I think I've been in some sort of depressed slump lately.

[saturnfan]

Alcohol laws very by state and by town. He lives in one of the Carolina's I believe, the south is notorious for having tons of blue laws and dry towns and counties. He would have to check all state, federal and local laws on where and if he could bar tend.

Bar tending also really sucks, it is not as cool or glamorous as some of you seem to think.

[bobbynewmarkiii]

Bar tending also really sucks, it is not as cool or glamorous as some of you seem to think.

Depends where you do it - I worked bars for 4 years, and had some of the best times I can remember - although to be honest there are more than a few nights that I don't remember much about at all! Good times!!!

[TheyCallMeTheSwede]

Sounds like a bad case of Hikikomori

[CRTGAMER]

I joined the Navy. I did all kinds of research, talked to tons of people, and weighed the pros and cons. To me the pros far outweighed the cons. I had nothing going for me anyway and if I join the military, at least I'm going to get to travel, make some money, be around people, and get some training. If I end up hating it, it will only be 4 years of my life, and I will have at least gained some experiences. And best case, I love it and it changes my life.

I know the military isn't for everything, but it is something to consider.

Anyway, I hope you find something that makes you happy! There are plenty of people here to offer help.

Modman, a change of pace a great idea. Glad you mentioned going out to take a break from the routine. Outdoor activities always helps not just for exercise. Biking or Hiking an easy way to discover a great view and relax, anything to get outta daily rut and slow down with no worries. A break from the same mundane routine maybe couple times a week?

Discoveries abound where ever you are.
I lived in the same place for 20 years and would visit the beach, Only recently after living here forever discovered snorkeling a local cove full of leopard sharks. Unbelievable! Leopard sharks are very docile but still a crazy thrill when 3 or 4 five footers are swimming right next to you right there in the wild. I think the small stingrays on the bottom are more dangerous.
The crazy thing is this is right by a tourist resort beach, if the tourist bathers only knew what was 10 feet further in.

Every state has its jewels, bet North Carolina has some real wonders.

Okay a reply to the Navy suggestion.
Military a very drastic life changing commitment, would not do such a move when depressed. Must be thought thru, there are personal sacrifices and free time lost. That said, I did 20 years Navy myself. Family separation is the worst, especially gone for six months at a time. If no ties then can be an advantage to gain new experiences, see different cultures.

To l0whit07. Be sure to have a guaranteed "A" school towards a career path that you desire be it 4 years or a Naval career. If just 4 years get the military assistance for college and a trade that will transit to civilian sector. Being young, its good to party when you hit the foreign lands but more importantly go see the country and culture of everywhere you go. A missed lifetime opportunity if you spend all that precious time clubbing. Envy you, Have some great memories myself of the places I have seen.

[Luke]

And this is the point where I have a little more advice:

Take a look at what your friends here have said, and shoot pm's to guys that you may want to ask more questions to.

[Weekend_Warrior]

It could be worse, you could be 30 years old with no social life... like me.

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

Thanks for all the support and stuff guys.

I got some much needed time out of the house today and can definitely say it helped me get on the way out of this rut I'm in. I even got lucky enough to grab a few extra shifts at work this week by being in there at the right time.

[Lord_Santa]

depression...

everyone has a point-of-view and some form of solution
which is great

I was diagnosed with depression about 20 years ago
8 years ago I was diagnosed chronically depressed

the answers provided you here by this community are step in the right direction

depression is however a strong force, which is very hard to beat

I've been seeing every possible doctor/shrink/etc. for the past 26 years

my psycho-therapist will leave due to retirement at the end of the year
after that I've been undergoing 6 years of CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)

unfortunately it did not help as much as she wanted, due to the fact that the chronic depression is the least of my worries

a rule of thumb should be:

if you're depressed for more than 6 months straight, it may be a good idea to medicate
people will throw words at you, like "Prozac", "Zoloft", "Sertralin", etc.

there is no one pill, which will solve all your problems, but if enough time has passed and things have not been going any better, it may be time to try and medicate

do note that most people will medicate with anti-depressants for a period of time and not for the rest of their lives

anti-depressants, no matter which sort will make you go through a living Hell without borders the first few weeks, as your body and mind gets adjusted to the treatment

they won't give you instant happiness, but they may help you when going through a tough time in your life

as others have stated, you are young and there are plenty of opportunities out there, but when one is depressed it can be very, very difficult to do just about any thing

we are fortunate we're I live (Sweden), as I only pay a small amount of money (about $110) before we get a "free-card" for a year when it comes to any and all health-care

I have no clue what the prices of therapy are going for in the states, but as others have suggested CBT may be a step in the right direction

I know all about being forced to go to therapy and while I think that it helps some people in a young age; it can also scare them off for future reference

maybe you should try group-therapy? it's known to work for some as you get a new view on your own situation, seeing as others are in similar

also, be very careful in choosing a psychiatrist, as psychiatrists are the one prescribing you medication and not the therapists

still matter of fact stands that you are young and have your whole life ahead of you and that's the easiest thing anyone can ever tell you, since (some of us) are at an age, where we envy the young for the time they have to do what we never had the time to do ourselves

it's easy enough to tell someone to go out and do something with their lives, but it's not always that easy to do that

sometimes being around people can be very, very frustrating; whether it's about you not feeling as if you fit in, or other reasons, it varies from person to person

I'd of course also recommend going outside to clear your head, as this is a "known cure"

but if things don't get better, you should consider medication and/or therapy

and don't buy into the hype/bullshit regarding medication
I dare say that 80% of the people speaking against medication, have no personal experience with the very same

just make sure that you are the one in charge of the situation, should it come to that, so that you tell the psychiatrist what ails you

and last but not least
read up on the various medications available

it's easy enough to get hung up on the side-effects, but they don't necessarily have to apply to you, since it's individualistic

I wish you best of luck in your life and hope for the better

[Octopod]

I am pretty sure you can sell alcohol at 18.

I think there's a distinction between sell and serve. For example, the guy in the grocery store is selling you alcohol, while the bartender is serving you alcohol. And I believe it's 21 to serve alcohol.

I guess that makes sense.

[Weekend_Warrior]

if you're depressed for more than 6 months straight, it may be a good idea to medicate
people will throw words at you, like "Prozac", "Zoloft", "Sertralin", etc.

Yes. But I wouldn't recommend any of those because they all steal your sex drive. SSRI's are notorious for that

I'd recommend Wellbutrin instead.