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.
Been reading these comments for awhile now. I owe each and every one of you a big thank you for simply posting what you go thru. At the very least, I don’t feel so entirely nutty. I can relate to the feeling of a headache…and the follow up thoughts of “oh god, am I going to have an aneuryism??
I’ve always drank, but never had it own me the way it does now. Used to be able to stay up till 3am drinking….and still make it to work ok at 6am! Now though, one good night of “just a lil too much” and I wake up in the middle of the night with feelings of utter dread. Not worry, not little fears, but be all, end all of dread. The prayers start then…the “oh god, please please help me! i have got to stop drinking!” I’ve yet to hear him answer…
Anyhow..long story short. I didn’t start drinking on a daily, hourly basis until I met my worst enemy…panic attacks. I found that Ativan only did so much and Im not a fan of pills anyway. So the only way I could get thru a day without thinking i was dying (literally) was to have a few glasses of (fill in the blank). I couldnt even swallow food if I didnt start off with a few liquid calms. Fast forward a year or so, and I drink from morning till nite. I dont think i ever get “wasted” but i keep myself at an ongoing level of “ok-ness”. Problem is…i cant do this forever. And having anxiety attacks BECAUSE I drank? Geez….really>? I drink to NOT have them, and go figure….I get them worse! I would love to quit, but reading about how cold turkey can KILL YOU…well, to a person who already lives with the threat of death at any turn, that puts me smack dab between a rock & a hard place! I will end my rambling…but really, truly , thank you each one you for telling your stories…..at least I feel a little more ‘normal’ knowing im not the only one doing this to myself. :/
Hi, the demon drink as its some times called and thats not a bad name for it , drink and me have had a love hate relationship for MORE THAN 20 years, how time flys when you get alcohol related black outs . What type of drinker am I? A so called social drinker that means, I only drink when I go out and boy do i DRINK when im out , the only problem is there is hell to pay the next day and three days after as well , the dark thoughts the depression the feelings of shame and self loathing the physical pain , how did I get that bruise where did that cut come from and then the flash backs of incidence that happened during the night ,near fights embarrassing encounters, oh my God the list goes on and why do I drink ? Because I just don’t know how to socialize with out it the thought of having to engage people in conversation for more than 5 minutes with out a drink scares the hell out of me even more than the anxiety that I have to put up with the morning after and the proceeding days , my problem is spirits if I drink spirits my anxiety is far worse than if I drink beer , shots kill me all together they fry my brain , but when you suffer from social anxiety drink seems like the lesser evil , because we know the minute we take our first drink the social anxiety will get less by each drink .
The way I try to get rid of my post drink depression is exercise I might do a spin class or a jog this tends to help by creating endorphins which gives you that natural euphoric rush. I think that I need to get to the root of my anxiety and that means less drink and more social situations where drink is not an issue because I cannot go on like this boom and bust every weekend it’s effecting my health my finances and my quality of work in my job also it’s putting in question of who are what I am as a person . Am I really a human being or just a load of confused neurotransmitters that are firing the wrong way how will I ever know if alcohol is the only social being that I know ?
Drey,
Thanks for sharing. I know this feeling all too well.
I’m at the point of taking a Xanax in the middle of the night and now I’ve been doing that for a while and drinking daily… every single day… not to get smashed at all, but enough to inhibit normal things like driving, reorganizing the house, painting projects left unfinished etc, it does debilitate me.
I think the only reason my partner puts up with me is because he knows I can have an intelligent conversation after so many wines and don’t binge drink and make a fool of myself, but it’s not something to be proud of to be able to be a ‘functioning/barely functional’ alcoholic. I can figure out computer program solutions after 2 bottles of wine, hold the plots in films and stay awake for hours when I should be hammered.
I remember after being a year and a half into being sober that I got drunk on one pint of Guinness – funnily enough on my way back on the ferry from a sober free three weeks in Ireland! I feel I have common sense in so many areas but with alcohol, something kicks in and logistics go out of the window.
I’m due for a blood test in 7 days so I really have to get my act together.
I can’t figure out whether my nightmares are the symptoms of drinking as I get older or the side effects of daily Xanax. I don’t abuse it, am on .25mg but shouldn’t really be on it at all.
I feel a fake because I’m sure my Dr has figured out from my last blood test that my liver could have been better and I lied, and so today I’ll make a super smoothie and for the next day every week week but it doesn’t exactly solve the problem once the tests come back. It’s like a person who switches out someone else urine to look good, but I don’t have to go to the Dr and I should be looking at more long term sobriety. The thing is, if it’s there in the fridge I’ll drink it. I hate the merry go round. I feel fine all day, then sweats and nightmares and insomnia start at night. So I stupidly go back and forth with beating myself up but as yet not changing things for the right reason.
I am drinking a lot more water and am eating better and am considering starting pilates, but this won’t account for too much drinking. I’ve got to cut down drastically. It’s just so hard. Every day I tell myself I will and then I find an excuse, which is usually rubbish.
Good luck and let me know how you get on.
Ruth, I always enjoy reading your posts…I’m not sure why, I just feel like we could be really introverted friends in real life…sitting on the couch and sipping! I wish you best of luck with the next blood test. I remain terrified to go to my doc, even though I like her. My intake has upped a lot over the last year.
I have insomnia right now and this was the first place I went to! I should not be drinking red wine at 4 in the morning but here I am.
I think the nightmares are from drinking/not drinking for a space. I used to get the most vivid nightmares especially after I gave up last year for 7 months; after I weaned myself off alcohol is when they started. Very scary, bloody and vivid dreams. Ugh!
I got a call today that I might get some part-time work as a recess supervisor at my kids’ school. I was elated, then terrified. Social anxiety is truly a horrible thing, as I can relate to David’s post too. We had a block party on Sunday here on my little cul de sac, and I was sipping wine before it at 2 p.m. just to get through it! My counselor and I are working on that and some CBT, and some exposure therapy. Trouble with exposure is that it drives me to the bottle. Wish me luck!
Anna
Hi Anna,
Thanks for the post. I’d share my email address but this is a public forum.
Social anxiety is why so many of us drink. I’ve personally always been self conscious, something no one understands because I hide it under appropriate clothing, hair etc for appropriate events… so can do city life okay and get by – talk to strangers, dance on a dance floor, sit in a fancy cocktail bar, go to a gig, etc… again more pretense… but yeah a few drinks beforehand is totally necessary. I feel a lot better out on my jeep, offroading in the wilderness where I don’t see a person all day long (I go out with a friend, don’t worry). Should do that more, can’t get access to the fridge in the wilderness!
I have about two to three extremely vivid dreams per night. Mostly they involve me as the victim, which I feel is ridiculous as in real daily life I don’t really see myself as that, only a victim to drinking. I have long since stopped making silly decisions after drinking that I did in my twenties.
Are you going to take that supervisor job? Sounds like a handful. On the other hand, work is good (I don’t have any right now, my seasonal work has finished for a while) as it might force you to some accountability.
Regarding exposure therapy… I’d say be a bit careful with that one. I had a horrific experience one time in a tiny plane over the Grand Canyon and after that couldn’t fly without extreme fear, sweaty palms, holding on to the sides of the seat arms (really), but kept flying and over the years don’t have a problem with it, although I don’t confess to loving it. But it took years to get over the fear.
I’m afraid of heights so can’t do things like go up tall clear glass elevators or up the Sears Tower etc and I’m really not sure I could ever sky dive. A friend did it recently and she and posted a vid to me on FB: she was having a ball, no fear at all. Wow. Just watching the vid made me queasy. So don’t go too fast or you might want to bag out completely. It’s a bit like how after AA people go home so deflated they drink.
I was drinking wine at 4.45am too, with the excuse it would shake off another weird dream. I’m now going to have to chug water all day long to cleanse the liver. I looked into liver cleanses but apparently they are all a scam and it’s just mostly dehydration and toxicity.
How is your counselor? Sounds like an understanding person if you can be that honest.
Thanks for listening and I hope everybody else is doing okay. I’m a bit jealous of you social drinkers (not that I should be jealous of any drinkers in truth, I mean, c’mon) but I can’t go sober all week then get drunk on a Saturday night. I just drink regularly and slowly but all the time to maintain a stupid habit and addiction.
Ruth, yes Social Anxiety is a huge problem for me, as is low self-esteem. I finally came clean with my husband about that one thing we’re working on in therapy and he was shocked, because I ‘maintain’ so well. It’s hilarious because we’ve been together for 20 + years and he sees me as this very together, high self-esteem I-don’t-give a f*ck what anyone thinks woman…what he doesn’t see is me sneaking 2 glasses of wine before we go out. Sigh.
Re: exposure therapy, we are going super slow, in fact my last two sessions we have talked about the drinking instead of the phobia I’m trying to get over. I do trust my therapist, she is really good and genuinely cares about me. She wants me to go on prozac or some variety thereof; but I am nervous about my liver and about how my body will react. I got super sick the last time I went on an anti-depressant.
Interesting about the liver cleanse stuff, thank you! I was going to go to my co-op to look for something, I at least need to up my B vitamins though, that’s not a scam is it? They do make me feel better.
Well enough rambling for me, I need to get motivated to clean my house. Hugs to everyone,
Anna
Hello Ruth
I would go one step further and say it was what “caused” the social anxiety that makes us reach for the drink.
Things that happened to us in our formative years have shaped our reactions to things in ways we can barely recognise as adults.
Drinking always “changes” the way that we feel, but we have to find out why we feel that way in the first place.,
Why are we so terrified of our emotions and what can we do to address the problems.
We all know these are addictions, comfort-blanket escapisms….but from “what”
This is the crucial first step to reclaiming our lives, to realising that we can make a difference to our ways, our present, and thus our future.
Sorry for the over-excited ramble..but you inspired me!
I have written on here for many Moons!
Good luck and the answers to everything lay within us.
Ruth, you can email me at annemuse44 at gmail dot com. I would love to have someone to virtually hold my hand whilst quitting. I’ve been daytime drinking lately and can’t seem to stop.
Good luck Ali! I actually rescheduled my therapist appointment today, I was too hung over. I hate this treadmill.
Hugs
Anna
This is my first time to this site.I was searching anxiety/alcohol and the relationship between them.I truly believe I have just been running a big circle of anxiety-alcohol for relief-more anxiety.Going to try and quit drinking.
Hello Fred!
You are not alone, Buddy!…and you have hit the nail on the head!
Good luck my friend!!
Thanks Ali,day 2 no drinking.Not so bad so far.A long road ahead.At this point,no drinking for less anxiety seems like a good trade.
Good on you Fred!
I used to drink every weekend..really used to get on it, Friday and Saturday evenings…I never realised how much it affected my sleep cycle….and (like you rightly said) thus perpetuating the anxiety cycle.
Dont get me wrong..Im not saying it’s a simple process, but if one can take a step “outside” oneself and look in ( as it were) we can sometimes see, that we always give ourselves a “reason” to drink..and never a reason “not too”…when this process starts to unravel, and things become clearer, we empower ourselves to take hold of our own lives and make our own decisions.
As mentioned, its not a simple process, but some of the thoughts behind the will to change, can be be gob smackingly simple!..and with this comes hope!
We weren’t born with a bottle in our hands…nor do we have to spend our lives seeking solace from that bottle..a solace that may well mentally remove us from our reality for a short time…but one that ultimately leaves us unfulfilled, more anxious and sleepless.
I am no authority on this at all,..I am simply sharing my experiences..I am 42 years old, and had been misusing various substances since i was circa 15.
My problems were related to my past, a chronic lack of self belief, and many psychological demons from my childhood years.
These I had to address first, or more to the point, “recognise” as the instigators of my addictive behaviour.
When I could “see” this..(when I realised that I wasn’t the fundamentaly flawed human being as i had been led to believe I was).. it empowered me to make some conscious changes to my life.
I still drink in times,…my tolerance is low and alcohol is no longer the reflexive response to emotional tides, in other words it has lost it’s power, or “reason” that I gave it all those years ago…..I would always find a reason to have a beer!!!
I have never found the answer to a problem in the bottom of a bottle…and the best experiences I have had in life have been those I can remember, those where I was sober!…Obvious, I know!..but that is the simple beauty of it!
One of the tricks I learned was when reflexively reaching for a beer…stop and count to 20 slowly and listen to your breathing…sounds a little bit hippy, but it’s just enough to break that cycle of thought!
All the best Fred, and thank you too Anna!
Ali
Well, I had a bit of a nail biter day (people over at my house that I had no control over). I managed not to get too drunk though. I am worried because I have been getting nosebleeds however. I think it is probably the dry air but of course I am turning into a hypochoncriac because of the drinking!
I also get insomnia as here I am at 5:30 in the morning typing online. I am sipping a small glass of white wine but Ali you have inspired me to really try to quit. It’s just hard because my husband drinks too, though he is much more controlled about it and doesn’t binge like I find myself doing.
Hugs to all, and well-wishes!
Anna
Hi Anna!
I understand well how you feel, but look, you have already taken some brilliant first steps!
You recognise it as a problem, and that is te first massive step on the way to making positive changes..it took me years to even realise something was amiss!
So a big “Well Done” and some enormous Hi Fives coming your way!
May I be so bold as to suggest leaving the wine sipping in the early hours?…have yourself a fruity tea and a good book to read…dont concentrate on the frustration of not being able to sleep..that will simply exacerbate things…if you find yourself tired in the day ( and it’s the weekend, then simply go with a little nap)…but try and make things as easy and as comfortable for yourself as possible.
You can do it..small steps first and be good to yourself..there’s only one of you in the World!
All the very best to you, and if I can be of any assistance with anything, then it will be a pleasure.
We are all in this together.
All the best
Ali
aww, thank you so much for your kind words Ali! I’ve been good so far today, only about 3 glasses. I hope to be down to nothing in time for my therapy appointment on wednesday. I woke up with anxiety and you’re right I shouldn’t sip but it is an instant treatment for my nerves…just a vicious cycle. When I was sober last year I got really into this herbal tea called ‘tension tamer’, it actually has a lot of B vitamins in there, I think I need to start drinking more of that! In the meantime I am hydrating, a half a glass of water in between alcohol drinks. Thank you for wishing me luck. I have found a lot of good companionship on this site over the last several months.
Hugs,
Anna
Hi Anna
No Worries!..Keep fighting the fight!
I know that “tension tamer” tea!..that’s nice gear!, I also like the “sleepy time” tea!..a most excellent picture of a recling teddy wearing a night-cap adorns the packet….gets me every time!
Seriously, though, good luck with the therapy!
I managed to get 10 CBT sessions in England, which was an absolute touch!…tbf, 10 sessions are not enought to address the deeper problems..BUT they did furnish me with some wonderfu “tools” to deal with situations that would have previously led me to head straight for the beers.
Growing the “Emotional Muscle” was the object of the Therapy, finding ways to deal with those situations that had led me down the path of addiction. It’s not simply about putting a positive spin on things, it is more about realising that situations do not have to automatically conform to the negative side of my previous core beliefs.
For example, something as trivial as someone not phoning me when they said they would, could set my mind on a downward spiral….what had I done?..how had I upset them?..perhaps that person could see for what I was?…and so on.
Of all the countless possibilities of why that person hadn’t phoned me…my automatic reflex was to think the worst..in accordance with my negative core beliefs….and what is more, those toughts could haunt me all day, all week, and be the subversive trigger for a beer session!
It sounds mad, I know, but my negative core beliefs were my “religion”
Therapy taught me the Helicopter View too.
This is taking a step outside the situation when it happens, and looking in and making a concious effort to bring to mind all the possibilities of why that person hadn’t phoned!..they were too busy, they had simply forgotten, they had problems of their own, they had written down the wrong day…..plus, I could always phone them!..these realisations, in turn, helped me let go of things.
Dont get me wrong, it’s a work in progress, but the ultimate aim, is to replace my negative core beliefs, with positive ones, thus enabling me to take charge of certain aspects of my life and free myself from the weights and habits of the past!
Blimey!..I’m rambling on a bit!..hahaha!!!
Have the best start to the week possible, and have a great session on Wednesday!
All the best
Ali
These things seem obvious but they were obviously missing from
You said it all right on the button. I am an anxiety sufferer myself and former alcohol abuser. Everytime I drank heavily, the day after I would feel very anxious as the alcohol withdrew. My advice as well to other anxiety sufferers is that alcohol will never solve your problem. What you take away while you are drinking, you’ll only have to give all back plus a whole lot more.
I’ve been your average social drinker and yes probably a binge drinker since I was 17- now I’m 34 – ive had anxiety & panic attacks for a long time but i cope but in the last year I have noticed that I cannot cope with the anxiety the morning after drinking – give me a headache, a sick stomach with a hangover and ill handle that fine but I can’t deal with ‘the beer fear’ anxiety the next day. for example, if I go out on a Saturday night and drink, I will be guaranteed to wake up with a panic attack and generally be in a state for the following 24-48 hours. sometimes I don’t even feel ok til Wednesday of the following week! I’m not even a ‘heavy’ drinker – but it looks like I should just quit altogether because it looks like its just getting worse. even with 2 glasses of wine with dinner – the next day I do NOT feel good at all. I was never like this before!!!
I can totally relate to that. The sucky irony is that I’ve always drank, with no major bad effects….till I started having my welcome party to the Panic Attack club. Then I HAD to drink just to calm down enough so I didnt constantly feel like I was literally dying. Now, I drink every day. I never seem to get slobberingly drunk, but I keep a steady amount in my system to stay ‘normal’. And yes, I’ve more than once ‘woken’ up to that feeling of panic for 24+hours. I will fall asleep fine, better than sober actually, but I will wake up a few hours later, sweating, heart racing, MIND racing, and just feeling horrible. Ive had hangovers, this is NOTHING like that…its MUCH worse. And to think i drink to control my panic/anxiety symptoms…and the better i do at that, the more panic/anxiety i suffer. Go figure huh?
And Em, I was never like this before either. :/
I have been back on my downward spiral days this past month really bad, back to a bottle sometimes even a bottle and a half of red wine nightly or in between tiring of the wine I opt to Patron on the rocks, Grey Goose and Cranberry, but every night I have been drinking, I wake up depressed and angry pop a Xanax justify my actions to God blaming my drinking on everyone and anything knowing full well I drink to forget, drink to sleep, drink to love myself, drink because I love the taste of it, the way it makes me feel while I am doing it, and still the cycle goes on. I met a woman yesterday and we talked about depression, she gave me her psychiatrist phone number, will I call for an appointment probably not, still taking my .50 Xanax each day just one either whole or broken up into two for morning and afternoon self medication. Haven’t heard from my son in prison now for a week so panicking there my friends, oh I am so damn tired of me, I can’t even get out of my own way, work in retail, that so sucks, food retail no less, people are pissing and moaning and ya just want to tell them to go F- themselves but ya can’t, boy even I am depressed reading about me, sorry for the shit storm, hope you are all coping with life, I just am not these days!!!!!!!
Laurie, it sounds like things are not improving for you….well for me I went on a month long binge that ended up with me in the ER on thursday. I’ve been sober for 3 days now, not a drop. Don’t let yourself get to the point I did! Got to the psychiatrist and ask for some good drugs to safely detox, take several days off (f– the job, your health is more important) and get clean. I am checking out outpatient rehab since I have obligations too and need to get back to being a real wife and mother next week.
Just do it. You will feel better about yourself and more in control. Dump the booze!
I needed to get control over one aspect of my life as everything else was outside of my control and I finally realized that.
Best of luck to you and thinking of you,
Anna
Hey Laurie,Im by know means an expert on any of this but I suffer the same things alot of people on here do.That said,please just try to take a deep breath and forgive yourself and start over.Easier said than done,but maybe you can give me the same advice when I fall down(as we know I will LOL)Love yourself lots!!!!!!Good luck
I am a female college student, i dont drink except on weekends but wen i do its usually so i can deal with people better. I have anxiety disorder and have gotten to the point of blacking out while drinking it’s happened to me about 8 or 9 times. Ive had people tell me ive done some really embarassing stuff, and i have often times put myself in potentially harmful situations. its really scary not being able to remember but i feel like the alcohol helps me to be more social.
Hi Mel, I too have blacked out many times and have embarrassed myself often as well as fallen several times and could of potentially really hurt myself many times, If you can, stop drinking now, your so young I think you can nail it better when you are young, it is an addiction to me now, especially with heightened anxiety it calms me down right away and then I feel ten times worse in the morning, I hate that I do not remember how I got to bed or half of my own party because it is blocked out of my mind. Please be careful, so many things happen while you are in college, and drinking, when I was your age I was raped two times two separate situations, lucky to be alive, the first time I was not drinking I was young, but the second time I was drinking and someone came into my hotel room and raped me, please be careful, I am drinking herbal tea as we speak trying desperately not to drink tonight, it is so hard but I think I might be okay tonight will take a Xanax though right as I head up to read something to tire my brain… Good luck sweetie, remember what you say here is between all of us and we are all here to help. God Bless. Laurie
Hi everyone – I’m a late-30s married guy who has a history of anxiety and depression. The worst of both is long since passed – I had severe panic attacks in my early 20s but haven’t had one in years. But I am a moderate-heavy drinker, and have been since those days, and maybe even earlier. I’ve also been in therapy and on medication (Celexa)for anxiety (social anxiety, OCD, esp.) for the last several years.
For me the anxiety is more about creating doubt and fear about my life, my relationships, etc. And the WORST effect of alcohol is it’s enabled me to make very poor decisions that lead to guilt, shame, and more anxiety. Which in turn causes more doubting.
I’ve recently decided to quit, but man it’s tough. On balance, I can’t deny it’s the right decision. But the cruel irony is facing that tough choice is causing quite a bit of additional anxiety. Not in the form of attacks – but more in irritability, frustration, impatience, anger, etc. All the “unseen” manifestations of anxiety disorder. It’s like the alcoholic me is rebelling against the me that knows it’s the right way to go.
In short – alcohol has enabled my anxiety and compromised my ability to deal with it (serotonin and meds). So I guess it’s gotta go.
Phew! Never thought there were other people who felt like me the morning after. I have been getting real panicky days after drinking to the point I stay in bed or have a “hair of the dog” just to feel normal. I have done this for a while but I think friends and family are starting to see a pattern as I’m always the first to suggest a drink on a social occasion. At a recent family wedding, we all stayed in the same hotel and the morning after I couldn’t wait for the champagne breakfast just to get rid of the anxiety
It’s been awhile people, I miss those I know and welcome those that are new. Those that are new, yes, anxiety and alcohol is more of a common problem then we all thought. I haven’t been getting too anxious with drinking, I don’t know if it’s because I’m weening off my meds, or for the most part, I have been wmoderating, decently, althought I have had my slip ups. Last night was a little slip up and I feel slightly anxious today, more ill, than anxious, but I’m not too comfortable this morning. My gf was staying in and I had to finish some tax stuff with my ex-wife. I did stop somewhere for a few beers and catch up on some work, no big deal. Then this coug I went out with a few times awhile ago txt’d me so I met her out. it was kind of a high scale place, so I got some red wine, which I kind of knew was a mistake. We live near each other, so while walking home, she dragged me into this dive bar we both know. I had I think it was two beers there, may be three, the last one one I didn’t finish, I really wanted to just go home, maybe get laid, at the very least just sleep.
I was in bed at a decent hour which was nice, but not feeling so “fresh” this morning for lack of a better word. Before I get the moral police on me about the gf, my gf is “separated” but not really, its not a legal separation and his still in the picture. It’s a long messed up story and situation I got myself in. The good news, I’m the one she sleeps with, the bad news, there’s a chance she may go back to him which I completely don’t get it, knowing from personal experience of a failed marriage – the lack of initmacy was the real nail in the coffin with my ex and I, what these two think their going salvage, I have no idea. I also don’t understand how someone can love two people at the same time (her).
Anyway, enough of my drama, the only reason why I brought it up is I sometimes feel onn-committal to the situation I’m in, which kind of upsets me, which is probably why I stayed out last night a little bit with this coug, instead of going home.
Anyway, those who are new, this is a great support group and you will get great advice from the posters.
Laurie, I’m sorry you’re not feeling well, it makes me upset. I know saying just stop for awhile is easier saif then done. When I feel things getting out of control, I try to moderate to say four drinks, and drink a lot of water with them.
I even had to pop 1/2 a Xanax this morning.
Also, to the new ones, you may find writing this stuff down helps you and makes you feel better.
All the best.
JP, (and everyone else new here or old timers or lurkers…)
You can forget about the moral police. They aren’t usually on here and if they are, they get kicked off or get told to go by us.
I’ve been ‘leveling’ with the vino, but have not had a completely sober day in ages. I don’t recall feeling a buzz which is either 1)scary due to tolerance or 2) drinking too slowly since I’m worried about my liver.
Lately I’ve been upping the water intake. My issue is still anxiety. I’m on one .25 xanax a day. I get anxious almost always after I wake up (had extremely vivid dreams all my life which are hard to shake off, not always bad but often very strange) which makes me worry when I am tired and go to sleep so I stay up all night and sleep odd hours in the day since my business is in the off season and I can do that. However, not really ‘functional’ I suppose.
Still, I have gone to organic daily salads with tons of flax, nutritional yeast (B12) and am taking Biotin… but mostly in truth this and the additional water is all really about making sure I don’t kick the bucket too soon like my parents did, who, strangely enough never drank a drop in their lives to my knowledge.
I try to take it day by day. I’d love to say I’d had a day off the red liquid but I’m going to be honest and say I haven’t. I have no social life and it’s easy to just Tivo programs about people worse off that you, like ‘Intervention’ and ‘Hoarders’ but it also scares me to death watching such programs.
I will drink tons of water today, some recent study a friend did said it makes a major difference downing lots of water even if you can’t quit the drinking to help keep the anxiety at bay.
Good luck all… xxx
Hey Ruth, good to hear from you. Yes, water is HUGE! Dehydration can cause anxiety, with low levels of b vitamins as well. Your eating habits are good too, which will help, natural ways to get Vitamins, especially B-12 is always better.
I felt fine after about an hour and I’m looking forward to my hockey game. I’ll admit, I did take 1/2 a Xanax in this morning because I was feeling a little shaky in the morning.
BEst
j
I am home today watching my 3 year old grandson since early this morning, I worked till am last night and couldn’t fall asleep till almost 4 am so here I go for a full day on 4 hours sleep, but I just realized today I do not want to hurt myself anymore, I had chest pains all day, anxiety but I focused on playing with diggers and dozers with my grandson, drank herbal tea and cooked everything under the sun, played outside as well, that felt good, but sleep will be rough tonight, I will try but I think a sleep aid might be necessary, I so don’t want to drink tonight, I just want to sleep soundly, I saw my son in prison on Sunday it was a long day but I love him so, then I came home to a solid night of dinner out watching my two favorite things baseball on one screen and football on the other, only had 2 drinks, but still restless, couldn’t fall asleep Sunday night either read till 2 am, what a cycle I am in, freakin Menopause adds to it all too, was going to ask the doctor for a sleeping pill, I know I will not drink if I take one of those I don’t mix the drugs, even the Xanax I make sure is at least 8 hours from a drink, my way of thinking, saving myself from becoming another Whitney Houston I guess. I have so much to live for, what the hell is wrong with me, Hey JP and Ruth, some boat we are in, funny I am so strong in so many ways and so weak in others, well off to cuddle in for the end of that nap my grandson was kind enough to take, who knew I would be a grandmother at 54 but I am glad I am, he will be the reason I grow the heck up! love to all Laurie
Thanks laurie its really good to know that someone has been through the same stuff. I want to quit but im not sure if I can everyone around me drinks. I’m glad I found this place because wen ive tried to talk about my black outs with my sister she doesnt really understand it feels good to talk about it all with out being embarassed.
Laurie, glad to see you’re feeling better. Yes, a good nights sleep and you’ll feel awesome tomorrow. I had a rough night, but I actually didn’t do anything wrong or bad. I had a date at an event, we were having a great time, then we met a friend of hers out afterwards, I was mixing beer and wine, which was a mistake, but I wasn’t pounding. Anyway, this friend of her’s got hostile and aggressive towards me for no reason, nothing provoked this, she was just drunk and angry, for whatever reason (she also kept asking me for cocaine, which I obviously did not have). Well it ruined the night for my date and I. She had to stay with her friend and I left solo, and stopped by a local place on the way back because I was upset. I did not wake up this morning well, but starting to feel better, tired. I kept thinking maybe I did something…long story short, my date and I from last night were texting all morning and she was vehemetly apologizing for her friend’s behavior, so i remembered it as it happened…some crazy drunk (possibly) tweeked angry NYC chick angry and taking it on the world. I’m glad my date and I spoke and both acklowedge the same thing…and we both agreed we feel sorry for her (her friend). I was telling an addict friend in my office the story…I told him I was being nice, saying things like, “why are you so angry is everything okay? How can I help? I don’t know why you are so upset.” My addict buddy told that probably pissed her off more…that people in this state can’t be reasoned with and you can’t make sense of their behavior so don’t.
mel, that’s the biggest problems trying not to drink, its always around, and some people will even look at you weird if you don’t.
Wow, I already need a map…because I was freakin’ out this morning I took a Xanax and 1/2.
Really glad I came across this website. I get severe anxiety, paranoia and depression after a night of drinking. I can handle the physical pain of a hangover but on an existential level my hangovers destroy me. I’ve tried to stop drinking many times but always come back to it after about a week. I think it’s so important to confront the fact that everybody is different, and some people just shouldn’t drink because mental health can be so fragile in some. Its definitely very tough as for me most the socialising my friends like to do involves drinking. I find that when I stop drinking it often means I alienate myself socially. I tend to enjoy my own company more because I find it hard to connect with others, I also feel that I have no clear sense of identity because my thoughts and moods are so transient and slippery. The world just baffles me with all it’s horribleness and infinte questions. So I drink to fit in and also to make me feel something. But the price is never worth it because my hangovers are just so so bad and make me 1000 times more anxious. I really need to address my drinking problem so I can finally move on in life and start living with strength and courage. I need to just face facts that the worst of me comes out when I drink But I just find it too hard not giving into temptaion because I have a very self destructive side to me that embraces nihilism. Has really helped reading everybody’s posts, so thank you very much for sharing! Knowing you’re not the only one sinking on the ship is very comforting. I hopen you’re all doing fine 🙂
I am beginning to think that I drink to forget, and I remember even more when I am drinking so I drink more,,,, what a vicious cycle, I am my own worst enemy praying to God all the time for strength and confidence to stop this madness, yet after each night shift I come home to a glass or 4 of wine, Patron, or Kettle One, I pride myself on drinking only the best, what a joke, the funny things friends is I am currently being praised at work for being the best at what I do, and it makes me feel great so why the destruction I say, what is in me that makes me want to hurt myself over and over again? I get home from work around 1 AM and I cannot sleep too keyed up so I pour a glass of something, (every night it is different) and then I settle in to face book or U Tube and watch episodes I have missed or ESPN on the computer, why can’t I just go up to bed and rest and try to sleep, what is in my brain that prevents me from doing this I ask?? Part of me wants to be free of the alcohol and then there is the part of me that loves my wine cellar and has just signed up for a new wine club of fabulous reds from around the world,,,, I am my own worst enemy yet I continue to do the same thing every night over and over again,,, I am a successful business woman with a good family (even the son in prison is good in my book) so why do I do this each and every night!!!!!!! Am I not worthy of living a full and complete life? I even bought a VITA MIX to make healthy vegetable drinks to even out the bad things I do to the vehicle I call my body,, and still I drink each night, WTF…………….. WEll any advice is welcome harsh or meek I can take it let me have it,,, I love this sight it is my “go to place” when I feel like shit and want to know I am okay if only for a day!!!!!!!!!!!! love to all of you,,,, keep it real,,,,, we need that! xoxox
Hi Laurie,
You said you welcome any advice, so heres mine, and it is brief. Because i’m in the same predicament as you. I drink a “couple” of beers almost every nite religeously, and maybe 2 nites a week its alot more than a couple beers(like maybe 12 in a night). And all I could really come up with is that its a “habit” that we gotten ourselves into and either cant break or refuse to. I find myself not even caring that much for the taste, and i do not feel the huge “craving” for alcohol (that i used to feel years ago when i drank twice as much as i do now), so i’ve thought long and hard about it and i honestly just think its a habit for me at this point. One that i will not break out of unless i consciously make myself break out of, and also replace the drinking time with something else–whether it be sleep, reading, going for a walk or the gym, knitting a quilt..anything that changes the “habit”……Oh well, just wanted to throw my two cents in here…
Hey J. thanks for the advice, I have started reading again Novels and I am so happy when I do that, I wish I could just read when I came home with a damn cup of tea, gonna try that tonight because I am off tomorrow and would really like to accomplish alot in one day, it is a habit and for me I too am starting to hate it, I am really quite foolish ya know, no one is up, I am alone drinking and talking smack on face book, so damn stupid, my brain knows better but I just keep giving in to temptation, well off to work, gonna give it another shot tonight hope the anxiety stays at bay!!!! thanks for your “two Cents” I’ll take it any day, your a good friend. Regards Laurie
Laurie & J, you’re right it’s a super hard habit to break! I needed to find what I call ‘displacement activities’ that I do instead of drinking, and for me Laurie I also read lots of novels! I have been taking my dog on long walks, and substituting tea or sparkling water mixed with a little bit of pomegranate juice for my normal drinks. From what I’ve read/heard in AA/talked with my therapist, you need to make sobriety your #1 priority for it to stick. I have been 18 days sober and I feel fantastic though I still get cravings. I have managed to run errands that would normally spark my agoraphobia to no end and get through just fine. Even when I was only drinking three glasses a night, (that’s nothing for me), I would still get rebound anxiety the next day.
Wishing you all the best laurie! It must be hard to have an odd schedule too so you can’t really go out and about shopping or whatever when you get off work, instead of drinking…stock up on some good books and find some non alcoholic drinks you really like, even if they are expensive like San Pellegrino mineral water or whatever!
hugs,
Anna
Anna, thats amazing if you are on day 18 of not a drop.. I honestly can say I havent gone more than “four” days in about 20 years … I dont drink a ton every nite, and i dont get drunk 95% of the time anymore.. I might drink 2 light beers one nite, then not a drop the next nite, then 10-12 beers the next nite–rinse and repeat. Its funny you mention that you are able to do errands without agoraphobic feelings, because i DEFINITELY can relate to that “anxious” agoraphobic feelings and how it seems intensified even if i drink very little the night before.. Does it really (at least in your case) make the agoraphobic panicky feelings greatly lesson by cutting out even a couple drinks a nite?? Sometimes i tell myself that if i could feel assured that the agoraphobic feelings will go away if i stop drinking that i would acutally consider it!! 🙂
J…if you can go even 3 days without drinking I envy you! I don’t drink a ton either, in fact I ‘quit’ in my head every night. Telling myself “tomorrow, just for tomorrow, DONT drink!” And then I have my coffee, get my kid to school, then about an hour after that I feel the anxiety of my throat closing up and ‘know’ the only way to stop that icky feeling is a glass of something most people don’t drink at 9am. The first drink is MY choice, after that, well, like a real alchoholic I guess the others are a result of my ‘disease’. Then bring on the guilt, the shame, the anger at having alchohol control ME, ugh…..it sucks! But yes, you said it perfectly…rinse and repeat. And someone else said it was the ‘habit’. So true. It’s like a routine for some of us to drink I guess. It baffles me that even the utter hell of anxiety that follows isn’t enough of a lesson to get us to stop repeating that rinse. :/
J, yes it really does lessen the anxiety for me, going dry! It’s not gone completely but it’s sooo much more manageable. Would I be able to give a speech to 200 people without belting back 2 or 3 glasses of wine or a ton of ativan? Probably not, lol, but not something that is likely to be expected of this stay at home mom.
Audrey, I know that throat closing feeling all too well. I’ve been a morning drinker before too. In fact it got so bad that I started getting withdrawals if I did not have at least 1 drink during the day. I finally said, enough. I dumped the last 1/2 bottle of red down the drain, got some tranqs (librium) from the ER and withdrew over a 3 day period. I don’t want to go back through that again!
Wishing everyone the best in tackling this habit. It’s insidious, and its connection to our anxiety is indisputable IMO.
Hugs,
Anna
J,
I have been saying the habit, thesis, for lack of a better word, for a long time. When I go out somewhere and I don’t drink, I find myself drinking a ton of water….am I addicted to water? No, of course not. It’s just we’ve been so used to having this around as we socialize, it’s almost like you feel naked if you don’t have it…like you have to have something in your hand.
There was one more thing, Jon, I know exactly what you mean about friends. I have the same dilemma from sometimes; and, when I want to complete avoid drinking and get into my training, etc., I tend to alienate myself socially as well….it’s tough
Anna, you bring up something I’ve heard and wondered about…Librium. Since you’ve taken it, can you tell me what it does, what it’s like? I’ve recently gotten into the show Celebrity Rehab, although currently it features no celebrities, but one thing that has stuck with, and scared the @#$#@ outta me is when the doctor said that withdrawls from heroin, opiates etc make you FEEL like you are dying, alchohol withdrawls CAN actually make you die. I heard one doc on the show give a girl Librium to help, but I know nothing about it. For one, I cant swallow a pill to save my life and i’d hate to think I’d need to swallow a pill to SAVE my life (oh irony, how i love thee!). Is it something you had to go to the ER to get RX’d or can a regular doc give it to you? I am so anti-doctors, and especially anti-meds that I feel absolutely trapped. If i keep drinking, i will probably die….but the idea of pills to help me quit, and going thru withdrawls alone, absolutely terrifies me. Rock, meet hard place!
Audrey, if you have become physically dependent on alcohol (i.e. if you experience any claminess, shaking, etc.) it *can* be dangerous to quit cold turkey. You can go to a GP, be honest about what you are going through, and they can give you a scrip….and here’s the deal on the benzos. They keep the anxiety under control (because there WILL be anxiety) and they make it safe to withdraw because they depress the nervous system, and prevent seizures which are the real danger. The common benzos are:
Librium
Xanax
Ativan
Klonopin
Your best bet if you cannot swallow pills is Ativan, it goes sublingual, which means you simply dissolve the (very small) tablet under your tongue.
I highly recommend this route if you want to detox at home. I have done it safely 2 x now. This last time I was given 100 mg of librium/day (50 in the a.m. and 50 in the p.m.) plus a scrip to lower my b.p. I basically slept for three days! It wasn’t awesome, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as cold turkey with no help.
WIshing you all the best, let me know if you have other questions!
Anna
let me add a ps. here: ativan is MUCH lower dose than librium, but it works just as well. So don’t go asking a gp for 100 mg of ativan! Anyway, be honest with the doc about how much you drink and they will go from there. I suffer from ‘white coat’ anxiety too haha, I know how hard it sounds, but you will probably be surprised at how accepting and sympathetic most docs are about this. Alcohol is still the #1 abused drug in our culture, and people go through this all the time. You are not alone!
Yes, Ativan and I have met before :). I got up to maybe 1mg a day, and it really didn’t do much…unless I took it while drinking as well. Klonopin, well, I won’t touch that. My younger brother committed suicide as a result of being RX’d klonopin and paxil when he actually had no issues with depression. He died with the phone book open to the pharmacy, and a dead cell phone laying next to his ‘to-do list for the day (not the actions of someone depressed and planning to die). His last words to friends were “this stuff doesn’t feel right”. My anxiety, and first taste of panic attacks came shortly thereafter, so again with the irony, the very idea of taking something that will mess with my mind to that extent well….i’d rather be a drunk to be honest. I haven’t touched ativan in nearly 2 years. As for getting the shakes etc, well its really hard to tell the difference between what I feel as being “anxiety” or “withdrawl”. Some days I don’t even want to drink, but I get the fear of having a stroke or something pop into my head and I end up drinking so i dont die from the withdrawl effects, ugh!. It’s a cycle that just isnt all that fun and I really want to find a way to get un-addicted, and free of the nitemare! 🙂 Thank you Anna for the info!
Yeah, I’ve heard bad stuff about klonopin. I’m so sorry about your brother 🙁 In that case my best advice to you would be to taper off! I’ve done that sans benzo but the trick is to really stick with it. Reduce by one per day. For me that just wasn’t working anymore because at a certain point my decision making process says to hell with it and I end up pouring another!
I didn’t find the librium messed with my head at all, FWIW. It just made me super tired! But that one you do have to swallow. Then ones I had were pretty small gel caps though (I have some trouble swallowing pills too but these I was ok with).
Best best,
Anna
I am trying a different approach to nip this nightly drinking, today I deactivated my Face Book account, I think that is when I really started drinking the heaviest is when I found this outlet to talk to someone all night long about my bullshit life, the kid in prison, anything that would make me feel alright while I drank and typed, and smoked cigarette after cigarette, which by the way I hate cigarettes but need them desperately when I drink, how weird is that! SO now that I have no reason to be on this damn computer when I come home at 1am I am going to try these new ICALM holistic shots and head up to my room to read, I just hope I do not get a severe anxiety attack, that is what I am worried about, I hope the withdrawal I am sure I am going to go through doesn’t last too long, I need to do this, I drank Patron Marguerita’s last night and my husband came down stairs at 4:30 in the morning and told me to get some sleep upstairs, he is worried about me I can tell. wish me luck I am starting tonight I am off from work, very very tired, very drained and already needed to eat a Xanax to get through the day……………… God Bless,,,, Laurie
Hey Laurie, that’s a good plan! fb can be addictive, and I’ve posted some things before in anger that I wouldn’t have when sober…it’s like what we used to call drunk dialing, to be avoided at all costs!
Set yourself up with comforting things and read in bed. I go to bed so much earlier now; but I stay up with with a warm comforter and my reading lamp and a cup of tea and read until I feel tired. After about my 4th day sober I took to cleaning the heck out of my bedroom to make it a more welcoming place, clean fresh sheets, organized, dusted, I’d been neglecting that for so long. If I stay up in front of the tv or on the computer I tend to crave the drink more.
Best of luck and let us know how it goes!
Anna
Laurie, you’ll be fine hun. Know that if you DO have anxiety tonite or tomorrow, that it WILL pass, and that its always like this when we go ‘off’ the binge , but it WILL pass…….you will be fine, hang in there. Read a good book, watch a good movie, eat something yummy, and think good thoughts . God bless 🙂
Hi Anna, and J, and everyone out there, well the first night wasn’t too bad, I was anxious mind you but I took a 1/2 of a .50 Xanax around 8PM with this new drink, Melatonin, Valerian Root, and B Vitamins, went up to my room after doing lots of mail and bills, and read for an hour a really good book “Thoughtless” and fell into a sound sleep. I am up at 7:30 AM and I feel pretty good, gonna pick up my grandson at 11AM so I have been going through sorting out my check book, now to get showered and ready for some serious grand baby love, I was just asking God to give me the strength to do the same again tonight, even though I know I will want a glass of wine with dinner, my son and his girl come over for dinner on my night off and they too like a glass of wine, they only have 1 though I want the whole damn bottle,,,, well, we shall see, who would of ever thought that at 54 years old and after all the really bad things I went through in my life Alcohol and Anxiety would be my strange bedfellows consuming my life, Well off to start my day, be well out there, lot’s of love for you all,,, Laurie
I’m 24 and been drinking for years socially and nothings ever came of it, only in the last few months alcohol has started to affect me in the same ways you have talked about. As I read through a few of the comments, I see most people are dealing with their anxiety via medication…xanex. I was just wondering if their was a different approach I could take. Never knew what anxiety was up until a couple of months ago! Has anyone beaten it and conquered there anxiety and how did you do it? Would really appreciate a reply! Thanks!
Hey Daz, I did go to a therapist once that did not prescribe drugs for anxiety instead she offered me two different ways to handle the onset of an attack, the first one is when you feel the anxiety coming on sit down and take the hand that you DO NOT write with and start to write your name in script, she said by doing this (which is not easy for most) it tells the brain to break its cycle of thought and the anxiety attack starts to fade, I have tried this and it does work, depends on how fast you can get to doing it at the onset of the attack, the other tip she gave me is to sit and tap your knee to your opposite shoulder then repeat with the other hand in unison, opposite to opposite, this is also to stop the circle of panicky thoughts in the brain by giving the brain another train of thought to follow. This has also worked but for me being anxious all the time it is not a feasible option, I understand your hesitancy to take Xanax I have been on it now since 2009 when a trauma affected me and I could no longer handle it on my own, I don’t know how I would handle life without it now so I think being young perhaps if you don’t start it you will be better off in the long run. My daughter Priscilla started taking Xanax after 9/11 she was very close to the buildings on a public bus, well anyway she is now 34 years old and has a serious addiction to a very high doze of Xanax and it makes her angry and moody, so there again another reason to not start. I wish you the best of luck, Anxiety sucks, alcohol does not make it better just temporarily removes it for the time being while you are drinking, but I assure you it is back the very next day with a vengeance, funny knowing all this you would think I would be able to conquer that damn fear!!! Best of luck my new friend, Laurie.
laurie thanks a million for the response…ye dont really wanna go down da xanex route of yet…im dealing with it fairly well,just cant drink at da min…not gud! im tryn every approach under da sun as well…gonna try an get a proper excercise routine goin and eat healthy…see what happens! 🙂 thanks again!
Dax I too have tried going to a therapist as I do not want to do the medication route. I went to a lady who specialized in panic/anxiety and she introduced me to a doctor/author named Peter Levine. His whole theory on anxiety is that at some point your body/mind experienced trauma which caused a buildup of energy. That energy should come out naturally (like shaking after a car accident or surgery) but for some people it ‘gets stuck’. I’m not one to give a sales spiel, but his books are really eye opening and do give exercises to help release that energy and re-train your mind to stop functioning on that fight or flight level for no reason. Another thing I once read (by some Irish anxiety blogger) that really was neat….he suggested sitting down and TRYING to have a panic attack. How it’s near impossible. That really, after the first panic/anxiety attack the rest of the time you live in fear of the next which ultimately leads you down the path to more. I agree with Laurie, I started self-medicating my anxiety with alcohol, and while it helped in the short term, the day after was far worse than what I was trying to treat in the first place! Ugh!