I have it. It's annoying, but it hasn't stopped me from having a full life. When I first found out I had it I was pretty depressed, and thought I'd never get a job, a girlfriend, etc. Now I have a six figures job, a beautiful wife, etc. so I'm not bullshitting when I say it won't ruin your life if you don't let it.
I try to maintain a regular sleep schedule, and try never to miss my meds, and when I do I stay pretty middle of the road (not perfectly un-depressed or un-manic, but only ever a bit of each). I still piss my friends and co-workers off sometimes when I let myself get too depressed and/or manic, and I've been known to get speeding tickets and spend too much money when I get hypomanic, but in the last few years I haven't even had those issues (well, I still piss people off sometimes; that part seems inescapable).
If you have any questions about it feel free to ask (here or in PMs).
P.S. And to any psychotherapy skeptics out there, I agree with being skeptical about trying to solve everything with pills, but some people like me really do need them. When I first found out I was bipolar it was because I got so manic I had to be committed to a mental hospital. Trust me, whatever small side effects I get from my pills (and really I have almost none at this point) are a small price to pay for sanity, and thanks to them I've never had another true manic episode.
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