--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was sober for, like, a year and a half…" description: "\"I was sober for, like, a year and a half, and I was 25, and I actually did have a manic episode, and I was diagnosed as bipolar.\" — David Harbour" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3e/david-harbour-5331_bipolar_i-was-sober-for-like-a-year-and-a-half-a_2502584.jpg" --- # I was sober for, like, a year and a half, and I was 25… ![“I was sober for, like, a year and a half, and I was 25, and I actually did have a manic episode, and I was diagnosed as bipolar.” quote by David Harbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3e/david-harbour-5331_bipolar_i-was-sober-for-like-a-year-and-a-half-a_2502584.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3e/david-harbour-5331_bipolar_i-was-sober-for-like-a-year-and-a-half-a_2502584.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3e/david-harbour-5331_bipolar_i-was-sober-for-like-a-year-and-a-half-a_2502584.jpg) > “I was sober for, like, a year and a half, and I was 25, and I actually did have a manic episode, and I was diagnosed as bipolar.” [David Harbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harbour/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Personal struggle with bipolar disorder highlights mental health challenges. **In simple terms:** Bipolar disorder shows mental health struggles. Key Takeaway Seek help and share experiences. Themes mental health bipolar stigma Mood vulnerable hopeful Type personal educational When to use this quote - therapy - support groups - workplace accommodations Key Concepts psychology neurodiversity Questions to Reflect On - How can society better support bipolar individuals? - What coping strategies work best? A Different Perspective Stigma may prevent open discussion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bipolar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bipolar/) [Diagnosed Bipolar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diagnosed-bipolar-1076004/) [Did Manic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/did-manic-1076005/) [Half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Manic Episode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manic-episode-497168/) [Sober](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sober/) [Sober Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sober-like-474762/) [Year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/year/) ## Related quotes > [I was diagnosed as bipolar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harbour/i-was-diagnosed-as-bipolar/) [David Harbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harbour/) > [I very classically would go into manic phases, which were as dangerous, if not more so, than the depressed phases, and I think I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-gethard/i-very-classically-would-go-into-manic-phases-which-were-as-dangerous/) [Chris Gethard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-gethard/) > [The greatest communication barrier known to man is the lack of the common core of experience Whens the last time you had a Manic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-victor-paskavich/the-greatest-communication-barrier-known-to-man-is-the-lack-of-the-2/) [Stanley Victor Paskavich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-victor-paskavich/) > [When I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder the year I turned 50, it was certainly a shock. But as a journalist, knowing a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-pauley/when-i-was-diagnosed-with-bipolar-disorder-the-year-i-turned-50-it/) [Jane Pauley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-pauley/) > [I was diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder at 19, which I thought would derail my career. Thankfully, I was able to get help and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mauro-ranallo/i-was-diagnosed-with-bipolar-affective-disorder-at-19-which-i-thought/) [Mauro Ranallo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mauro-ranallo/) > [I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when I was 13. What kept me going was knowing that so many other musicians like Charley Pride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmie-allen/i-was-diagnosed-with-bipolar-disorder-when-i-was-13-what-kept-me/) [Jimmie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmie-allen/) > [I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when I was barely out of my teens. Like our olive skin tone and caterpillar eyebrows, I guess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aj-lee/i-was-diagnosed-with-bipolar-disorder-when-i-was-barely-out-of-my/) [AJ Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aj-lee/) > [It's not that I don't appreciate my life sober, but it's like there are two different people battling inside of me. I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nic-sheff/it-s-not-that-i-don-t-appreciate-my-life-sober-but-it-s-like-there/) [Nic Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nic-sheff/) > [“The greatest communication barrier known to man is the lack of the common core of experience "When’s the last time you had a Manic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-victor-paskavich/the-greatest-communication-barrier-known-to-man-is-the-lack-of-the/) [Stanley Victor Paskavich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-victor-paskavich/) > [I lost my father four years ago to what was the culmination of a manic episode that seemingly, to my family, came completely out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-wood/i-lost-my-father-four-years-ago-to-what-was-the-culmination-of-a/) [Chris Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-wood/) > [“To sober up seems to many like making life “so serious,” as if seriousness precluded joy, warmth, spontaneity and fun. But there can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-katehakis/to-sober-up-seems-to-many-like-making-life-so-serious-as-if/) [Alexandra Katehakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-katehakis/) > [When I got clean and sober, it was like I was a kid again. Not to sound corny, I felt like I was born…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/when-i-got-clean-and-sober-it-was-like-i-was-a-kid-again-not-to-sound/) [Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/) > [I think that there are many different ways of getting and staying sober. Like religion, I just don't think that one way is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-johnston/i-think-that-there-are-many-different-ways-of-getting-and-staying/) [Kristen Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-johnston/) > [If I have a problem, stuff's going through my head, I feel like using, I usually go and talk to my dad... I decided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-osbourne/if-i-have-a-problem-stuff-s-going-through-my-head-i-feel-like-using-i/) [Jack Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-osbourne/) > [ Had \[Winston Churchill\] been a stable and equable man, he could never have inspired the nation. In 1940, when all the odds were against… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/had-winston-churchill-been-a-stable-and-equable-man-he-could-never/) [Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/) ## More by David Harbour > [I did this movie, 'A Walk Among the Tombstones' - I truly play a horrible, horrible individual in that - and I would occasionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harbour/i-did-this-movie-a-walk-among-the-tombstones-i-truly-play-a-horrible/) [David Harbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harbour/) > [I don't associate success with happiness, and I don't take it to heart, like, 'Oh, I'm so special.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harbour/i-don-t-associate-success-with-happiness-and-i-don-t-take-it-to-heart/) [David Harbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harbour/) > [I want to bring love handles and eating sandwiches back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harbour/i-want-to-bring-love-handles-and-eating-sandwiches-back/) [David Harbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harbour/) > [The mythos of superheroes is our mythos today. They are American myths. 'Captain America,' 'Iron Man,' 'Hulk' - these are the biggest movies in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harbour/the-mythos-of-superheroes-is-our-mythos-today-they-are-american-myths/) [David Harbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harbour/) > [“...through our art to battle against fear, self-centeredness and exclusivity of our predominately narcissistic culture, and through our craft to cultivate a more empathetic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harbour/through-our-art-to-battle-against-fear-self-centeredness-and/) [David Harbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harbour/) > [People are three-dimensional. They're not good or bad. They're not righteous or unrighteous. They are a million different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harbour/people-are-three-dimensional-they-re-not-good-or-bad-they-re-not/) [David Harbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harbour/) > [I feel like the most human among us are the weirdest among us. Those voices can be the most creative and the most special.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harbour/i-feel-like-the-most-human-among-us-are-the-weirdest-among-us-those/) [David Harbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harbour/) > [I'm a big fan of public trust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harbour/i-m-a-big-fan-of-public-trust/) [David Harbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harbour/) > [It was always my dream to be a New York theater actor. I never thought I was pretty enough to be on camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harbour/it-was-always-my-dream-to-be-a-new-york-theater-actor-i-never-thought/) [David Harbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harbour/) > [I don't want to do procedural: I want to do longform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harbour/i-don-t-want-to-do-procedural-i-want-to-do-longform/) [David Harbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harbour/) > [I'm normally a pretty loquacious, kind of fun person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harbour/i-m-normally-a-pretty-loquacious-kind-of-fun-person/) [David Harbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harbour/) > [People are more complicated than you give them credit for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harbour/people-are-more-complicated-than-you-give-them-credit-for/) [David Harbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harbour/) > [I feel like Shakespeare is so epic, in a way that sci-fi genre stuff is epic, it transcends the mundane, and it takes you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harbour/i-feel-like-shakespeare-is-so-epic-in-a-way-that-sci-fi-genre-stuff/) [David Harbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harbour/) > [There is a lot of good television out there, stuff that is better for you than 'Stranger Things,' that, critically, people would be like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harbour/there-is-a-lot-of-good-television-out-there-stuff-that-is-better-for/) [David Harbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harbour/) > [What makes someone sexy in my mind is who they are. It's not necessarily how they look.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harbour/what-makes-someone-sexy-in-my-mind-is-who-they-are-it-s-not/) [David Harbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harbour/) [Explore all 101 David Harbour quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harbour/) ## More Bipolar quotes > [Sometimes labeling is only useful, like with OCD. Once you're labeled you can be treated. On other occasions labeling leads to tyranny, like with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/sometimes-labeling-is-only-useful-like-with-ocd-once-you-re-labeled/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [Society takes what it wants. The artist himself does not count, because there is no actual existence for the work of art. The work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/society-takes-what-it-wants-the-artist-himself-does-not-count-because/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [It's more common than not that bipolar illness will start in the teens. One of the reasons I spend a lot of time on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/it-s-more-common-than-not-that-bipolar-illness-will-start-in-the/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [Every seventeen minutes in America, someone commits suicide. Mostly, I have been impressed by how little value our society puts on saving the lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/every-seventeen-minutes-in-america-someone-commits-suicide-mostly-i/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [Madness is to think of too many things in succession too fast, or of one thing too exclusively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/madness-is-to-think-of-too-many-things-in-succession-too-fast-or-of/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Flippin up my phone, touch screen motorola. They figured I was bipolar the way I sipped that syrup and soda.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riff-raff/flippin-up-my-phone-touch-screen-motorola-they-figured-i-was-bipolar/) [Riff Raff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riff-raff/) > [“Creativity is closely associated with bipolar disorder. This condition is unique . Many famous historical figures and artists have had this. Yet they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/preeti-shenoy/creativity-is-closely-associated-with-bipolar-disorder-this-condition/) [Preeti Shenoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/preeti-shenoy/) > [Ordinarily he was insane, but he had lucid moments when he was merely stupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/ordinarily-he-was-insane-but-he-had-lucid-moments-when-he-was-merely/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [I was hoping that I could say stuff about mental illness that maybe people didn't know. You know, speak up for bipolar disorder and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-millegan/i-was-hoping-that-i-could-say-stuff-about-mental-illness-that-maybe/) [Eric Millegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-millegan/) > [I have never gone for a diagnosis and I don't consider myself to be bipolar, but I have extreme moods. I get heightened. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-quentin/i-have-never-gone-for-a-diagnosis-and-i-don-t-consider-myself-to-be/) [Caroline Quentin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-quentin/) > [When you're depressed, you know, it's like the world has ended. Even getting out of bed takes the most massive amount of effort. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/when-you-re-depressed-you-know-it-s-like-the-world-has-ended-even/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [“I thought I would inaugurate a Bipolar Pride Day. You know, with floats and parades and stuff! On the floats we would get the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/i-thought-i-would-inaugurate-a-bipolar-pride-day-you-know-with-floats/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [I just always wanted to study human behavior because every psychologist that I would talk to would tell me I was bipolar, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-gates/i-just-always-wanted-to-study-human-behavior-because-every/) [Kevin Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-gates/) > [“Insomuch as the structure of this book parallels that of my own mind, it boasts about as much order and linearity as a hallucination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-moezzi/insomuch-as-the-structure-of-this-book-parallels-that-of-my-own-mind/) [Melody Moezzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-moezzi/) > [“In our family "whim-wham" is code, a defanged reference to any number of moods and psychological disorders, be they depressive, manic, or schizoaffective. Back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lovelace/in-our-family-whim-wham-is-code-a-defanged-reference-to-any-number-of/) [David Lovelace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lovelace/) [Browse all 373 Bipolar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bipolar/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was sober for, like, a year and a half, and I was 25, and I actually did have a manic episode, and I was diagnosed as bipolar.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Harbour" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harbour/i-was-sober-for-like-a-year-and-a-half-and-i-was-25-and-i-actually/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bipolar" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harbour/i-was-sober-for-like-a-year-and-a-half-and-i-was-25-and-i-actually/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3e/david-harbour-5331_bipolar_i-was-sober-for-like-a-year-and-a-half-a_2502584.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3e/david-harbour-5331_bipolar_i-was-sober-for-like-a-year-and-a-half-a_2502584.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3e/david-harbour-5331_bipolar_i-was-sober-for-like-a-year-and-a-half-a_2502584.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was sober for, like, a year and a half, and I was 25, and I actually did have a manic episode, and I was…” — David Harbour", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David Harbour", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harbour/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was sober for, like, a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harbour/i-was-sober-for-like-a-year-and-a-half-and-i-was-25-and-i-actually/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harbour/i-was-sober-for-like-a-year-and-a-half-and-i-was-25-and-i-actually/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```