methamphetamine
- Tips for Teens: Cocaine
- National Institute on Drug Abuse
More SAMHSA publications on substance use prevention and treatment.
Last Updated
Last Updated: 03/22/2023
Why are we so sad on our birthdays?
Photo: yandex.ua Have you ever heard of the birthday effect, also called birthday blues? This is a statistical increase in the probability of death in the dates closest to the birthday compared to the rest of the year. Its existence is confirmed by scientists from USA , UK , Ukraine and Switzerland .
The reasons are very prosaic: on the eve of the DR, people get drunk more often, break up with their partners more often (sometimes fraught with murder and suicide), and seriously ill people who dream of making it to this date often die soon after it comes.
Well, in general, a marketing raid, social networks, holiday discounts from corporations and clumsy actions of loved ones can piss off the most cheerful birthday boy. Curiously, peaks of suicide immediately after the DR were found among Danes and Hungarians, while no such pattern was observed among Germans (I suspect that this has something to do with gift-giving culture, but this is just a guess).
Social expectations are still pressing: on this day, we owe everyone something - rejoice, respond to congratulations, arrange parties. It does not soar someone, but someone very much. So be careful with jubilant emoticons the next time you are going to write a wish to a friend whose state of affairs you are not aware of (Vice has a good article on this).
And for the birthday people themselves, looking forward to the idleness of the blues, Healthline has formulated the following ideas.
- Complicated scenarios are tiring - do not plan anything in the AR that will unsettle you.
- If you are inspired by gifts and other goodies dedicated to the holiday, always indicate your date of birth on all kinds of services where you are registered: this way you have a higher chance of getting a pleasant surprise and creating a festive mood (THIS ADVICE IS DEFINITELY NOT FOR ME).
- Appreciate the people who congratulate you: DR is in principle a good reason to get in touch with those who, for various reasons, disappeared from the radar.
- Do not be afraid of growing up or aging. It just seems that these states have continuous flaws. I would advise you to ask one of the older optimistic friends about this.
- Mark the DD the way you feel is right, without regard to other people's opinions.
- If you don't like your AR, this is a good starting point for a conversation with a therapist. Perhaps there are some reasons from childhood that would be good to pull to the surface and dissect.
- Spend time this day with friends, family or pets (provided that you are really good with the last two categories).
- Plan a volunteer outing in the DR or donate money to charity. It is always very warm and fills life with additional meaning.
- It's also good to go to the gym or go to nature. It improves your mood every day! (however, both the first and second are not very feasible yet)
- Avoid FOMO - do not compare your holiday with others. We all have different circumstances and starting conditions, remember?
- If your DD is listed on social media, be prepared to deal with a flood of appropriate and inappropriate congratulations. If not specified, then with their absence.
- Set realistic expectations. On this day, the planet does not stop, and other people - here's a surprise - can suffer and die.
And in general, you weren’t born today, but a bunch of years ago, and people came up with the calendar, so there’s nothing to put on airs here. But if you feel lighter in your soul that day - why not, m?
Source: Yandex.Zen
Tags: Switzerland0021
"Birthday Syndrome". Why do we feel sad on the eve of a birthday
Before the main holiday, you feel bad and want to hide away from everyone? We found out why
May 30, 2020, 13:40, Olesya Pastukhova
Photo: kashamalasha.com
Bad mood, apathy and even irritability on your birthday is not a consequence of your "nasty and harmful" character, but a completely normal state . It turns out that moping before a personal New Year is very natural. Amic.ru together with a psychologist from Barnaul Ekaterina Kabanchenko tried to figure out why a person falls into this state and how once a spoiled holiday can affect birthdays in later life. It turned out that inexplicable sadness can be associated with high expectations and even childhood trauma.
Reference point
– Very often, before a birthday, a person can be seized by boundless melancholy, he becomes more quick-tempered, and there is no feeling of a holiday at all. Why is this happening?
- Indeed, there is such a trend. There is a term (although it is unofficial) - "birthday syndrome". It is well known to people whose good cheerful mood is replaced by apathy before their birthday: they are sad, sigh, sad, so much so that sometimes they just want to cry. Not necessarily longing can overcome the holiday itself. "Cover" with melancholy can be a few days, or even weeks before this day.
Sounds like no logic, right? After all, a birthday is a holiday when a person rejoices at the appearance in this world, and the fact that he lives at all. But at the same time, a birthday reminds everyone of the transience of time and that the past will not return. All those events that have already happened, all those opportunities that were, that a person took advantage of or did not use, are already in the past and cannot be returned.
Therefore, a birthday is a starting point, a day when a person can face what in psychology is called an "existential crisis". This is a crisis when a person asks himself questions: “what have I achieved”, “how satisfied am I with my life”, “what dreams have I realized”, “where am I going”, “what do I want”, “what is ahead of me”. " and so on. We begin to take stock and make new plans. Sometimes everything is fine with a person and it seems that he has achieved everything he wanted. But he has questions, what to do next and what else to want.
If every birthday you have an acute desire not to celebrate, this indicates that you have accumulated a lot of important questions inside you that you do not answer yourself for various reasons. And on such a holiday, it is impossible not to remember these issues, because it reminds of a new life cycle.
If a person does not run away from a reassessment of values, from accepting and letting go of those opportunities that were missed, if he sees new opportunities for himself, then this period can even affect him positively and positively. Because by responding to your difficulties, you will grow and develop.
My birthday, but due to everyone
– An endless series of preparations and troubles ruins a birthday for many. It seems that the holiday is yours, and the fuss only adds to the nervousness and headache. How to be?
- Many of us have an image of how a birthday should be. It should be a noisy feast, a party with friends, colleagues or family gatherings at home.
But not every person likes to party and receive guests. In childhood, this holiday was organized for us, all the worries and everyday issues lay with the parents. And the child received gifts, compliments and friends to visit.
And now we have grown up and all these worries about how to cook dinner, entertain guests, decorate an apartment, house or how to book a cafe or restaurant fall on us. Not all people like to organize some events. Therefore, sometimes a person perceives a birthday not as something for himself, but something that he owes to everyone. And it can also spoil the mood.
Although now there is also a trend when people spend their birthday the way they want: they go somewhere with their soul mate, go to the spa, that is, they embody their personal desires.
There is another reason for this condition before the birthday. It lies in our temperament. We are all different: someone loves communication and being the center of attention, and someone does not like it, someone easily accepts compliments, and someone does not. And on our birthdays, we always find ourselves in the spotlight. They call us, congratulate us, give us gifts, say nice words. Someone wants to be "the navel of the earth", and someone in life likes to be a little on the sidelines. And because of this, too, people may experience some discomfort.
The world is glad to see you
– And if from childhood there is no anticipation of the joy of your own birthday, although everyone around loves it. Why is that?
- The child draws many traditions and habits from the family. When parents were expecting a child, if his birth was a joy, then, accordingly, his birthdays were treated the same way. For example, if a child was given gifts that he wanted, and those friends whom the child wanted were invited to the holiday, this is good. And if parents called useful and adult people for their birthday, and the wrong ones gave gifts, then in adulthood he will have sad feelings from his birthday. Because he didn't have that experience when his birthday was really his holiday.
There is still a moment when a person feels that he is in this world. And if the parents form in the child the feeling that the world is happy for him, then this also has a positive effect on his mood on this day in the future.
Of course, the mood is also directly affected by some life events that could happen shortly before the birthday. For example, someone got divorced, or did not get a long-awaited promotion, or was fired altogether. Or maybe they just didn't have time to do what they wanted to do. Such life events can also affect the mood before the celebration.
– It also happens that a person himself invents attitudes for himself because of a birthday that was once ruined. Could it be?
- Yes, there is a negative attitude. True, for someone - about a birthday, for someone - about Friday the 13th, for someone - about the New Year.
This is a sign of magical thinking - when a person connects into cause and effect those things that are not connected to each other, but which just somehow happened. It happens that something bad happens on a birthday. A person begins to be afraid of this and look for situations confirming this.
For example, my loved one left me on my birthday. Naturally, next birthday I will be more anxious. And even if a colleague is rude to me, I will take it at the expense of my birthday, and not at the expense of the fact that this colleague is always rude to everyone.
A logical analysis of the situation will help to break this chain. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Has this ever happened to me besides my birthday?
- And on what days does this happen to me at all?
- Is this only happening to me?
- Or did it even happen to some of the people I know?
- What is the reason for this happening?
It is important to find evidence that this is just a coincidence and just fell on this day.
Birth is stressful
– Why does a person feel worse before his birthday not only morally, but also physically?
- There is a theory that birth is stressful. Not only for the mother, but also for the child. After all, it is also difficult for him in the process of childbirth. And this is such a strong stress that our body remembers it, and every year before this date we begin to feel bad.
But I think it also happens because we are all overtaken by a feeling of sadness. And we listen to our condition a little more. What we would not feel on a normal day (some kind of aching pain or discomfort), in this state we feel more strongly (when we are emotionally sensitive).
And of course, psychosomatics plays a role.
- People of what age are more prone to apathy before a birthday?
- Especially often the state of apathy and sadness occurs before anniversaries. Indeed, people over 30 are more susceptible to this. Until the age of 30, a person is always at the beginning of something new: he masters school, learns to communicate, thinks about what profession to choose, goes to work for the first time, learns to build long-term relationships.
And 30 years is the first limit when we begin to draw some conclusions.
