Hey everyone, it's been a while since I've posted here. Last February I got quite a mild concussion playing lacrosse, followed by a few more (much milder) bumps to the head. It seemed as though my symptoms had been resolved a couple of months afterwards (btw I never had any headaches, only brain fog, dizziness, irritability).

Then I started drinking, which I've been doing at least a couple of times a month if not more since then. I've even done cocaine 2 or 3 times in the past year. I've also been smoking medical marijuana a couple of times a week. I went through a truly terrible break up around 6 months ago and drank a bit more then. Throughout this entire year I've had many glimpses, or moments without symptoms where I just feel 100% like myself again, these usually go along with abstaining from alcohol/marijuana and proper diet/exercise.

However, a lot of the time, especially the days after I drink (but not exclusive to), I feel absolutely terrible and unlike myself. I feel mentally impaired (slower), far less creative, depressed, anxious, angry, and distant. It's really just awful to be honest. Usually I'm always up beat and can socialize extremely well, but I feel like I've lost that spark.

What I'm going to do now is absolutely stay away from substances and eat as healthily as humanly possible, while drinking tons of water and exercising regularly. I need to get myself back. I know that person is still here somewhere. You guys are probably wondering why I posted this by now, but I must know, do you guys think I've done any serious, lasting damage? Also given the fact that I'm only 18 years old. If I do what I've said I will, along with taking vitamins and supplements, will I be able to recover and be my old self again? The concussions truly weren't severe but I can tell they've been affecting me since then. Any and all advice is much, much appreciated and I thank you for taking the time to read my post.

Nobody can say if you will have lasting symptoms or relapses. You will likely need to make some permanent lifestyle changes if you want to avoid the roller coaster. Repeating past behaviors will likely make those roller coaster downs much worse.

Feeling totally messed up after drinking is very common to PCS. The PCS brain has a very sensitive chemical tolerance.

I hope you can find the strength and support to stay clean and sober. It may require finding a new group of friends to socialize with.

My best to you.

Hey, dude.

Sorry to hear about your situation, PCS seriously sucks. My symptoms hung around for about nine months during my freshman year of college and I felt so lame having to tell my friends I couldn't party with them.

That being said, if I were you, I would seriously slow down or abstain from all alcohol, drugs, etc until you heal completely. Your brain is in a very sensitive state when it's healing and I found that drinking completely messed me up while I had PCS. If you want to get back to that state of "feeling like yourself" again, keeping away from brain-altering substances seems like your best bet.

Since you're so young, you have a very good chance of recovery. Keep a positive mindset, a healthy diet, and don't be afraid to spend some quiet nights in to rest your mind if you're feeling overwhelmed. It's been almost three years since my symptoms disappeared and I've felt 100% myself since then.

Keep your chin up!!!

As with all concussion recoveries, Your mileage may vary. Others experiences are just theirs. You've already seen how PCS and chemicals effect you. You are your own best experience.

Hey! I'm actually in a really similar boat, was feeling better until I started drinking again and now I feel almost as bad as I did when the PCS first started. I worry a lot about the possibility of permanent damage, and I barely ever feel like myself.

It's really hard to not drink / smoke weed / etc. when you're in an environment where everyone else does it. That's just how most people our age socialized and have fun. But I think you're on the right track by avoiding alcohol and exercising.

If you're worried about recovery, you should check out the hope and healing thread on this forum. It's helped me through times when I was terrified I'd never recover. If people with severe / multiple concussions can make a full recovery, I believe you can too.

"It's really hard to not drink / smoke weed / etc. when you're in an environment where everyone else does it. " The way to deal with this is change your social circle. If your future depends on it, the change will be worth it. Plenty of young people do not smoke weed or get drunk.

If you read the Hope and Healing thread, you will find that most who struggled to heal finally started healing when they accepted their injury and changed their lifestyle.

CBD or canabidiol is the neuroprotective part. It is not hallucinogenic (no high). It is already widely available since it can be refined from hemp so it is legal. It can be purchased on Amazon. But, it is expensive. The cheap versions have a low percentage of CBD.