important. I've heard certain foods can have an impact on a person's mood for
better or worse. However, I am more concerned about the beverages a person
consumes. The two important keywords are: stimulants and depressants.
Stimulants are things that speed up the body and mind. Depressants can slow you
down and depress you obviously. I'm guilty of drinking too much soda and
coffee. There have been incidents reported that too much coffee and caffeine
can help trigger a manic episode. It most likely aided in triggering my last
manic episode. As I write this I feel a little hypomanic, because I just came
from starbucks and had two large coffees! I enjoy the jazzed up feeling, but
sometimes I think I should seriously cut back. Alcohol can aide in triggering a
manic phase. It does this by "washing out meds." It's as if alcohol dilutes
your meds and renders them ineffective, if you drink too much. One last
stimulant to watch, which is a problem in people with mental illness in my
opinion, is cigarettes. It is a fact that they can decrease the amount of
medicine that reaches the bloodstream. I'm no pro at staying away from these
substances; I'm guilty of all of them. I want to give them all up, it's just
hard. The general idea is to use all things in moderation, which only you can
discern how much is enough. I would probably feel better if I gave up all these
things. I won't stop trying and neither should you. In the long run giving up
these things would make us happier and healthier I imagine. Like myself only
you can decide.