Reykjavík Grapevine - 24.09.2010, Qupperneq 37

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The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 15 — 2010
Soon darkness will envelope all for
months on end and snow will fall min-
gled with hail, sheeting the windshield
in freezing cold white. Such is the time
for the depressed to wallow, for the for-
lorn to simmer in deep funk. The inching
lapse of time and creeping stretches of
wait pile up infinitely as the mind soft-
ens and slowly turns to mush. I vowed
once for an end to this but my means
are meagre and the coins call for me to
claim them, the bills beg to be bound in
my billfold.
I long ever to be the drunken lout
whom I serve, as alcohol keeps the
wolves at bay. I know indeed that it is
a fine custom for a man to lock tight his
heart’s coffer, keep closed the hoard
case of his mind, whatever his thoughts
may be. Yet I bare these feelings freely
without care of being judged. Only by
distribution can sadness be cast away,
or by infecting others, my state be made
to seem less wretched. Bereft of joy, I,
by sorrowful utterance, bereave others
of theirs.
Finally I catch a fare. Why does
this please me, I wonder. Once safely
shipped to whatever destination only
more futility awaits. Safely shipping
briefly considers ceasing as carelessly
crashing presents a final solution. Might
it be I’m listening to too much Neurosis?
Should I perhaps switch to FM 957 and
for a while become a happy zombie with
its gleeful head swimming in sickeningly
sweet and frothy pop culture hell bent
on ever discovering a lower common de-
nominator on which to breed a bleached
hair generation of functional retards?
Should I rather be happily monosyllabic
than sadly eloquent? I probably will nev-
er know.
Tonight I spark an incorrigible flame
and toke a jay. I get high on hate and
loaded with bile, contempt and loathing.
I run lights and ignore stop signs. I heed
no limits and strive to end this ruined life
continuum. I’m playing a game you see.
Whoever is the biggest dick fare tonight
gets to join me in the great beyond with
a high-speed crash gasoline fire as the
expedient. You just try me you cunts!
Opinion | "Travis Bickle"
Winter Awaits: Down the Rabbit Hole of Cabbie Depression
your Emotions | Ask The Doctor
I have always been quite
sceptical about psychics
and their supernatural pow-
er of seeing beyond what the
rest of us mortals can see, but it is dif-
ficult to live in Iceland and not believe
in this sort of thing. A large percentage
of Icelanders have gone at least once
in their lives to a psychic and stories of
the supernatural power of these intui-
tive people can be heard at most social
gatherings. As the saying goes, “when in
Rome, do as the Romans do," I decided
to do as the Icelanders do and go and
find out what the fuss was all about and
uncover an impostor at work.
So I ordered an appointment with a
well-known psychic and arrived there
quite suspicious, but as I entered the
room I was quite taken aback by my own
reaction. The moment he started speak-
ing I let my guard down and became
hopelessly attentive. He described my
personality as only my closest friends
would and told me things about myself
that I had even forgotten. He told me
things about my future as well but al-
though his words were quite impressive,
I am aware that there is the possibility
that they might be fabricated. Nonethe-
less, this was an instructive experience
that might help me be more open-mind-
ed about this mystical business and def-
initely give me the opportunity to have
something to talk about the next time
the subject is brought up.
Enough of my experience, here are
your dilemmas and my answers to them.
I am usually distracted and forget-
ful and my friend says I might have
ADHD. Could you please explain to
me what ADHD is and what I can do
to fix it?
ADHD, or attention-deficit and hyper-
activity disorder, is a psychological
problem of childhood characterised by
inappropriate levels of hyperactivity,
inattention and impulsivity. These es-
sential features need to be seen across
situations before a diagnosis can be
made; that is, at home, at work and in
social situations. Although ADHD is
usually diagnosed in childhood, it is not
just a problem in children. Even though
you might not have been diagnosed as
a child, it does not mean that you can’t
have it as an adult.
In the past ADHD went usually un-
noticed and kids who were affected by
it were considered to be troublemak-
ers and annoying. Fortunately things
have changed and these children are
met with more understanding. The most
common symptoms of ADHD in adults
are the following: having trouble con-
centrating and staying focused, being
disorganised, having difficulty following
directions, impulsiveness and chronic
lateness and forgetfulness among oth-
ers. In order to get a diagnosis you might
need to see a psychologist but that sort
of evaluation can be quite expensive.
Nevertheless, if you have some of the
symptoms there are some things that
you can do that might help you. For in-
stance, it can be good to exercise regu-
larly in order to work off excess energy,
limit your sugar and caffeine intake and
get enough sleep. Lists, clocks, calen-
dars and notes-to-self can also help you
manage better your time and improve
your work environment.
I think my girlfriend has a drinking
problem. She drinks on most week-
ends and always gets too drunk. We
have argued a few times about this
but she says I exaggerate. How do I
know what is “normal” drinking and
what is the best way to help her?
It sounds to me as if your girlfriend has
been binge drinking. Binge drinking is
a term used to describe the very com-
mon behaviour of drinking alcoholic
beverages with the primary purpose of
getting drunk. This pattern of drinking
usually refers to consuming five or more
drinks on a single occasion for men or
four or more drinks on a single occasion
for women, generally within a time span
of about two hours. This drinking style
is quite popular in many countries, in-
cluding Iceland, but that does not make
it acceptable. Binge drinking can have
negative consequences to our physical
and mental health. There are researches
that associate binge drinking with alco-
holism but the fact of the matter is that
drinking is a problem if it causes trouble
in your relationships, at work, in social
situations, or in how you think and feel.
If you are still worried that your girlfriend
has a drinking problem I suggest you
have another talk with her, when she is
sober, and tell her how you really feel
about her drinking and how it affects
you. It also might be helpful for you to
meet with your family doctor and get ad-
ditional information on the matter.
Psychics, ADHD And Alcoholism
Psychologist Paola Cardenas answers your dilemmas
PAOLA CARDENAS
ED SCHIPuL