There are basically 6 reasons why alcohol consumption and hangovers make many people anxious and I’m going tell you what they are. I want to share this with you so that you can be more informed and avoid becoming alcohol’s punching bag.
Ever since I became sick with nervous illness I’ve heard a lot of people say that anxiety sufferers should not drink alcohol because it makes you more nervous than you already are.
I’ve always found this to be ironic because there are so many anxiety sufferers that drink alcohol to cope with their anxiety, but true it is.
Now, the fact that alcohol can cause anxiety is just that, a fact. It is a scientifically based understanding, so this is not simple conjecture on my part.
Will alcohol affect all people this way? Probably not, but as an anxiety sufferer you should be aware of the possible pitfalls of alcohol consumption, so pay close attention.
Scientists believe that alcohol causes or at least increases anxiety in 6 basic ways and here they are.
1. Mood
Alcohol can affect our mood because it can affect the level of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a feel good brain chemical that when in short supply can cause feelings of anxiety and depression.
A drop in blood sugar can cause dizziness, confusion, weakness, nervousness, shaking and numbness. These symptoms can most certainly trigger a bout of anxiety.
3. Dehydration
This has been known to cause nausea, dizziness, fatigue, light-headedness and muscle weakness. These symptoms wouldn’t cause anxiety per say but they add to a sense of illness which fosters anxiety.
4. Nervous System
The nervous system is affected because in order for the body to fight off the sedative effects of alcohol it puts the body into a state of hyperactivity in order to counteract this effect. This hyperactivity can lead to shaking, light/sound sensitivity and sleep deprivation.
5. Heart Rate
Your heart rate can become elevated as a result of consuming alcohol which can cause a palpitation false alarm and put you into a state of anxious anticipation. Is it a heart attack or isn’t it you might ask. This “what if” questioning can increase your general state of anxiety.
6. Concentration
A hard night of drinking can also make you hazy, bring on headaches and create a sense of disorientation.
So if you’re going to have a glass of wine with dinner I don’t think you should be concerned. On the other hand, if you’re a heavy drinker, or binge drinker, then this might cause a real problem for you.
According to The Times Online, scientists don’t know exactly why all this happens but they do suggest that you eat before drinking, drink water in between drinks, and stay in bed if you are hung over to avoid all the problems I outlined above.
Some would say that maybe you shouldn’t drink at all if you have an anxiety disorder – that’s debatable. Do you think that alcohol should be avoided at all cost when someone has an anxiety disorder?
I don’t think that alcohol should be avoided if drinking is part of your social repertoire, however, I also know that moderation and good sense should be your guide.
In addition, although alcohol does have a sedative effect it should not be used as a coping tool. This type of behavior can lead to alcoholism and worse yet, more anxiety.
So if you know that you’re a light weight, or if you already know that alcohol makes you anxious, don’t bother. Maybe I don’t need to say it, but really some people just don’t know when to say no.
Note: I want to hear your opinions. Let me know what you think about this issue – comment below.
Update
After waiting forever I finally completed a podcast for this article. Press play to listen now.
I never understood why I could not have more than a couple of drinks without having a horrible night of sleep. Thanks to your article above I now understand it is because of my nervous system. Those are the exact problems I encounter. I cant sleep, its is awful. While everyone else can go out and drink a few too many I have to either stick to 2 drinks or suffer a restless night of sleep and feeling like junk the next day.
jo, welcome to the club…
🙂
Thank you to all of you. Your comments explain SOOOOOOOO much. I have realized that I need to reduce/quit drinking and I suspected there was a connection to my ever increasing anxiety, but this really helped to bring it all together!!! It is that feeling of relief that I am not the only one out there dealing with this.
I have to fly pretty regularly for work and we are taking the family to Europe this summer and I am always afraid I will have a panic attack on the plane (not just that low level anxiety, but a full blown, make a fool of yourself panic attack). I have to have a few cocktails before we take off, and I tend to do fine. My doctor gave a prescription of just 10 bills of Xanax which I carry in my bag in case it does it. I think of it as my little panic attach parachute. I have recently popped a pill in the morning when my hands were shaking and I felt that looming anxiety. It does seem to help, but I really do not want to get on them regularly.
I am going to take your repeated advice and work my way off the alcohol slowly. I think I am going to keep a pad of paper in my bar area, and figure out exactly how much I do drink. My cocktail of choice tends to be bourbon and diet coke or vodka/soda, but I generally get a huge cup and make triples, so who knows how many actual shots I have in a night. My wife likes to open a bottle of wine with dinner, so throw that on there. Yikes! No wonder I shake in the morning. My sleep cycles stink, and I am exhausted most mornings. This has got to stop.
Thanks again to all of you. I am saving the site as a “favorite” and I look forward to your posts in the future.
I will pray for all of you, and I ask that those who are so inclined, please pray for me. 😉
Frank
Hello again, Jake here. I posted earlier in May when I ran across this article. I feel compelled to share with you all my experiences since my last post. I’ll make this as short and sweet as possible. I share this in hopes it will help someone else the way it did me. About 6 months ago I saw an infomercial for anxiety called the Midwest Center for Stress and Anxiety (This is NOT a solicitation; I’m just a guy who was letting anxiety absolutely debilitate and ruin every part of my life). Anyway, I had purchased this (what I though was a crock of crap) and shoved it under the coffee table for 4 months before I actually decided to listen to the program. Finally after desperation one day and feeling at my wit’s end, I happened to catch a glance of the box set. Let me tell you friends, it was an answered prayer. If you’re tired of medicine, dependency, and just fed up with your anxiety, I urge you to try the program…I think they even have a no-risk trial version, although I just went ahead and bought it and then yelled at them because I waited too late to return it, and I hadn’t even tried it! Yeah, I’m awful stubborn sometimes. ANYWAY, my life is COMPLETELY different. And it was so easy! I am now in control and have ultimately conquered my panic attacks and unwanted anxiety. I also quit drinking, except for the occasional glass of red wine. Maybe you can check it out, and if you feel like taking my suggestion, then props to you! (which I strongly urge because this cannot hurt anyone…it simply teaches you tools and techniques to overcome this). God bless! https://www.midwestcenter.com/
Welcome newbees and helllooooo to the oldies 🙂
Been awhile and I really need to vent so this one may be a long one and I welcome input and hope at the very least some of you may bennefit from my comment by saying “hey atleast Im not that guy.” LOL
We left off with my leg injury turning into a nightmare, allergic reaction to anti-biotic and my spew about harmful meds etc. Befor that my sobriety was going well and I was very happy about my BP being back to normal. Its been two months since the injury and I still have a “superficial” blood clot in my leg. Its now causing pain in my thigh even though I stayed off of the leg for 10 straight days at the doctors orders. This has caused me to slip into that same panicked state of mind much like the hang over triggered incidents that I experienced when binge drinking. Even sober I began to have bouts of anxiety and tried my best to face it with out meds. . occasionally taking a xanax to help with much needed rest. Funny thing is that my BP stayed at about 120/75 or lower, but the minute I walk into my Doctor’s office its 150/100!!! He calls it “white Coat Hypertension.” With the returning anxiety and depression I asked my doctor to check my testosterone levels as I have heard that low T can greatly contribute to anxiety and depression in men. My sex drive has never been an issue, but I figured at 38 it couldnt hurt to check. Sure enough my levels were really low. On top of that he told me that my glucose level was 104 which says I am “pre diabetic”. He reccomended a change in diet which is always a good idea and prescribed me Androgel. So now I am in a complete state of panick after that visit. Chest pains and tighness, stressed out, panicked. . . FALLING APART!!!Im skeptical of meds so I held off on the androgel prescription and drastically changed my diet. . no more white bread, no potatoes, no red meat etc etc etc. Still so panicked that I feel like a hypochondriac. . My leg, diabetes, low T. . what next? I got my blood tester and got nothing but perfect readings for the next week. . 90 to 95 and no higher than 115 after meals. . WTF! Even so the anxiety will not reside now? I go to fill the Androgel prescription and the pharmacist tells me that the prescription is written wrong and that I most likely am waisting my money (207.00!!!) on something that isnt strong enough for my levels. I send the doctor a message on the hospital website with that concern and got no response. Being a skeptical person I begin with a 1/4 of the reccomended dose and BANG . . total panick. . like drinking two redbull energy drinks! It wore off quick so I figured I should give it a chance and I began applying it early in the morning before work. I definetely noticed a physical change with in two weeks, but the anxiety is still just under the surface.Now after two weeks of use I have little to no sex drive, buts lots of energy. It seems the longer I stay sober the more I am realizing what problems the alchohol was covering up. I am back to obcessive worry from the moment I wake until the moment I go to sleep.
This past week I took my kids along with my Father to Disney World. I said F it, and had a couple cold beers while BBQing at the campsite, had a beer at the pool and a couple more the next night. Didnt get drunk, didnt get hung over but felt out of breath at times when walking up stairs at the water park? Father’s day I said F it again and had about a six pack. I figured that was my big vacation and I am back to Sobriety. I dont feel guilty and didnt have a rise in anxiety this time as I didnt binge. . BUT. . .Monday morning I for some reasone decided to check my BP and guess what??? 155/104!!! Now the question is, “drinking a few brews a day for a week after 4 1/2 months of sobriety spiked my BP that drastically”, or is it the androgel that is known to have that temporary effect on BP in some people?
Well we all have ups and downs and I am in a really low spot right now. Went to my Doctor again yesterday and requested to have a Dopler ultrasound of my leg, but because of my insurance status I will have to go sit in the ER again to get one. . OH JOY!!!
And then here is the clincher. . while at the office my Doctor confronts me and says that he is concerned about the message that I sent about the androgel . . he says that if I dont trust him then he can no longer help me. . he seemed almost angry. I apologized and second guessed myself by saying that maybe I worded the message wrong, but I was just concerned about opening a 207 dollar bottle of medication that will do me no good. . thats all . . .I meant no disrespect and was more upset at the pharmacy then anyone else.I apologized several times because ofcourse now I feel like I need this guys help. Then he gives me a bunch more prescriptions for gel for my leg, Ibreprophen etc. . None of which I requested. Oh yeah and I told him my glucose levels are fine and he still said that the blood test is right and that I am pre-diabetic.I get home and I AM A NERVOUS WRECK. . I go the website for my Doctor and just couldnt wait to see what I wrote in my message that could of caused him to be so upset with me. I cant find anything wrong with the message, I just said exactly what the pharmacy told me and that was it. . I left it with a couple question marks. . AND GET THIS. . on the day that I sent the message, the Doctor wrote in MY MEDICAL ISSUES. . . . “Outbursts of Anger”. . . .WTF!!!
I almost cried. .Seriously. . My BP tonight is still elevated, I feel violated and hopeless. I told this man my deepest problems, trusted him and he has done nothing more than treat me like a test dummy. I am at a loss for words, my confidence in doctors of any kind is absolutely destroyed. I almost think that alchohol, as harful as it is, may be a better temporary solution than anything any doctor has ever come up with. What now? Well I wont go back to drinking and I think I may consider some theropy if I can find some with in my insurance limits. . .and maybe back to church cause I made a wrong turn somewhere. I know that drinking is really bad for you and in most of us it is the source of our anxiety, but there are other things in this cruel world that can have the same effects on us. . what then? Im lost right now and an scared that my anxiety and panick is whats causing my high BP. . I dont know if I should stop the androgel or stop going to the doctor all together. The gel has began to give me an incredible change in physical appearance, but probably will do more harm than good.
Things have to get better. God Bless.
You’re all messed up in the head. Quit thinking about yourselves so much and do something to help others. Through service to others we find our true meaning in life. No expectations. Just shut up and help.
Oh Frank P., I am so sorry to hear what you went through. That doctor sounds really unprofessional and like he over-reacted! I can’t figure out why he would do that; well I mean, doctors are humans too and sometimes over-react but I can’t see any part of your story that would make me think that he was being defensive in terms of how you behaved; you just asked a reasonable question. I would absolutely try to find a new doc who will listen to you without being judgemental 🙁
Well I am hanging in there, doing ok most days, having good and bad days. I haven’t started running, but I’ve been walking my dog every other day for a good mile and a half, and using my recumbent bike on alternate days. I do get a nice high from the cardio aspect of working out and it seems like it almost gives me a buzz similar to that first glass of wine…but I still break out that first (and third, and sometimes fifth 🙁 glass most nights. My anxiety overall has not been too bad but my GERD acts up every so often (not sure from drinking or eating something triggers it) and I feel like I can’t swallow or I want to gag.
SO I guess I’m just coasting, and hoping to hear from laurie and others how they are doing. Especially if they quit the booze, how they did it!
Big hugs to everyone,
Anna
Hi Rusteen, this is the first time I have seen you on this page, this page is a place where we can all discuss our anxiety and our need to calm it with alcohol and we help each other here, if your purpose is to insult us then please try not to visit again, it does not help in anyway, we are all brutally honest here, not looking to be judged but to help each other figure out a better way to deal with anxiety attacks.
Hi Anna, I have not quit the booze, but I have tapered off a bit, depends on the day, and what triggers come my way, I have been reading “50 Shades” trilogy and it has helped me see my own demons and it also kept me away from drinking so much because I really enjoyed the story behind the “sex” lol,
I am feeling so much stronger about life these days, has something to do with getting mad at myself for letting everyone’s madness make me mad. I am eating healthy, and lighter, taking tons of herbal supplements, and my Patron, well I just can’t plain afford it anymore, but I do miss it, always took the edge off well, how have you been? hope well, and Frank P. time for a new doctor, and some holistic approaches to nailing this shut, love to all and hope everyone is getting stronger, Laurie
I don’t think Rusteen has ever suffered any anxiety attacks or he wouldn’t make such a comment.
As for myself, I’m on the mend but it’s a slow process and I’m not out of the woods yet. I’m off in a tiny bit for a getaway spa treatment this weekend in the mountains with a friend who is flying in. She commissioned an art piece and we did a trade. I’m bringing a case of water and supplements and 1 bottle of Merlot.
I think a lot of us on this site don’t know too much about how to really take care of ourselves. It’s just so easy to look after other people instead of taking care of our own internal housekeeping. It’s not like I’m unwilling to look in the mirror as I know my issues, it’s the day to day sticking with it that is hard with discipline. I’ve started to journal my weight, blood pressure, sleeping patterns and food intake, not obsessively, but regularly which I think will help. Just a private journal, short entries.
Anyway, I can’t wait for some much needed TLC. My friend’s a wine lover but likes quality reds in reasonably appropriate amounts. I can’t hang out with major guzzlers of shots and all that bar/hard partying stuff or I’d be six feet under. But I could still be doing a lot better for sure.
Anyway, I hope you all have a great weekend, take care of yourselves, enjoy the weather and let us know how you’re getting on. Good, I hope. xxx
Hi there Rusteen! Please give me your address so I know where to mail this halo to. You know what? I do volunteer; at my kids school, at the library for adult literacy, at the red cross usually during the holidays…and yet I still suffer from severe anxiety attacks that have come close to ruining my life at times.
Grrr, sorry guys I know I shouldn’t engage but that kind of attitude makes me angry.
Laurie, I’m so proud of you and glad that you are doing better; you sound much better! I was worried about you. Do you still get that lump in the throat thing, or as that decreased as well as your alcohol intake?
Ruth thanks for checking in too…are you tapering off after your vacation? I agree about us needing to take care of ourselves. It’s difficult not to feel that that’s somehow selfish, especially for women I think…I know I wear the ‘caregiver’ hat quite a bit!
Well, yeah I did overindulge last night…it was a friday. Not feeling too great but not too bad either considering; I did get a good nights’ sleep for a change! I need to start keeping a journal regularly like you do Ruth. I do have one but I tend to slack off and only write in it about once a week now.
Big hugs, Hope everyone has a nice weekend!
Anna
Rusteen. . Do you live in Florida? I can give you my Doctor’s number cause he seems to be interested in people who have “outbursts of anger.” You both may be able to help one another. For the most part this site is filled with very intelligent, good hearted people who ARE trying to help one another. This is NOT a site for you.
I decided to let my doc’s entry on my record slide. Its that exact kind of confrontation that sends me into a panick attack these days. Honestly, I did nothing more than ask a question. Im not gonna sit here and tell you that I am the nicest guy you ever wanna meet. . thats not true, but I really have toned down in my 30’s and couldnt help but be truly effected by his entry. I have taken both the blood tester and BP monitor and thrown them in the trash. Doctors are trained to find whats wrong with you. We are all gonna die from something, but living in worry is not living at all. . IT’s DYING! The truth is that WE are our own best doctors. My blood pressure raises when Im stressed because that ME. That how “I” react. When I wake up my pressure is 115 over 65. . PERFECT. . By the time I finish my day Im at 140/85. . once I wind down Im back to normal. Add synthetic meds, vaccines, anti-biotics and Im off the cahrt because my body is telling me that they are no good for me. I know better than any doctor unless its surgery which i cant perform on my own. . LOL
Still excercising, not drinking and considering a mild anti-depressant. What’s the worst that can happen? I dont like it, so I quit it.Either way it will be a break in my thought pattern and that may be exactly what I need?
God Bless
Frank P (and to Anna further down),
Way to go with your attitude! Most people’s BP is always higher in institutions. I’m with you all the way and your post was awesome.
My last Dr had to give me the printed out intake info b/c his computer wasn’t working with the reception desk’s computer, or some such other nonsense, so I read it on the way out and he put me down as ‘thin’ as if I’m a flailing waif. Stats showed I’m 5 foot tall and 118lbs on medical scales, that day. That is not thin, that is normal h/w proportion. Thin is below 100 for the love of God. Look at models at 85lbs at 5 foot 11!
I already had alarm bells ringing when I stepped in the door. He was lecherous, finger poking, (ie, the thing you need to know is… all alcoholics go through this… did your father abuse you… all the usual computer stuff).
My alarm bells went off b/c a friend said he had admitted he was basically biding his time, short retirement away and wasn’t able to offer any help other than pills – his hands were tied – was his expression, but he wouldn’t give me a thing. I said a mild depressant might help? Few small Xanax? Low dosage only? No way.
Thanks for the words Anna. Here’s how I do it. I keep a simple composition book by my computer and just jot a few things down. Once a week is fine. Yeah, I’m tapering off but I’m doing it really slowly. Don’t like the sweats, not good. We don’t want to become too navel about all of the numbers and logging, we are already too much in our minds (which is where anxiety takes us and makes us self absorbed in a way we do not want) but it is helpful to keep some kind of a track.
I’m so glad we have a knit of cool people on here who are supportive. Thanks, it’s hard to talk to people who don’t pick up the glass and it’s hard to talk meds and families don’t understand. We are not, after all, all about to go on Intervention. We can be honest on here and I’m so thankful as it takes a huge burden away in ways I can’t profess in my regular life due to judgmental attitudes and boxing in. What I see here, is that at least we are trying and continue to get better.
Lovely weekend everyone, I’m off to the spa treatments! Do something good for yourself before July 4th partying everyone. Go on, spoil yourselves kindly! x x x
Wow, I have missed a lot. Frank P, get a new Dr. Good Drs. are hard to find; ironically, a lot of Drs. I have come into contact with over my life tend not to be people, people, if you know what I mean. They should teach a class in Med School about, well, customer service. My grandmother (mother’s side), when she started getting real ill had this idiot Dr. My mom asked him of certain treatents and this guy’s response, to my mom. was, “What? Why? So she may live another 2-3 years?” I mean, what an asshole! My mom changed Drs., she lived another 10 years after that.
My modification of alcohol has been okay over the past several months, a couple of slip ups here and there. I am dating a girl now that does like to drink, not to alcoholic levels, she’s pretty controlled, but its easy for me to go over my limit with a pretty girl, meaning, the level where I have a good chance of getting anxiety the next day. She visiting me at my summer place and the first night/day, was great. I was driving a lot, so I wasn’t drinking much (within legal limits). When we got back from dinner, to my boat, she wanted to open a bottle of champagne she bought. We drank it, went to bed, that cause me some anxiety in the morning.
The next day we were grilling with the people in my marina, had a few glasses of wine, no big deal. Then my cousin and her husband met us. We went over to a bar to get a drink, we ordered one beer, but that mix got me a little loopy. I didn’t do anything crazy, my cousin and I just reminisced about a lot of summers. My girl and I then ordered another one, but she got bored, so was I, so I never finished. But by the time I walked back to the boat, I was kind of drunk, I just went right into the cabin to bed. Ironically, I didn’t wake up with anxiety the next day until she asked me how I felt. I said, “Fine, Why?” She said I was kind of intoxicated by the end of the night, so of course anxiety came in. So now I’m asking her like 8 million questions. She said you were fine, you were cute, you and your cousin were reminiscing, telling me how you two were the bad grandchildren growing up. She said when got back to the boat, I kept asking her why she didn’t like me (this was kind of teasing thing I used to do to my ex-wife, so I knew where it came from).
We went to beach that day, felt fine, then my parents came up. The anxiety came back, but not because of my parents, it was, well, simply because of the previous night. I became real quiet. My girl made me promise not to take any more Xanax that weekend, because I took one after the last night (I really think her conceren was I’d be too zonked out for sex), but I ended up cutting one in 1/2 when she was in the shower. I was pretty quiet throughout dinner, then we drove home. I was modding fine, up there by myself before she came up. She had a great time and it was a great weekend, but of course I felt blue at the end of it, hence when I am writing this now and not working.
Oh, Frank P and everyone, forget that loser that said stupid crap to Frank, that says more about them, than any of us.
JP
Well I am so glad I did a web search and came across this site. To see comments as fresh as this morning was comforting. I had a horrible sleep last night due to excessive wine drinking on Saturday night. Excessive drinking has been part of my life for many years (I am now 43). For about the last year I have noticed the symptoms of heart palpatations, anxiety, night sweats, negative self talk and a general slump in my own emotional health. I almost died last Novemeber when I had internal bleeding due to ulcers and ended up severely anemic. Three blood transfusions later and a five day stay at hospital got me back into the “normal range” but I kept drinking! WTF? I dont get it as i am an educated and successful woman but lack common sense when it comes to this lifestyle choice!
Ask me anything about the RIGHT things to do and I can tell you. I go through periods where I am hyper focused on my health and then drink like crazy two to three times per week. I am aware now of the connection between alcohol and my demeaner after the “sessions”. I have a lovely husband who enjoys drinking as well but he has far more self control than I and insists I have no issue (he is my enabler and greatest support person when I feel like crap).
I hope to continue to visit this site and look for some support to taper then quit drinking and get my health and well being in check. I have three young children and want to be there to see them grow up! Thanks for reading! I have NEVER done anything like this…have hidden my problem and want support!
Hey guys! Shelley welcome, we always like to give support to new people here. Sometimes there will not be much activity and then there will be a burst. I get notifications via email, and generally someone will come by if someone is really hurting. It sounds like you have a pretty good grip on what you’re doing drinkwise; I think a lot of us here drink to numb anxiety and it can really bite you back in the a$$ the next day! I am a daily drinker but trying to moderate to about 1 bottle of cab a night (sad I guess; whatever, we are honest here!). When I have more than that I have horrible days that I need to medicate with ativan. I’m trying to just cut way down to where I don’t get anxiety the next day, but still indulge my enjoyment of wine in the evenings, especially with meals. Please keep us posted on how you are doing!
I can’t believe all of these rotten doctor stories. I go to a D.O. who is very competent, she knows about my problems and even referred me to the psychologist I am currently seeing (who I really like a lot).
My drinking has been moderate but I’ve had some phobic issues going on; I’m not sure where they are arising from. They are definitely worse if I over-indulge in drink, but even when I’ve been ‘good’ they happen. I have lots and lots of social anxiety, and one thing I hate is eating around people I don’t know. I know it sounds weird, but hey we’re all honest here. It’s raised its ugly head majorly the last month or so. A lot of it has to do with this difficulty swallowing I have from my GERD, and that makes me self-conscious.
Well just ending a 2 week vacation to see family, wedding, etc…overall I’ve been okay and still only taking the ativans 2x/week.
JP so good to hear from you, It sounds like you have a nice girl you are hanging out with more consistently? One night stands are not all they’re cracked up to be…except when they are, haha! Been ages for me,anyway. I hope you are feeling better and not stressing.
Ruth let us know how the trip went!
I love having a place to connect with others who are sufferers,and we can all learn from each other.
Hugs
Anna
Shelly, welcome and it DOES sound like you identify with your problem well. You have a better chance of living a better life than you realize. You are your best advisor, doctor, theropist etc. This site is a very effective tool, feel free to ramble cause your words will be heard.
Anna, YOU ARE NOT ALONE, I have a horrible time eating or even taking a drink around strangers. My anxiety goes through the roof when I go out to a restaurant. . .My doctor, after he got over his anger LOL, prescribed me zoloft after I told him my panic attacks were worsining. I tried it for 5 days and it was just a reinforcment that I have a panic disorder that causes depression sometimes, NOT the other way around. Couldnt sleep for shit, panic went away, but started twitching at night, ringing in ears, tongue swollen, blurry vision. . OMG!
I am down to 175pounds, I have completely cut all preservatives out of my diet, back to excercising as my leg has gotten a little better, AND. . .STILL SOBER!!! I even went out and watched a UFC fight at a bar and drank water the whole time! I was so proud of myself! I am in amazing shape compared to when I was binging. I have to admit even with my hate for meds, I have learned to use xanax in moderation to keep me in a calm mood and it has also been effective in keeping my BP down. I am meditating and practicing breathing techniques. . and it is doing me alot of good. I think the zoloft did exactly what I hoped for even without taking it for more than 5 days. It broke the cycle for awhile and along with continued sobriety, with the exception of that one week, I think I am finally back on track again. . Wheeeew! Just hang in there guys, enjoy the ups and live while you can, fight through the downs and do whats right for you!
God bless.
Hi everyone, just had 6 days off, so what did this anxious nut do you ask, well I finally cleaned my bedroom, it was the saddest and hardest thing I ever had to do, I know your probably thinking what is so hard about cleaning a bedroom, well on the 4th of July 2009 when my son Tom stabbed a man in a bar fight and was arrested I just gave up on life in my room, not life in general I still went to work, (cried all the time) and still food shopped, cooked, but I never touched my room, it became my PRISON so to speak, punishing myself for not being a “good enough Mother” and so you can imagine three years later what my bedroom, my prison looked like, it was full of boxes and shopping bags of things I bought on line for who and or why I do not know, My husband stood by my side in silence helping me sort through the enormous amount of stuff I had acquired, (no wonder I am broke) and we boxed ups so much to donate to the less fortunate and we cleaned, really cleaned, and I purged and cried at what I had done to myself, my finances and my family. But now I feel freed, I have everything in order so perhaps now I can have “ME” in order, I had a heavy drinking week, with company and cooking and wine, Patron, and wine and wine oh my I drank for 4 nights straight, ate very little and actually managed to stay relatively sober how I do not know. I went back to work today and realized immediately that my job is another root of my anxiety, but how can I leave, I work for medical coverage and my pay along with my husbands is needed to pay the bills so I am kind of trapped there in this anxiety driven job, I have a school reunion next weekend, I am determined to sip a glass of wine very slowly and eat food to absorb it, I don’t want to get drunk or even tipsy at this affair,,, I hope you are all well, holding your own, I wish I could have just a nights sound sleep without the alcohol medicating I have been doing to myself after a long shitty shift in Food Retail!!!! take care everyone…
Shelley, as you see you are not alone and everyone on here is from all walks of life with a common thread is we suffer this problem. You made an interesting point that I think we all know in that we all know the RIGHT things to do, but sometimes keeping conisistency is a problem. I’m having little problem with that with this girl. I think a big part of it is she’s been off work for awhile, therefore, she does not have to get up early. She’ll start work again Thursday, so I think things will normal out (hopefully). I just got a text from her, “my head hurts.” I left her at a bar last night, I just couldn’t stay out, already went over my limit, with wine too, which is the worst to go over your limit with, at least for me, so I don’t know how much she drank.
Anna, thanks for the kind words, yes, this one is a good one, despite the fact I find myself breaking a lot of my rules with her. I don’t blame her for that, I need to take responsibility. She doesn’t force me to drink, she doesn’t force me not to, I just have fun with her, and I start feeling, well, too much like a young man again (she’s also my age, its not like she’s a kid and I’m going through a mid life crisis).
Well, I just txt’d her back that its ok and I’ll be better for both of us, also, she’ll be back at work soon and be more regimented. I also asked her if she’d want to skip dinner tonight, I’m a little exhausted and I was in bed at a decent hour; I just don’t feel like shlepping down to Soho.
Oh Shelley, here’s what I found, take it for what it is, you may experience this, you may not. I spent a long period of time by myself after my wife split. I wasn’t doing much but work, sports activities and well, that’s it. I also was practically drinking nothing. Which was good, of course, but I was too cooped up in my own head. My therapist even said I needed to be more social, but I was afraid because, well, I didn’t want to drink, didn’t want the anxiety the next day, etc. But being that cooped up was not healthy, of course. So, I eventually started being more social again, and of course alcohol was involved. I was able to find my limits and what works and what doesn’t, my triggers, etc. Do I stick to them always? Eh, I try, but we all have slip ups, even if there phases of them.
For starters, trying keeping a journal of what you drink and how you feel the next day – type of alcohol, amount, what you ate, when you went to bed, etc. I found it helpful, now, if I just always followed my own advice….
JP
The anxiety related to alcoholism is what perpetuates the cycle of abuse. Once your drinking past a certain level (I’d say equivalent to a 6 pack of beer a day) the n ext day anxiety can be horrendous and thus causing people to drink more to numb it. I havent experienced this myself but I know of people who consumed this amount and some more and they described the anxiety has a feeling of panic and impending doom the nxt day. And also I know LSD has been mentioned here and those who are slating it, all I have to say is that alcohol withdrawal in the most severe case can cause DTs which have been described as a bad acid trip x10 lasting for days at a time! Not seen it happen to anyone i know but yeah scary stuff! I wish peoples’ attitude toward alcohol would change. Im sick of people treating teetotallers as boring and socially abnormal and sick of the fact the very same people pass judgement on alcoholics viewing them as useless and bad. Attitude needs to change. I abstain from alcohol because it made me anxious as hell even when i was only drinking a few glasses of wine in the evening and people say I’m boring for not drinking even though i feel 100000x better without it! There should be drinkers and non drinkers in the same way there are smokers and non smokers and noone should be made to feel like they need to have an excuse for choosing not to consume a poison which made them feel anxious and depressed in the first place!
Hey everybody,
Frank I find that very interesting about the zoloft. I tried taking prozac a few years ago and it made me very nauseous which worsened my anxiety. I think you’re bang on that any depression we are feeling is more because of the anxiety, not the other way around…though both can spiral and feed off each other.
Case in point, I’m getting really frustrated with myself. Once again, I overindulged last night and woke up at 6 a.m., don’t remember going to bed, didn’t read to my kid 🙁 (I feel like a bad mom too sometimes Laurie, believe me!) I’ve been keeping a journal but it doesn’t seem to keep me sober for more than a couple days in a row. Sigh.
Laurie it sounds like you had a good cathartic clean! So sorry for your problems. I really sympathize about the job causing you stress. I don’t think I ever had a job where there wasn’t at least something causing me anxiety! I’m lucky that my husband has a good job and is able to support us.
Everyone wish me luck. I am going to try to go cold turkey when the last of my wine runs out.
Anna
Hi All,
I commented about a month ago when I first read this article. We were planning a trip to Europe with our three kids, and I knew my wife and I would definitely be enjoying cocktails and wine pretty much every night (as we did). Because of this article, and by receiving your comments on my email, I became very aware of how I felt the next day. There was almost a linear relationship between how much I drank the night before, and the anxiety I felt as I woke up each day. We were never “getting drunk” because we had our three kids with us, but if over the course of the evening I had a couple of cocktails before dinner, shared a bottle of wine at dinner and the occassional grapppa after dinner, I would literally wake up with my hands shaking! It wouldn’t feel like a hangover (headache, upset stomach, etc), just anxiety.
We arrived home yesterday, and I told my wife I was going to only drink lightly today (Saturday), even less tomorrow (Sunday) and then I am going to take a few weeks off from drinking completely. My cousin died very young (early 50s), and when I asked what had happened I finally got it from someone that she was a very heavy drinker, and she suddenly stopped which caused her to have a stroke. That’s scary! I figure if I ease myself off alcohol, and then give it a whirl at not drinking for a while I might be able to really see the connection between anxiety and alcohol, and then if I want to drink socially after that, I know what I am bargaining for!
Thanks again to all of you! Your insights have been invaluable to me and I feel like I am on the brink of resolving an issue I have wrestled with for almost thirty years!
I have always enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine in the evening,however that second glass always disrupts my REM sleep. A third glass and I wake up with rapid heart beat and anxiety. I have switched to a bottle or 2 of imported beer , which doesn’t seem to affect my sleep and I don’t overindulge. I started to plan activities that don’t include alcohol so now I’m down to only 3 nights a week of social drinking and my body thanks me. I am really trying to drink moderation. I am 60. I wish I would have figured this out years ago. I still have fun without it. I can actually be a better conversationalist without alcohol.
i tried quitting alcohol because i thought its the cause of my anxiety but i found out i was totally wrong, i counldn’t sleep all night without alcohol, my hearts beats fast and this so called thoughts runs through my head, i really appreciate what i saw on here and i think i will use some bottles of alcohol has i been doing before so i can be better..
let me know if you have any suggestion for me :d.
Haybee, if you have become dependant on alcohol to help you sleep, than by suddenly stopping will certainly keep you awake. However, if you persevere with the “wagon” then a normal sleep pattern should eventually develop and you will find yourself rested and alert without the effects of the hangover. If you have been drinking daily without a break it can take between 3 to 5 days for the alcohol to leave your system. It really is a poison in your blood stream. I managed to cut right back in recent times but alas, in the last few days, the visit of a friend has led me to one or two social occasions too many and I really hate the effect. I was up most of the night with some of my most minor stresses built into crisis.
Hi Haybee, first let me start with YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN THIS!!! I too cannot have a drink of (4) before bed to ward off the impending thought of an anxiety attack that is just how much I despise those damn attacks. We are all suffering from the same thing, Anxiety is not given, its due my friend, cause when it his happening to a person it is all consuming, I too use alcohol to silence these attacks,,, problem is the morning after is murder unless I eat a xanax right when I wake up, so you see my new friend the ENDLESS ROLLER COASTER of EMOTIONS we now reap! I am dying to get off this roller coaster of alcohol so I can loose weight and get healthy but after a night shift in retail I always hit the bottle for a couple of hours, it depresses me to know that I know no other way to end my night after a shift in retail, I see Satan ever shift I work and he is damn ugly and urging me on to drink when I get home, God Speed and God Bless my Haybee, struggle will be our middle names for we need alcohol to sleep and yet we don’t sleep well because of it, what a vicious cycle it can be,!!! I am here if ya need to talk it out, I am living this nightmare as we speak!! xoxox Laurie!
To Shelley & others. What you described & your drinking habits up till now & the consequences (not just anxiety but bursting ulcers which could have killed you resulting in hospitalisation) I think you should seriously consider the fact (in my opionion) that you are an alcoholic. The sensible thing to do would be stop drinking completely but as an alcoholic you cannot. The main attribute of an alcoholic is a complete inabilty to stay stopped once you have been stopped. I talk from experience. I am an alcoholic & the hangovers & anxiety just got worse & worse..My sleep pattern was all over the place. But with the help of AA & counselling I stopped drinking & hence no more horrible anxiety after a drinking session. And now I sleep well too. If you are an alcoholic you suffer from a great obsession to drink & will go to great lengths to ‘keep’ drinking & keep alcohol in your life..Most alcoholics will experiment to insane levels to ‘keep’ alcohol on the menu..’Trying to control’ your drinking is 1 of them & will never work for any length of time & will take so much energy..Then there’s changing ‘what’ you drink, what ‘time’ you drink,what you eat ‘before’ you drink, and ‘after’ you drink..You will discover a central pattern-Aan obsession to drink. I’m not going to diagnose anyone on alcoholic but if you are 1 you will find it retty much impossible to have ‘w’ or ‘2’ drinks & then just stop! Plus when yiu do stop you won’t be able to stay stopped for any length of time..Rthere’s quite a few people on here who sound like alcoholics & address that & the rest will fall in to place. Hope this helps.
Well, I definitely suffer from the same things, but it’s SO comforting to know most of the symptoms are in my head. Luckily, I have medicine to deal with when I decide to drink. (I don’t do it all the time.) BUT. I drink more than a lot of you do! When I do drink, I can have a magnum sized bottle or more. Again, I don’t do that all the time, but if I go out and party, I do. I’m 30, so I’m still pretty young, but no spring chicken. I know what alcohol can do, but I know I can’t do that all the time and it’s just fun every now and then. Medicine counteracts these effects, but I drink lots of water to rehydrate, too. Lots of luck to you all.
Hi there! Thank you so very much for all your comments. I had another three day bender, partied hard Friday, Saturday and sipped to numb my anxiety yesterday. I do feel like an emotional wreck today. As I had noted in my original comments my hubby was a sweet heart and was very supportive this morning. I did get upset last night though as he told me for the first time ever that my drinking was a turn off. I dont blame him and think perhaps his enabling may begin to dissipate. This would be wonderful for me!
For some reason I am completely turned off by the idea of doing a twelve step program. I have not reached out before and am looking for advice on how others hav managed in these settings. I am going to call once again for an appointment with a counsellor. I chickened out before and cancelled
my appointment.
Just wanted to touch base again with all of you…thanks again for the advice. I will keep you posted on my progress.
Shelley, I have my own take on AA…it can be an incredibly useful resource for alcoholics, but it really REALLY varies by location. For instance, if you’re in the bible belt there will be a lot more emphasis on the ‘higher power’ aspect, i.e. GOD…as an atheist I always had problems with that. In urban centers you can probably find a meeting that will suit you to a tee however, there are all kinds. Personally, the biggest problem I have with attending meetings is that one of my phobias is social anxiety/public speaking. I can’t imagine introducing myself to a room full of strangers! I’m taking the route of individual counselling, which I am personally much more comfortable with. I was nervous too at first, but I’ve been seeing the same therapist for a year now and I’d trust her with anything. It’s almost like going to confession or something, lol, she knows things about me that not even my husband does! It has been helpful and I’d highly recommend it, but if you look around you might find a 12 step group that works for you. Lots of recovering addicts swear by it.
I’ve been doing…just okay. Maintaining moderation for the most part with some slip ups. I think eventually I’ll have to give it up; I know it causes me stress and the cons outweigh the pros, but it’s so hard to give up that nice rush you get from the first glass of wine!
Hugs, good luck, hope everyone else is doing ok!
Anna
Hi Anna…thanks for the advice. I just called and made another appointment with a counsellor. She was lovely and got me in today! I am going in two hours for my first appointment. I never truly respectd the amount of courage it takes to do this. I have ALWAYS tried to deal with my problem on my own.
Paul…you are so correct. I am an alcoholic. Functional but never-the-less an alcoholic. I am willing to go through the physical challenges over the next weeks. I am ready to stop. Wow that was empowering! Holy heck..just writing that down was friggen empowering!
I will keep you posted on my progress. All the best to all of you!
I found your article very good. I suffer from anxiety disorder and sometimes drink to feel better and sometimes it does help in the moment. However yesterday I decided to have 3 beers at 1:00 in the afternoon. I was fine till the evening when when I fell asleep at 11:00 pm but then woke up at 4:00 am with severe anxiety like I drank tons of caffeine. I actually took a walk at that time to get some relief, however I have been off all day now because of it. Im sure its from the alcohol not a good feeling to have.
With regards to AA, yes, I will say that I agree with Anna that many districts vary. I know, I’ve tried them here and abroad, must have been to about 8 in my time.
My entire teetotalling time was only one month. It’s the steps that seemed irrational to me. I also couldn’t stand the smoking and incessant coffee drinking (I don’t do either) and Step 4 is absolutely ridiculous in my opinion and I wouldn’t do it. Calling up everyone whom you MIGHT have harmed through alcohol and asking for forgiveness is stupid. I mostly drink alone and don’t get on emails or don’t do silly stuff on FB and rarely use my phone and don’t shag about.
My ex husband of 16 years ago would get a right old kick if I called him out of the blue about some argument we had when drinking cos to this day he hates that I divorced him, but then he’d probably be drunk if I called. Honestly, I make a joke out of it but it really doesn’t make any sense to humble yourself when most alcoholics have a difficult enough time with self esteem already.
The problem with AA (as I see it) is that they really do not want you to mix with people that imbibe. I went for coffees with ‘girlfriends’ from AA, strongly advised, was told to not mix with the opposite sex at meetings, and when an AA friend found out I took a very occasional Xanax immediately called his sponsor and said that I had actually had zero days of sobriety, not a month as Xanax is an opiate. So I was not allowed to keep the coin. I was on the mildest dose, exercising every single day, feeling great and it did more than burst my bubble.
AA works for some but it’s a highly developed ‘method’ of following and it did not work for me. Good luck finding a good group. Who knows? It might work for you. Has for millions so I am just putting out my opinion. Personally I dislike public forums and I don’t like hugging and holding hands with strangers. Each to our own to fight our battles.
I haven’t been on here for a long while, hello to everyone, I am still hitting the bottle, stomach aches and all, the numbness feels good but I am losing my battle with living my life so it seems, I have no desire to cook, clean, I just go to work, come home very late at night and sip tequila or drink wine and justify it with my hard night in retail, I am starting to really dislike myself, seeing myself as a loser and maybe this is just what I need, I don’t sleep well, still anxious all the time and I know the alcohol makes it 10 times worse but I can’t stop drinking, It is the first thing I reach for after work, every stinking night,,, I would do AA but I know I will not see it through, I am not ready to really stop, same with the Xanax, not ready to give up my life saving device, so on I go, prison visits, unruly work schedules, crying, screaming at myself in the mirror, I am a mess for sure, I need sleep so badly, perhaps tonight! hope you are all stronger than I and getting what you need to feel better about yourselves. God Bless from Laurie
Yep…Used to be one of my coping tricks as well.
It seems to work initially but then it just makes everything worse.
My anxiety would get so bad during a hangover that I would feel as though I had done something wrong or upset someone even though I knew I hadn’t..weird and not cool.
Cheers
Frank Foster
Queensland, Australia
Hi everyone, it’s been awhile. Frank Foster, ha, I know exactly what you mean with the thinking you did something, but you didn’t…
I’ve been well lately, I’ve been moderately drinking, I try to keep it to no more than four a day and I don’t drink everyday. For me, it’s kind of hard to not drink in the summer, I’m noticing. I was out a little later than I wanted to be last night, so a little slip, my gf kept me out and I went over my limit of 4 beers. I woke a little groggy, but got into the swing of things rather quickly…I am feeling a little anxious right now, hence why I thought I’d check in and see how everyone is doing. Well, I have to run off to a meeting.
Laurie, sending you love and light. I too feel like I am trapped like a hamster on a wheel. At least you have the reason of a rotten job to drink! I am a stay at home mom with a loving husband and a sweet 7 year old. I simply drink because of my anxiety and it makes me temporarily feel better. I’ll have some really good days then overindulge and I’m right back where I started. Sigh.
JP good to hear from you too. It sounds like you’re doing well; I agree about the summer drinking! There’s something extra relaxing about a chilled glass of alcohol on a hot day, especially if you’ve been doing yard work or something. Though now I remember you’re in Manhattan, right? So I guess you don’t do too much of that 🙂
Well I’m glad we all stay in touch sporadically. It’s nice to know I’m not alone.
Hugs,
Anna
Hi everyone,
Laurie I too send you love and light. When you are ready you will take steps to help yourself. Be cognizant of the tummy aches though…I did share that I ignored mine last November and ended up with internal bleeding as my stomach ulcers were bleeding. Have it checked out sister. Namaste
Sooo I did find a wonderful counsellor. Betsy (my counsellor) is not in favour of the AA model for women. Here is why…she feels that women who are attempting or are in recovery are in very vulnerable positions. They are then placed in a room in even more revealing and vulnerable postions with potentially harmful consequences as the men in the room could (and sometimes do) take advantage of them. I agree with Ruth wholeheartedly…I have NO DESIRE to call every person I harmed – it would make me feel like shit not help me recover! Betsy thinks AA is a great model for men however as the “social” aspect of spending time with other sober men is a healthy outlet. I am willing to concede to her expertise…I am not going to AA!
Last week – I exercised all week, went for a 10 km hike at a National Park in Canada on Saturday day and had a total of 4 glasses of wine on Saturday night. I mixed the wine up with vitamine water and felt awesome on Sunday!!! No guilt and no anxiety. I am heading to the gym today…I had to come onto the site though because my mind was wandering toward the hmmmm maybe I should grab some wine even though its only Tuesday!! Im not going to but damn it is pervasive isn’t it?
I wish you all well…I hope you can find comfort and solace in your own minds, bodies and spirits. I continue to trudge up the hill…I am loving the journey thus far (as short as it has been).
Shelley
Hi everyone,
Just thought I’d check in.
My current status is not great. Drinking every day. I am not working at the moment as my business shuts down for the summer which is not good news as I can drink whenever I want to and I also happen to live in an extremely hot climate which makes one housebound… so go figure… lots of tv dramas and glasses of vino but not much social life until the temps go down and there is something to do. I looked into classes but around here they are about $350 so that is out of the question without work.
I went to the Drs for blood work. Everything was great except for the liver. Oh I wonder why? I got totally paranoid and started to drink lots more water though I will admit I carried on drinking which makes no sense of course. The next test was better and I have another one on in September so I do have some time to sort out my drinking.
Every one has their own way of drinking. I have never ever been a binge drinker and my drinking is very slow… can nurse a glass of wine forever, my problem is that I don’t stop.
My anxiety is up and down. Some days none at all, other days dreadful. Of course some of it is related to drinking, but also I’m depressed because I’m bored to death and highly unmotivated and I don’t eat enough or get enough exercise. Luckily I don’t look like an alcoholic and am slim and take care of my skin, hair, nails, etc but those are all outward signs and I can’t date with my level of drinking with anyone that drinks, it would kill me. I almost don’t know anyone that drinks and don’t like to hang with those that do. Odd life, eh? Hey, I’m just being honest.
I was scared to death to go to the Dr but the liver situation wasn’t too bad. The nurse said ‘Just make sure you cut down on any alcohol consumption and be sure not to use Tylenol, but your B levels are quite high and your BP and everything else is fine’. I felt such a fake not telling the truth and saying that breakfast can be wine as well as lunch and that I wasn’t even sure what Tylenol was. It’s amazing and stupid how drinking can make you into a person who doesn’t tell the whole truth.
So that’s it from here. I will fight the battle harder when the weather cools off… I am drinking lots of water and do eat organic but still… my lifestyle habits are far from perfect. I need to get out more but I’m fussy about who I mix with. I’m not proud of my behavior but I know I can do better soon and just wanted to check in. Ruth
Hey, Shelley it sounds like your counselor is a good one, a keeper! She makes some excellent points that I didn’t even think of. I did go to some ‘female only’ AA meetings awhile back but they were really hard to find. But when I was attending they were the ones that helped the most. At any rate, getting individual counselling has been way more effective and a better use of my time in the long run. It sounds like you are doing really good so far; and physical exercise is so essential to beating anxiety and feeling good about yourself! Kudos!
Ruth, I was wondering about you…sending you best wishes too. I have been on a downward spiral lately where I get up at 4-5 a.m. and sip wine to go back to sleep (it’s 5:37 right now). It’s just sheer force of will that keeps me from daytime drinking but it is such a temptation. I interviewed for a job but I didn’t get it, so now I’m like, who the fuck cares? But I’m hanging in there. Binging is not an option for me! But I still consume a bottle a night and will sip when I have insomnia like now.
I’m glad you went to the doc and got your numbers. I am too nervous to go! Let’s hope for some cool weather and work for you 🙂
Hugs to everyone,
Anna
Anna,
The only way I could get to the Drs was because I knew that while my drinking wasn’t getting worse, it was having a debilitating effect on my life and causing me to shut things and people down and making me agoraphobic as well as hanging out with our good old friend (not) called anxiety.
I’m not ready to die yet and while I could most certainly do a much better job of taking care of myself I was drinking because I’ve never learned how to love myself. So I didn’t care but I also didn’t want to kill myself with alcohol, so I wanted the stats.
The first thing I did was to get a home BP monitor. Oh, and a set of scales. If it’s not wine I only drink purified water or purified water from the fruit infuser. Trying to shove down smoothies with things like magnesium, zinc and the B’s at some point helps.
The results that came back from the DR were good but not fantastic. No one who drinks at 4.15am watching films on Netflix can have a good liver and that’s been my life lately.
I say my only saving grace -which sounds pathetic – is that I stay alone when drinking or I’d be in a lot of trouble. Back in the day it caused me to go to pubs with my sister and we’d shag different blokes each weekend… most of whom I don’t remember, we’d kick them out at about 4am, but that was my youth… 25 years ago… and I am glad Aids wasn’t around then or that I didn’t get any STD’s or arrests. All drinkers make mistakes. I’ve been to enough AA meetings where women mention that vodka – not something I can handle – causes their knickers to fall down. I don’t do any of that nonsense any more… what happens with drinking when you are older is pretty much never about fun and we hate it more than we love it.
I would go to the doc. You can’t be worse than me. I was on more than one bottle of wine. Go and get a test. Ignore the speech that you get but go and get it. Sometimes scare tactics can help us. None of us like the lectures and believe me I’ve met enough people in my field of work who are from the medical field who have no idea of how to take care of themselves either, so don’t feel judged, just go. What’s the worse case scenario?
Keep checking in. xxx
Ruth, I actually went to the doctor last year and had blood drawn 2x (1 month apart) and everything was fine. But since then I have upped my intake, and as you see I am also up sometimes at 5 am nursing a glass of wine. I know I need to make that appt. and I will, I just need to buck up my courage! I too get agoraphobic. I actually like my doc quite a bit and she knows my history of drinking, so I should be ok.
I had some bad alcohol related stuff in my youth too! I used to call myself a weekend alcoholic, and also had blackouts. That’s the weird thing, I actually pace myself more now and I don’t get them, don’t leave the house etc., but just sip slowly. Aging is so great :/
I think we both need to learn to love ourselves more! Hey how did your vacation go btw? I hope you had a good time 🙂 I went to see family for 2 weeks and though I barely drank at all the whole time I STILL had anxiety.
Big hugs,
Anna
I just want my life to be back to normal but I have such a fear of dying that it’s controlling my life !! Every little trigger in my head I think oh I’m having a brain bleed and when my heart rate is fast I think it’s a heart attack and the sensation and nervousness is uncontrolable and nasty but when I have a drink all this seems to disappear and my fear seems to fade away for a short length of time until such time as I fall asleep and wake up in the night with my heart pounding. I used to drink quite heavily until I moved last jan and got a job down the coast which I love so on my days off I enjoy a few beers but my bloody body just won’t allow me to do this. Sometimes I think oh sod it iv got anxiety anyway so just enjoy a drink and chill out but I really suffer and don’t know what to do about it??? I don’t wanna give up drinking a couple of times a week cos its my only time I relax and chill but I really don’t want the sensation I get the next day. Help at all or any advise?? Does anyone else feel like this or just me??
Anna,
My vacation was a mixture of absolute hell and some lovely times. While I was there, supposedly staying with a girlfriend we fell out – badly – on the second night and at midnight (no alcohol involved)I packed my things and went to stay with a different friend who I’ve known for 10 years and stayed with a lot. While I was there his brother died in a horrific boating accident. I was glad I was there to give him and his Dad some support anyway but it was really sad as he died in front of his kids, wife, sister, etc and the body was not found for 3 days. Then a friend of mine came to a party I host every year and got ridiculously drunk on Jack Daniels. My friend who held the garden party was extremely mad to find out that he drove home and kind of blamed me for my ‘choice of friends’. I wasn’t in the garden at the time but a girlfriend of mine started getting involved with emailing me and him and stirring the pot so I lost her friendship too.
On the upside my trip and stay in Chicago was fabulous and lots of fun.
Since I got back I’ve been drinking a lot but on the 17th I have to have another blood test and so between now and then I’m going to easy back to almost nothing because I have a feeling that my new Dr suspects I’ve lied to her about my consumption, I was just too embarrassed to tell the truth, so I know she’ll check my blood for alcohol levels and hopefully I can stay off almost all alcohol and do a liver cleanse after that.
I beat myself up about how I got on this spiraling down in my life and why I chose this path to drink as after all, we all suffer pain and loss of partners, friends and family and there’s always going to be some drama and stress. But over the years my consumption has gone up in ways that make me ashamed so my self esteem is crap. Hopefully by the time the 17th rolls around I’ll have kicked the wine down and can start liking myself and my life a bit more.
How are you getting on?
Oh my, Ruth, that’s hardly the relaxing getaway you’d envisioned! So sorry to hear that your friend’s brother died, that is so sad :/ However I’m glad to hear you enjoyed Chicago, it’s my hometown 🙂 I grew up in Oak Park, still feel homesick sometimes.
Let me know how you do cutting down to nothing. I need to do that too. I drank way too much last night and am feeling the jitters today. I know I will be tempted to hit the bottle before going to a party we have today at 3, just to calm me down enough to be social. SO things are, as you see, like usual with me!
Lou, I think we all feel like that sometimes. I wish I could cut my drinking down to a couple of times a week! If you can do that, you can probably cut it out altogether for a few weeks; then see how you feel? If you are still getting morning anxiety it might be something else altogether and you can get a scrip from your doctor to help.
Hugs to everyone, hope you are all doing ok,
Anna
Just out of interest, has anyone tried either Campral or Antabuse to stop the craves for drinking?
I know they are expensive but not so much from Canada and know it’s not probably the best way to go, another pill to consider popping, just wondered if anyone had any info in them. I did some research. There is no way my paltry insurance plan will cover it but I’m certainly getting tired of the drinking/not drinking yo-yo. AA is out of the question, so is any group therapy (made me worse) but clearly willpower isn’t cutting it for me and my counseling was denied by my insurer recently and around here counseling is about $150 min for an hour if you’re lucky.
Anna, I cut back a little bit every day to get down to zero as you can’t cold turkey, too dangerous. Log what you consume. Try not drinking other than at certain times… I’ve done it plenty of times before with success. Fill the fridge with organic food and eat regularly. My problem is not getting off alcohol, it’s staying off it. I’m always relapsing.
I caved in at the Dr’s and asked for depression pills… but it was extremely expensive, think it was Cymbalta. I had researched an anti-depression that wasn’t going to make me gain weight. The pharmacist said Walmart does $4 generic Zoloft so I am wondering about that. Bit scared since the extremely horrible side effects of Wellbutrin and I do know that every body reacts differently.
And if anyone says, ‘Well if you can afford to drink, you can afford to fork out for a counselor’, my drinking is really cheap, it’s wine by the box and I never drink out. Counseling hasn’t worked for me… I’m in a kind of field of therapy weirdly enough… which is ridiculous because I should know better since I deal with people’s suffering all the time. Not conducive to lighten my depression and it makes me feel like such a sham when my own life is not exactly functional. Am considering changing careers entirely. Have to get sober first.
So basically I’ve been binge drinking since I was 14 years old, and I still binge drink at age 26. I’ve noticed throughout the years (and it’s getting much worse) that after a night of heavy drinking (especially a binge of 2 or 3 days in a row) I get super depressed and super anxious. Sometimes it’s tough to even go outside to do simple tasks. I usually have to listen to loud music in my ears to block out the outside world when this happens. I notice that if I don’t drink at all for at least a week, my well being increases dramatically. I have a problem with drinking moderately. Once I have one beer, I need at least seven more. It’s tough not drinking, especially if you’re a musician, and allllll of your friends drink (or binge drink for that matter). I want to stop drinking because i need to get out of this mentality for sanity purposes, but I don’t think I can stop drinking forever. I honestly don’t WANT to stop drinking forever.
I just need to learn how to cut down, and slow myself down when I drink, but when i drink….i can’t really stop.
Ugh, any suggestions? I know of drinking water after every beer….but that’s just too much liquid. I get bored of that, and just say fuck it. I do usually eat before I drink too.
Maybe just binge (try to cut down) every two weeks instead of every week. Hahaha it’s just tough.
I eat well (organic and all that). I take B-vitamins and all that shit. Choline helps a lot. I exercise regularly. It’s not hard to stop drinking. It’s tough to stay off once your mind and body gets better.
We’ll see how this goes. I’m going to force myself not to have a drop for two weeks.
I will update on my status in a fortnight.
Wish me luck 🙂
for Anony-mouse, I know exactly how you feel, I too do not want to stop drinking completely but would like to learn how to have just 1 or 2 glasses of red wine and not kill the whole damn bottle, Last night I did just that, blamed it on the Thunder and Lightening, had one glass, then another, then before you know it I was done with the bottle, I almost went for bottle number 2 but stopped myself, then I eat, what a vicious cycle, I too have been drinking since I am 15 and I will be 55 in January, I went through plenty of non drinking times, like when I was pregnant with my sons I never touched a drop, 9 months and not a drop and when I delivered them I went right back to a cigarette and a drink, if that is not an addiction I do not know what is,,, I only drink late at night when the whole world is fast asleep, to unwind I say,,, if I am at a party I really have to be careful cause I will drink till I embarrass my self, so I usually don’t drink much in public… I wish you good luck you are young and healthy and between you and I, I don’t know if we can just have one, might not be in the cards for us, I am not ready to say goodbye to Patron, Red Wine, and Kettle One, I just like them way too damn much, God Bless…
Ruth, my heart goes out to you; I hope you start feeling better soon.
I’m not doing too great, the run had to end. I have been seeing somone for several months now and we have a very intense relationship (in a good way). I love her a lot and she has those feelings for me. It is a little dicey. When we first met she told me she was separated, which she is, but it’s not so cut and dry, it is not a legal separation, an agreement her husband and her made to see if this is the right thing, while trying to work their marriage out !?!? As someone who’s been divorced, this marriage was over a long time ago. They don’t sleep with each other, they don’t sound happy together, she spends all her time dating and sleeping with me, but tells me come October, she has to make a decision if they stay separated or not. Yeah, I got myself in a pickle; but I’m the one, the bf, she is always intimate with and I’m pretty sure her husband knows what’s going on.
She does like to drink. So, we were hanging out one of her places where the bartender likes to pour big glasses of wine and champagne, I should’ve just had beer, but the wine, like an idiot was the way I went. Make a long story short, we ended up getting in an argument which I have vague memory of…she claims I called her a slut and said I was using her. We had some txt msgs, thankfully not bad ones, I simple said that its sometimes hard for me, yes, she’s been upfront, but it doesn’t mean I don’t have these feelings. I know I mentioned something about her having her cake and eating it to, which apparently pissed her off, that, I must admit, I don’t feel too bad about, because its, well, true. She’s confused, I know I love her, I know her marriage is not working, I shouldn’t have drank that much wine, I know. This did happen once before…they were ridiculously stupid text msgs though…so I am little worried. I don’t want this relationship to end.
I first texted her casually this morning, which I realize was dumb, I said, hey, how about I live work early and you pick out the jewlery? I quickly responded back with…I love you, I’m sorry, I need to watch drink when I’m streszsed. I’m seeing it now. She actually responded right away, but to the the stupid msg, saying how low I thought of her that i think I can buy her and to leave her alone. I acknowledged it was a bad joke, that I don’t think that. This is sometimes more challenging than I think, but I think its worth it and I know I can do it. Ok I will leave you alone. She thanked me. I did write back though asking if she saw my sincere message and she said yes.
Right now I have just left it at that. I really hope I can get out of the doghouse here…I really do love this girl. I have a feeling she is going to say this is the second time, I need some advice.
We were supposed to go out to dinner tonight…
Oh no, JT! Let us know if things get ironed out. Arguing with my husband when drunk is the absolute worst. Luckily we are both fairly laid back drinkers, lol, but we have had some blow-outs in the past. Usually stuff that he or I were concerned about but could have talked about normally if sober. Anyway like I said let us know how it works out.
Ruth, I don’t know about Campral but Antabuse is not to help with cravings; it is taken daily and if you try to drink while on it you will become wicked sick! I’ve never been on it. I’ve heard that …I think it’s kudzu? Can help with cravings. It’s homeopathic, so grain of salt, but some people swear by it. Speaking of homeopathic my counselor suggested a serotonin precursor as a sort of natural prozac…can’t remember the name of it, it’s something like 5-HTP.
Hope everyone is doing ok!
Anna
Hey Anna, thank you for your concern. It actually did work itself out, everything is back to normal, or as normal as this situation can be.
Anna, I actually have this at home. I don’t take it every day, so I haven’t tried it like that, mainly because it I believe it has tryptophan in it (I think), which is the stuff in turkey that make you tired, which obviously mellows you out. It does give you a big dose of B6 which helps for the brain and mood (and hangovers, actually).
I stopped taking Welbutrin on my own, no Dr. recommendation, but still take Prozac…it would be interesting to here if a daily dose 5-htp helps with anxiety and mood.
If you do start taking it daily, let me know how it goes…
Well I really need to post my story on here. I’m still a bit shaky/sad. You’ll soon learn why. So sorry for typos ect.
I’ve drank a bottle of wine a night, more on weekends for the past 5 years. I am now 31.
A few months ago my parter cheated on me with a prostitute and our relationship slowly worsened coming to an end 8 months ago.
Since then I’ve been alone, I’m not over social in general. Just drink by myself to help me sleep an not care.
So I got really down a few weeks ago and the one bottle a night turned to two, weekends I was waking up drinking.
Starting Saturday I just drank, I drank solid, I don’t know how many bottles of wine (red/white) but I drank but a lot.
Monday morning came and at work I was foggy, shaking and made a lot of mistakes. I started to get this pressure around my head and this constant feeling of dread. I was consently urinating and just thought it was a hangover.
Eventually the pain and discomfort from the pressure around my head peaked to a scale of 10/10, I took my self to the hospital at 1am on the Wednesday night. I was put straight in a wheel chair with an IV hooked into my arm (they took a blood test) incase I later required fluids. I sat in the E.R for over 4 hours and the noise of the machines were making my headache worse.
I snuck out and phoned to apologise stating, I couldn’t handle the noise. The next day I made an appointment with my GP in the afternoon.
At work that day, I thought I had bleeding on the brain. The pain was terrible, it was like lighting bolts. I Looked at my work college and said take me to the hospital now.
I was taken to the hospital, thinking my brain was leaking, risking brain damage, even the left side of my head had swelled up! My eye puffed up!
I was so worried I was having a brain hemerage or stoke. I kept saying please help me I don’t want brain damage.
I was rushed through to receive a cat scan. When the results were negitive I was transfer to another hospital to receive a MRI scan. A day and half later. Still in hospital, I was transferred into neurology.
When the doctors came to see me, it turned out I was perfectly healthy. Nothing could explain the sensation I had experience. I was gobsmacked.
As I caught my taxi home it was the first time in two days I had serious time to think and was alone, not drunk and alone.
I asked my driver drop my a fair distance from my home so I could walk and think. I had this adernilin rush the whole time and I felt crazy. I then realized my mental state was not sound. I then realized I’d had a anxiety attack. Which resulted in a hospital stay and two brain scans.
I’m seeking help from my GP on Monday.
I didnt drink all weekend after, tonight I opened up my first bottle of wine. I plan on only having 1/2′. I just can’t believe anxiety can do this to a person, let alone a team of medical experts.
Alcohol, as much as I love it and will find it hard to quit, just isn’t worth it.
I still feel this horrible wave of headaches, heart palpitations with dizzying anxiety and can’t wait until it passes
Well i have been drinking since I was 18 im 26 now. 8 years of constantly binge drinking at least a couple times a month. I work as a paramedic so I dont drink the day before work i can not handle a hangover and work any longer. My anxiety is calm for now but i never know when i will go through a week of panic. My anxiety really only spikes when im hungover but I cant seem to stop drinking. I can go through a couple of weeks of drinking a little and not getting wasted but sooner or later im black out drunk waking up next to my wife with piss in the bed. What a mature 26 year old right!!! I keep telling myself ill learn how to control the cycle , which I have become pretty good at but i really just want to learn how to drink without losing control. I love beer, mix drinks are an occasionally thing and i usually have at least one shot when im drinking. I feel like if i never started drinking the way i do my life would be completely different, as in being more successful being more secure financially, happier with life. I have a beautiful 9 month girl who i feel is the key to help me gain more control of my drinking habits. Just felt like venting and typing about how i feel thanks for reading.