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 know every one saying this but I’m releaved that I’m not the only one suffering from anxiety I suffered from anxiety just fo the past 2 months reading these post and writing about your problems helps I’m suffring from anxiety as I write this but slowly recovering from drinking to many alcoholic drinks from the past night. Drinking chamomile tea helps me relax and calm my nerves I just drank a cup and it really helps but I’m really considering on Quiting the drinking I just turned 21 you know how that go goes once you turn the legal age but for my better health is not worth it hope evey one reading or writing these post recovers from anxiety and depression God Bless you all
I have been dealing with all these feeling, to the point where i can’t even shower because the water feels so forgein to my skin. I scare myself so bad that I can’t sleep. My family and friends worry about me but I feel like they just don’t understant. i have to stop drinking, but feel like I would be an outcast from the people I know. I wish I were stronger, but for some reason, that one beer, or shot turns into a weeks worth of empty J.D. bottles and with me having to apologize for all the stupid things I have done. I think I need some sort of guidence but am not relegous. Is there a program or something? Have prescription meds and a therapist work for other people? any help would be great. Thank you…
Hi Matthew, I’m very sorry to hear about your situation. This can all be hard indeed, but from what you wrote you definitely have a lot of room for healing. Seeing a therapist and talking to a doctor about meds would be a great start. You have already identified the problem, now you just have to get started with treatment. So, don’t wait any longer. I think you solved your own riddle, get help soon. And in case you’re interested I also have a free ebook coming out in a few weeks. Check back in because I think it could help you. Hang in there.
Thank you Paul, i have made the appt. and am feeling really good about it. i will check back in so i can read your book. thank you for the support.
What a great article. I did a google search on “hangover makes me hyper” and this site popped up. I wouldn’t say I’m terribly hungover, but I don’t like ANY after effects of alcohol. I can relate to the “racing thoughts” and the general overall anxious feeling. What a yucky feeling. I’m going to make some chamomille tea, then drink some o.j. with lime juice then go to the gym with tons of water. I’m sad inside that I need alcohol to “loosen up” when I go out, but I’ve always noticed after a while it starts to make me feel lousy!! This article is great. Thank you.
Hey everyone, I can for one tell you that alcohol definitely has a connection with anxiety and depression. I just had my first panic attack like a month ago which was pretty severe that I had to go to the er, cold sweats all over, clouded thoughts, racing thoughts, not feeling like myself, heart palpitations, difficulty seeing, feeling of impending doom, nausea, headache, weakness. I had no idea it was a panic attack related to anxiety because I am a happy person who loves to live life to the fullest. I have asthma but I train hard and run marathons and box. So I pretty much refuse to think or feel that I have a debilitating condition that runs my life. They ran tests on me while I was at the hospital and ended up sedating me with a shot to my ass (don’t remember what it was) because I hadn’t slept in days.They found nothing wrong with me and gave me ambien to help me sleep. But things just felt weird around me and ended up seeing my doctor for which he prescribed Ativan. It definitely helped so I recommend seeking professional help while you find a way to cope with your disorder. The thing about it was that I didn’t want to realize I had an anxiety disorder and I didn’t feel like compromising my life around it. I am also a bartender so I’m pretty much around it all the time as I do have a passion for it but I decided not to drink at all because of my medication. Two nights ago though I was at a party and drank much more than I was anticipating and since then I have had disturbing thoughts, anxiety attacks, disorientation, depersonalization, I even woke up in the middle of the last night due to a nightmare of being possessed and wanting to kill my brother and that I have to say was the scariest nightmare I’ve ever had I felt like I wasn’t in control… I love my brother and would never harm him, but just goes to show you that alcohol and anxiety don’t mix. I’m not changing my lifestyle I refuse to think that I can’t enjoy life this wonderful wonderful gift that we are blessed with. I just know that alcohol has to be cut out of my equation for now and gradually introduced as my anxiety gets better. Please people never give up! Even when you feel like dying don’t ever give up! It will pass and whatever doesn’t kill you will make you stronger, and anxiety can’t kill you so guess what you’re becoming a stronger you. Surround yourself with positive energy and realize that there are other ways to cope and enjoy life! This is coming from a bartender ha ha, it is my business bring delight to those that imbibe. No matter what, LOVE conquers all. God bless all of us as we embark on this journey.
—Oscar
I am trying to quit coffee and alcohol. These two are nerve agents. I have not had panic attacks, but I am wired on the high anxiety side. I love beer though so much. And I love coffee in the morning. Decaf anyone?
Oscar that was great to read. Very Inspiring. I am only 19 years old and am currently attending the University of CU Boulder in Colorado. I have been drinking for about four years, but I have been HEAVILY drinking for the past summer. I would drink every day and 10+ drinks everytime I drank. I loved drinking with my friends and we would always have a blast. I just thought drinking made everything more fun. Anytime we would golf we would drink, any time we would go on a boat, we would drink. I m very athletic and I used to even drink before playing sports, it was ridiculous! Then when I reached CU this August as a freshman, I drank three nights in a row, heavily. Then I woke up with severe anxiety. My sister and her boyfriend came down from Denver to take me shooting in the mountains and I was terrified, but the day before I was sooo excited, I love shooting! However due to my anxiety attack that morning I thought a freak accident was going to happen while shooting and I was going to die. I was 1 second away from calling my mother and telling her that I couldn’t handle college and that I needed to come home right away. It was terrifying. I had the weirdest thoughts rushing through my head, ideas such as when I saw someone looking at his/her watch, I would start thinking “There’s not enough time, there’s not enough time to live, I’m going to die” There are of course. TERRIFYING THOUGHTS. I couldn’t even believe that I was thinking like this. I have NEVER had anxiety before and I am typically such a happy kid. I was so mad at myself that I had gotten anxiety and panic attacks that I would just break down crying…
That day I talked to my sister about it and she said the same thing happens to her and that it was due to alcohol. She said that after heavily drinking she gets anxiety attacks which usually happen in the morning, she calls them “Anxiety Hangovers” … She told me that I have to watch my drinking and cut back. I haven’t drinking since my attack so its been around 5 weeks, and those were my first 5 weeks at college as a freshman! Haha pretty hard to resist.
I called my mom because I felt like I needed some serious help and that I couldn’t handle college and needed to go home. She said that she felt guilty because she knew I drank to much and that her father (my grandfather) was an alcoholic and died because of it. He to got extremely bad anxiety/panic attacks… I took a blood test this summer because my hands were trembling and I couldn’t hold them still. This was because I hit the beginning of DTs
More info on DTs –
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delirium_tremens
She told me that I needed to quite drinking and that she was so sorry that she let me hit this stage, I couldn’t do anything but cry and cry. I didn’t want my mom apologizing to me, I was the one who messed up and let myself hit this stage… I missed her so much and I was terrified of her old age and I was so scared that she would pass away that day because of my anxiety… But her words helped me so much.
My sisters husband called me and talked to me for about an hour. He explained to me that he had anxiety right before he graduated college, almost identical feelings to what I had ( and still do have occasionally)… He has the weirdest gut feelings and always seemed terrified. He didn’t know what he was going to due with his life and thought he was worthless. It made me feel much better talking to someone who went through the same thing. And I still call him anytime im feeling nervous.
I also found coffee does not help! I use to love coffee but recently I had a couple cups and that got a panic attack. I figure that anything that makes your body feel “not sober” or jumpy or not itself causes anxiety.
I have found that my anxiety/ panic attacks have dumbed down since I haven’t had anything to drink in the past 5 weeks, but I do understand when people say that they are ” scared to drink again” Anxiety is a horrible feeling, possibly the worst thing to happen to me so far in my life. But like what my mom said is that life is just so fantastic. Life itself is so remarkable and you should enjoy every bit of it and have a blast. Don’t let your mind stay stuck in the dark areas of anxiety, due everything you can to fight it and over come it. I am so thankful for my family and friends that it brings tears to my eyes. All I have to say is screw you anxiety and your panic attacks! You will never defeat me, because I am stronger.
I get what I call “dark thoughts” for days after drinking heavy. The the things that come to mind are terrifying. I think bad things are going to happen to my pets, my wife, is somebody breaking in the house? What’s that noise? Awful. And I think I’m kidding myself if it isn’t all alcohol related. After a few days of healthful eating and exercise, it goes away. Then I feel great, but let’s go to the bar to watch the Steelers and the cycle repeats. I wake up, feeling terrified, and swearing I’m done. What a cycle. I think I’m done with the booze. Watching football buzzed is fun, but this truly isn’t worth it. Somebody above mentioned Valarian Root and I use this to sleep and it does make you feel a little relaxed, but not drugged. Smells awful, but useful, I think. Good luck all, thanks again for starting this.
I definitely think you are right about the anxiety. I def feel more anxious the next day after drinking too much.
I would have to agree. I have been suffering from chest pains, dizziness, palpitations for months now coupled with pani attacks and derealisation. This has led me to not drink for 2 months and I was starting to feel a little better. Because I was feeling better I decided to have a drink and now this constant state of anxiety has returned. I cant believe I was so stupid.
I can understand how people become alcoholics though as when actually drinking you are fine
I’m been suffering from anxiety and panic attacks since last spring, and I’ve significantly cut down on my alcohol consumption since it triggers chest pains, palpitations, fear, dizziness etc every time I have more than one drink. Well I slipped up last night and had two pints, and I’ve been suffering ever since. Over the months I’ve learned to cope with it and generally I’m functional but it still awful.
This afternoon my wife and I went to Sam’s Club and in the middle of shopping one of the sample people gave my a cup of some electrolyte drink. Fifteen minutes later my head cleared up, my chest pains dissipated, and the overall background fear wasn’t there. I was like ‘What?!?’ I mean went through couple ER visits, months of doctors reassuring me it all in my head and not heart disease, SSRI drugs that just made me irritable, and so on but nothing worked…yet some stupid gatorade knock-off (Emergen-C…not trying to push it) was the solution?
Ok, it’s evening now and I’m feeling better than I’ve felt in months, and I really feel compelled to tell people about this since it might help others. I’m not a doctor, I don’t know how I’ll feel tomorrow, and I don’t know which substance in this drink made the symptoms go away this afternoon. Realistically it probably won’t help everyone, but if someone else tries it and it works please post it for others.
Hi folks. I’ve had GAD for 12 years. For the first 5 I thought I was going to die all the time & was convinced there was something causing me to feel this way. Saw every specialist under the sun. Some even came up with a theory on what was wrong. Like House says on TV though, ‘choose your specialist, choose your affliction’. The heart guys say you may have syncope or ectopic heart beats. The gastros will tell you that you have reflux or irratable bowel. The psycs will tell you you are depressed or anxious. Fact is IMHO, it’s called the ‘human condition’. We are none of us perfect. We all have our different ways, feelings, experiences, definitions of happy, definitions of sad, definitions of normal. For some of us (myself insluded), we are generally anxious. For me, drinking in moderation is OK, but drinking heavily ONLY works if I have the ability to lie in bed for the whole day afterwards. Lack of sleep is a killer for those with anxiety, more so than booze. Agreed, the booze doesn’t help, but if you go killing yourself to avoid it, that’s not going to help either. Everything in moderation. If you do want to go out & have a right bender, do it. It won’t kill you. Just make sure you remember those feelings you got when you were younger, called hangovers. Feeling crappy after a big night out is normal. Everyone gets it. So do you. It’s just that these days you PERCIEVE it as anxiety rather than feeling crappy because of the drink. You’re not superman, you can’t drink all night & function the next day & you have to rest & sleep it off just like you did when you were younger. I think that for me, the problems come when I chronically use alcohol rather than when I acutely use it. What I mean is that if I string 3-4 nights together I’m screwed, but if I just have 1 & sleep well after I’m OK. No brainer right. When I was younger I used to only drink at the weekend because school / parents / cash used to stop me doing it every day. Now I’m (supposedly) grown up, I have the ability / means / self control (or lack) to do it when I choose. This is what kills me. So, be sensible, realise you’re just normal like everyone else & listen to your body. If you’re spiriling down, slow down. If you’re on a high, reward yourself. Extremes in either direction will make you unhappy. Be well everyone. J
Hi everyone,
Im an anxiety sufferer and have been on fluoxetine for 4 years which works quit well. I have had repeat episodes of my depression and anxiety and its always been after i have been on drinking benders. I have these wild times where i will go out drimnking about 4 nights in a row. Actually had one of those this weekend, and now i am paying for it. terrible panic feelings, negative thoughts, feeling impending doom and like im goin crazy. The i panic over feeling anxious. So its a viscious circle. went to my GP and she was horrified at how much alcohol i had consumed over past 4 days and has told me this it the cause of my anxiety!!! So with a small amount of diazepam to help i am tring to ride the anxiety out but it is so awful. 🙁 No drinking for me again!!!
Hi,
I feel lucky that I stumbled across this article and all the comments. Recently I feel like the morning after alcohol( more than 5 drinks or more) I feel so anxious and down. I worry that I can’t cope with my life, i feel like my mind is racing, full of negative thoughts one after another. I recently moved to a new country and i love it here but when i get like this it makes me want to go home. I feel guilty and hopeless and i overthink things and feel things too deeply. I want to give up alcohol because there is nothing i want more than to be happy but i feel like i need it as a crutch in social situations. Luckily i have a boyfriend who supports me and i can talk to. My worst fear is that it will get worse. I can’t imagine what some of ye are going through with panic attacks and so on. Best of luck to you all.
just what i was looking for….Thanks.
For the most part, alcohol makes me relax. But sometimes… I’ll get temporary anxiety that usually eventually goes away during the time im drinking. Compared to my marijuana experiences the anxiety is a lot less intense. There has been times I’ve been pretty emotional when drunk, but it can pass and I can return to having fun. Of course, heavy drinking (getting real drunk) can be bad. One time at a party I was drunk and took one puff of weed, and had the most intense, scary anxiety/panic attack of my life.
Hangovers suck too, and are worse than the drinking itself most of the time. I’m moody and have tons of anxiety. It’s horrible.
I just limit and moderate myself. Chillin’ and having a few drinks is nice maybe just once a week max. It’s best not to go overboard.
My own experiences are very similar to a lot of what has been shared already. I do not label myself and alcoholic, however, if I were to drink, I would not be able to have just one, and indeed would only drink with the express intention of getting a buzz. I used to be in the situation of using alcohol to self medicate against anxiety. The vicious circle becoame so tight that I ended up drinking an hour or so after waking in the morning to relieve the anxiety. Having identified the problem as axiety, rather than alcoholism (still not sure if there is any difference) I went on to prescription meds at direction of a doctor. I started on a combination of Xanax (for the immediate anxiety and weening off the alcohol) and Cipralex and anti depressant. The Xanax stopped after 3 months and the anti depressants after 9 months. I have had a couple of days when I have hit the booze, and immediaitely sufferred the next day with panic attacks, racing thoughts, shakes, uncertainty, inability to make decisions and fear. The thoughts immediately drive you towards self medicating with Alcohol. This really helps, initially, but you soon see that you are trapping yourself in the vicious circle again. A couple of days of cold turkey, with all the symptoms, gets me clear, but it is hell.
There is definitely a link for some people between Alcohol and anxiety, I can testify to this. It is hard to make the link sometimes, it is there and the sooner you see it for yourself, the sooner you can start to recover. I am sorry to say, for me I wont drink again, I cant, but the best of luck to everyone else and you are so not alone with these feelings and there is a definite solution to getting the serotonin solutions back to normal and living an alcohol and meds free life fairly soon. Best of luck.
Wow , I’m so blown away by all these comments. I am 34 and was only diagnosed with GAD in May this year, although in hind sight I think I’ve probably always had it. It’s been such an amazingly weight lifting experience to realize I’m not alone. I have started seeing a phycologist and just talking through my fears with her and learning to accept/embrace the feelings of anxiety I get has made a huge difference. However I have only just made the connection between alcohol and my anxiety. I have been abusing alcohol since I was 17 (early starters here in Australia) and I can see a direct link between my gradual increased use of alcohol and my elevated levels of panic and anxiety. I too suffer majorly the day After a big night, my first ever panic attack was on the beach in Bali the morning after a bender and I can’t help but wonder now if my entire anxiety experience can be attributed to my drinking. I am about to give up the booze for six months (recommendation from my therapist) this will give me a chance to observe my feelings over this time and decide if this this is something I need to do permanently. As all of you know if this has been the main “fuel” for my anxiety giving up the drink I think will be a small price to pay and easier to do now rather than wait til I’m a full blown alcoholic. Thanks everyone for sharing and hang in there, I feel certain that this illness can be overcome and that we are all stronger for the experience.
Not really a drinker anymore, and alcohol didn’t have anything to do with my trigger. (Mine was a prescription med.) But, I don’t drink since the anxiety has been present. Maybe some day I’ll have a beer or a glass of wine. I’m sure I will, but not in excess.
I just wanted to send props to those who are recognizing problems in their life and trying to deal with them directly. There are a lot of encouraging stories on this thread.
Be well, all!
hey’anxeity/panic suffers i have good news,about 3 years ago i was diagnosed with severe anxeity/panic/social phobia disorders.it just came on me one day out of the blue,and then after visiting 7 doctors i finally found one that never touched me and after 20 minutes he told me i had these disorders.man what a battle i indured.but there is hope for all of us.two years after i fought this battle i felt led to write a book to help others because i was helping people already with the ways i learned to harness this terrible feeling doom! some friends /family/customers would call me to tell me thanks for sharing ways of dealing with these disorders,that felt great to help others because i very well knew how they were feeling.(hopeless!)but dont be dismayed there is hope and you can get a quick handle on this sooner than you think.you can go on living a very happy life.my book is titled–if you can identify it/you can hog tie it.the book is refreshing, it will make you laugh,take a deep look at your self,and maybe shed a tear or two.this self help book covers a lot of topics like depression,anxeity,stress,hope,prayer,panic attacks etc.and i would like to offer my opinion of alcohol/anxeity,after alot of research i do belive that any type of alcoholic beverages can and will inhance you bouts with anxeity,so if your self medicating with alcohol just stop and see what happens,you will find that the nevousness with start to go away.it did for me,i feel into this awful trap to just trying to relax.i finally found that there was a better way.if you would like a copy of my book e-mail me at okfenceman@yahoo.com god bless and great health to you.
Hi,
I’m relieved to see I’m not on my own but still do in a way as no-close to me understands.
I’ve suffered with the above for nearly a decade, I still continue to drink as I can’t be un socialable but its getting me down so much that I can’t be like my friends and just feel rough the next day. I have to feel so uncomfortable and a freak as no- one else I know feels like this. The doc just says, you’re a worryer and need to stop drinking as mooch. I’m now on the last resorts of trying to help me the next day, ie multi vitamins, serritonium and headache tables, drink plenty of water/juice and trying see if I can find anything else for that magic cure to put me back to being able to enjoy a night out. OR AM I WASTING MY TIME? IS THIS THE NEW ME AND WHAT I HAVE TO PUT UP WITH FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE?
Is it possible to re-introduce alcohol once recovered? I don’t want to quit all together!
Matt,
I truly sympathise. Rest assured you are not alone. You are not a freak and certainly, if you have read the above and numerous other sites on GAD and social axiety (new name for excessive shyness) you will soon see that a great many people feel the same way.
You are the only one able to judge whether that’s it for you with regard to drink, but for me it is. I can’t have a decent session and not suffer for about 2 days with excessive anxiety. I dont just feel rough as others seem to, I am in full panic mode and can barely function ouotside the walls of my house. I also can’t have just one drink, whats the point? I tend to have a session if I drink at all.
There are drugs out there that will stop this. Any of the benzodiazepines and particularly Xanax, do an admirable job of negating the anxiety but they are highly addictive and you build up tolerance really quickly. All you are in fact doing is creating another problem for yourself, when what you should be doing is realising that alcohol does not work for you anymore (unfortunately) and bin it. Tough call, but you have an illness and that is that!
i dont know if it gets better with time or whether that is it for life, I will let you know as the years roll by. Certainly I have had to choose not to drink at all, it makes me too mentally ill.
Best of luck.
>>>>Is it possible to re-introduce alcohol once recovered? I don’t want to quit all together!<<<<<<
In my experience it has NOT been possible to drink alcohol and avoid the anxiety afterwards. Please be aware that the people I have spoken to also suffer in this way, however, some people choose to have a drink and just suffer through the anxiety, knowing it will last a day or so and then be over.
Others may wish to comment as to whether they ever recover from the anxiety and alcohol vicious circle.
Cognative Behaviour Therapy may be a way out of this for you. I dont know, I have not tried it.
Hi everyone. I am glad I came across this site. I am 22 and have been drinking since I was about 16, always had bad hangovers but always got through. Recently (the past 6 months or so) I’ve noticed when hungover I am extremely aggitated and anxious, completely restless and have a weird feeling in my eyes like I can’t relax them and always rubbing them. I never leave the house or even have a wash because I’m too pre occupied with these feelings. It has got to the point now where I’m seriously contemplating giving up booze. I am an ‘all or nothing’ type of person. If I have 1 drink I have 10. I’ve never seen the appeal of having 1 or 2 drinks and going home. I am also very sociable, I have a lot of friends however most of my friends are drinking buddies and one of the reasons I am reluctant to stop is because its a big part of my life and I’d lose that social side of my life. I know I could go out sober but its just not the same. I am lying in bed shaking its 4am and I know I won’t be asleep for hours due to feeling so on edge. I wish I could have normal hangovers! I’m glad I’m not the only one, I can completely relate to what you’re all saying.
caroline. i feel like im 100% where you are. i been binge drinking since i was 16, i am 26 now. i have the absolute same problems and have so many friends that drink. and when i try to completely stop drinking or when i know the weekend is rolling up quick….i freak out. i have t his passion to want to stop. i read on here all the time, constantly, it makes me feel not alone….but i know if i go out sober, ill be a nightmare…and wanna drink and just be a disaster….so the last 3-4 months i just been wanting to dissapear, not wanting to rely on anyone or anything, and just rely on myself. go through hell and just be a lame ass, and just stay inside on weekends or do up some hobbies to fill in time. ignore the outside world. its so hard. last friday when i stayed in and avoided peoples calls, i never felt so horrible in my life. its like life meant nothing without it. no meaning. i usually do 2-3 day binges with alcohol every weekend. and im not saying a few beers. im talking 15. i stuck to just one day this weekend, i did have a lot to drink, but didnt feel so hellish the next day, butg so suffer with the anxiety and the uncertainty fears, etc….im so close to quitting, but having no support and a family of brothers who get shitty all the time, and friends….life is going to be real lame, reaaaal soon. UGH. thanks everyone for posting on here.
I have extreme anxiety and panick attacks. Drinking seems to help initially, but then makes it worse.
it sure does. its like a disease. you need that fox so bad for just one night, and it helps, but then suffer the next week after and feel all messed up.
Hello Guys
This is Akshay a sufferer of panic attack especially the day after binge drinking. It feels like a heart attack. But guys i did consult a doctor and the main reason behind the breathlessness is the stomach gasses.
These gasses once they start coming out of your body through your mouth the problem of anxiety is even worst. So my advice to you all is drink but in limits. Don’t binge drink it.
Also another practice you can follow is yoga and nose cleaning technique.
It really works. For more information of it please feel free to write to me on stakshay@gmail.com
cheers
Akshay
hi
At the age of 30, I finally had a panic attack. I started drinking in high school on the rare occasion, but really started in college. Once I joined a fraternity the booze flowed like water. Every night was all about foosball and beer.
I finally left that school to enter the police academy. Graduated, started working as a Deputy, and the drinking continued. Left that job to return to college, drinking continued. Graduated with honors while drinking of course. Once I graduated the patterned continued. It was about 5 in the evening, and the panic attack set in. I felt faint in the head, heart was going nuts, and that went on for hours. Finally, I told my girlfriend to drive me to the ER. . After 8,000.00 in hospital bills I learned that anxiety was the cause of my trip there. I made the connection between booze and anxiety right there. Did I stop drinking? NO.
I’m afraid if a stop drinking all together I will have a seizure. I’ve gone 7 days without a drink, but that’s the longest. I’m hammered right now, and “looking forward” to the panic attack in the morning. It should be a great time, sarcasm entered.
My story
Hey Wes, sounds like drinking is your primary issue. Have you ever sought help for your drinking? If not, that would be a good start. Addiction is a very tough thing to deal with to be sure, but like anxiety, it can be overcome. I wish you all the best.
hi guys i totaly get every single one of u. i have had anxiety for about 15years i,m 28 now its been worse the last 9yrs i have always had really bad hangovers things like raceing heart crazy thoughts brain zaps(like electric shocks) scared that i,m going to do something mad like if i hear a noise it will totaly freak me out in fact i,m terrified at times i can get this from time to time without drink but oh my when i do i pay.i really don,t want to give up drink but i really do plan my next few days out if i do because i no i will be in a bad place.i can,t even step out my door i can,t drive can,t even answer my phone because i feel people will think i,m weird. my boyfriend of 4 years is getting sick of it and fed up of me he does not understand anxiety and says i need to sort myself out. if only it was that easy i know he,s not happy and i,m not but scared to be on ,my own with my 3yr old and this illness had meds still on them had therapy to. any idea,s guys
Wow, I am very happy that I found this site….seriously, it feels like I am going crazy when the experts are telling me there is nothing physically wrong with me when in fact it actually feels like I am having a heart attack.
The first time I ever dealt with anxiety was a few years back, I had 3 or 4 panic attacks, the very first time I was grocery shopping and it came on out of the blue. literally I had to leave the basket there and go home because I just was not feeling myself and after an hour of the symptoms feeling worse (cold burning in my chest, chest pain, shooting pains in my head, rapid heartbeat, hyperventilating, weak, etc.) I had my husband rush me to the hospital. I was screaming and crying, yelling at him to drive faster because I thought I wouldnt make it there alive. Once I got there, they took my vitals and everything was PERFECT. I thought there machines were broke. They had me come back and lay in a bed and I ended up falling asleep, when I woke up, kid you not, I seriously felt like somebody gave me a shot of morphine. I felt so high and myvision was blurry and I wasn’t making any sense when I was talking. I asked the nurse if she gave me something and she said “No, do you use street drugs” ha..of course I said no, which I do not do and thats when she said I had a chemical imbalance in the brain, if I feel like I am high off of morphine and have no drugs in my system. Well, they put me on anti depressents and anxiety meds and I had anxiety over taking the pills thinking that it would be too high of a dose and do something to me, it was absolutely aweful. I was only 20 years old and really did not know how to deal with it.
However, a few years past, and besides a little anxiety, in stressful situations, I have not had any panic attacks until recently….
2 weeks ago, I partied. My mom had my kids for the weekend (first weekend in 2 months) and I was ready to go and have fun. Well, I am an all or nothing kind of person, which I saw somebody post previously. I can’t just drink one drink. I had about 8-10 drinks, somewhere in the last sip or two I went from having a really good buzz to literally blacking out. I was not awake, carried out and woke up the next day in the bed at about 3 pm wondering how the hell I got there and what happenned. I did have the usual hangover effects but it wasn’t till about 3 hrs after waking up I had this severe shock to the heart. It felt like my heart just went “BOOM” and that feeling spread through out my body, it made me scared. I went home and took a shower laid down trying to relax and thats when everything else started to happen.
My heart felt so strained and weak, as if it was going to stop, I was having the thoughts of heart attack. So, I forced myself to go to sleep hoping it would go away and the next day a few hrs of waking I was in the car and I just started feeling it again, but this time had a shocking feeling in my left side of the body. My left shoulder, left side of the chest, arm, hand, up the side of my neck to my head. I called an ambulance and they took me to the ER. The whole time NOTHING once again came up saying anything was wrong. Still, at this time, panic attack/anxiety did not cross my mind, because I haven’t dealt with it in 3 yrs. So of course they sent me home and did not drink for the past week and a half. I started feeling better although those symptoms lingered on for quite a few days on and off.
But this is how I linked it to alcohol, because I went out last night and had a few drinks(about 4) NOT nearly as much as the time before, the night went great I felt good and had fun. But today, when I woke up, OH MY GOD, I was soo dizzy and light headed, funny feeling in my chest, heart hurting, shaky, bad thoughts, etc, etc, etc. So, I know now that soemthing in my body is being triggered my this alcohol consumption. I am choosing although at the age of 23, to not drink anymore. I may, a big maybe, after I get this under control have an occasional drink but never will I drink the way I did before.
One thing I forgot to mention was that for the past year I have had the biggest fear of death, especially car accidents. But I scare myself with every situation. Whether it be someone breaking in, robbing me while I am getting in the car at night, getting into fights with people, dying in my sleep, the fear of not being here for my kids thru life, etc. Sometimes it feels like it takes over me and I hate it. But I never knew that, that was anxiety. Because all of the anxiety I ever had was more physical then mental. I am trying to be more positive and not allow to control me, because I love life and living happy and very outgoing and fun 23 yr old with 3 lil ones that keeps me smiling and the last thing I want to do is worry about B/S that most likely will not happen and then having these attacks.
I want to know, has anyone had to deal with it even after cutting the alcohol out. Is there anyway for it to go away?…besides taking addictive medication, because I refuse to
thanks for the support and giving me a piece of mind, I know now that I am not crazy.
bless you mike! that sounds horrible what you’re going through, like what i’m going through! unfortunately it’s just the culture we live in… alcohol is the core component to my social life and yours! it sounds like you dont think your friends or family will understand what you go through? have you tried talking to anyone about it, telling them just how bad you feel? i’ve basically told my friends and they don’t understand what i’m going on about at all…. so when i say i dont want to drink they just look at me like i have two heads because i am usually the social butterfly haha… then i just end up drinking just to make things normal again. i dont want to stop drinking, i’ll admit i love alcohol! not to the excess where i drink all the time, maybe once or twice a week but its always binge drinking. i am actually a qualified mental health nurse so maybe i should know better! but mike, you shouldnt beat yourself up so much about it. as you can see there are so many of us in the same situation who can’t seem to stop drinking, and just because none of your friends or family have the same experiences you do from your hangovers you are not alone! if you want to talk further let me know, i’ll give you my msn or something.
Tanks a lot Caroline…i know i shouldnt beat m yself up so much over it…i mean its not like i need it every day of the week…i been pretty good with keeping it at one day a week, but sometimes 2 days comes up, and yes, i binge myself. if im going out somewhere, i easily putting 10-12 beers in me. justhow i do it, lol. during the week when i dont drink i have a nice diet, and drinks tons of water, detox teas, etc….so i think i can be okay. i just know i need to slowly ween off of this though, keep it at once every couple weeks. etc.
I’m sure glad I found this site. I’ve been battling alcohol abuse and anxiety for years but never put the two together until the past two or three years. When I was drinking in my teens/twenties (I’m 42 now), the only consequence was a bad hangover the next day and that was it. Never enough to keep me from binge drinking the next time, and the next, and next…
I always associated alcohol with amazingly fun times with friends. Now, I realize profoundly that over drinking/binge drinking is a living hell. My anxiety levels have been through the roof. As many of you have described, the feelings of impending doom and death, dizziness, light-headedness, “foggy brain”, disassociation, nervousness, tingly/numbness and all around feeling that something is very very wrong (terminal illness, heart problems?) is absolutely crippling and no amount of “fun times” with alcohol is ever worth any of these horrible feelings.
Like many others, for a long time I would drink because I had bad anxiety never realizing my drinking was causing my anxiety!! I’m not saying all of my alcohol abuse is due to my anxiety issues (I’m a classic glutton…All or nothing) but I can absolutely point to my escalation in alcohol abuse the past 5 years due to all the withdrawal/anxiety symptoms I would suffer in between drinking.
The power of alcohol is that you feel GREAT during drinking! See! It’s not so bad, this anxiety! Fool’s Gold. I am now at a point in my life where I am drinking less and less because quite frankly not because I don’t like to drink (I love to drink and feel that buzz) but because I am petrified to keep feeling the aftermath.
My suggestions for those of you like me suffering this is to…
1) Absolutely look in the mirror and be honest about your drinking and how it’s effecting your life. Do whatever is necessary to cut down your drinking to avoid the horrid anxiety/withdrawals that come from too much drinking. No amount of “fun times” is worth it. None. If you don’t wish to abstain altogether, then moderation is a MUST or anxiety WILL continue to dominate your life.
2) Incorporate exercise! It has been a life saver for me. I can always tell the difference when I’ve been exercising even through the worst of symptoms. Exercise has numerous benefits as we all know but the natural release of our brain’s “feel good” chemicals are a powerful counteracting agent.
3) HYDRATE! HYDRATE! HYDRATE! Before, during and after drinking, always, always drink plenty of water. The difference in just doing this step alone is night and day.
4) Supplements. When we drink, we are depleting our bodies of tons of minerals and nutrients. This is why that one fellow above said that “Emergen-C” drink was like a cure-all. The introduction of electrolytes alone improved his condition. Do some research on this and find what’s best for you.
5) Don’t suffer!! If anxiety is running your life, threatening your relationships, job, et al…SEEK HELP! Don’t be afraid to use medication to combat the symptoms. I use 0.25 – 0.5mg of Lorazapam when I feel an attack is imminent. It has become a wonder drug. I try not to depend on it but boy is it ever a god-send when I need it.
6) Therapy can be another amazing tool. So many of our issues and how we see and react to our world is based on internal, deep-rooted issues and trauma. Of course not everyone has had a bad childhood or trauma but you might be surprised how many subconscious/repressed feelings are at the root of how we use and abuse drugs.
Well, that’s all for now. I thank each and every one of you for sharing your thoughts, comments and suggestions to fellow sufferers like myself. Always believe YOU have the power to control your life and not let life control you.
Much peace and an ANXIETY-FREE holiday season to you all!
Hi,
This site has been really helpful to me.
I have suffered with anxiety for years and have noticed in the last 12 months how alcohol exacerbates it’s symptoms.
For example I made the decision to stop drinking for a two week period and the result was that I felt rested calmer, with more energy and the situations in which I would normally get anxiety attacks were manageable. Then twice in the last week I have drank too much an the anxiety is back with a vengeance.
I worry the people around me will not understand, but then I tell myself if they care then they will. I believe I need to stop drinking for the foreseeable future and monitor it day by day. I just want the anxiety gone because it is affecting my daily life now and preventing me being happy.
I have been seeing a really amazing person and everything is going great, but when my anxiety acts up I get insecure and difficult to communicate with. And it is all down to alcohol.
I just pray that he will stick with me now I know the solution and am going to stop it.
i really can’t say enough about what I’ve read here today.
When i was 22, i moved to Las Vegas and took up a DJ gig at a reception hall. I did this for 4 years. Always an open bar and always encouraged by the clients to drink with them. After Vegas I worked the clubs in various cities…..still do. i am now 34, married, house, etc.(no kids though). i DJ on the weekends….every weekend. For the past 12 years i have binged when i DJ’d……at first it was just fun, then necessary. I had conditioned myself to drink when i DJ’d. Sometimes i go Sunday though Thursday without a drink, then i kill all of that when I go into “weekend warrior” mode. 2 weeks i had an anxiety attack on a Saturday shift. I drank on my Friday night shift and I know now that led to the attack, but at the time i thought i just got slammed with the flu or something……dizzy, nausea, panic ridden, sweats, claustrophobic. After i had someone come in and replace me that night, i went home and felt great after an hour or so.
Great advice guys thanks for sharing your experiences
Very reasurring information people. I’m 32 now and was a very heavy drinker in my mid teens to mid twentys. 5 years ago my stomach decided it had had enough of binge drinking on cheap vodka/ciders, the lining had been gradually worn away exposing nerve endings that started to bleed at a rapid pace. I collapsed and was taken to hospital where I was put on a drip and was given a blood transfusion (total of 6 pints of blood replaced into my body over the following 2 days). Eventually after 5 days in intensive care the bleeding stopped on its own, later I found out the docs were going to wait one more day then remove my stomach if it hadn’t stopped bleeding.
I now realize I had suffered from anxiety for a number of years and had used Alcohol to mask the feelings, but as discussed in many of your comments, the following days hangovers got worse and worse. As I got into my early 20’s they became unbareable, this only accelarated my drinking habit as I only felt ‘NORMAL’/’HEALTHY’ when I was drunk. My alcohol anxiety is always centred around health issues, and always was even before I was actually ill. But since being ill I now spend the following week after a heavy session worrying my stomach is bleeding again, I get physical symptoms of blood loss such as racing heart, weakness, temperature up and down and pale face. Also chest pains where I convince myself I’m about to have a heart attack. I am unable to enjoy a cigarette for several days after drinking without my anxiety going through the roof, my lungs feel like they are going to collapse. Its all very annoying and a pain in the arse, but in reality I enjoy being 99.9999% sober these days (lucky if i’m drunk twice a year!!),I don’t really want to waste days away lying in bed recovering or walking around feeling ill and paranoid for the sake of a few nights out drinking ‘Devil Juice’, i’d sooner be spending that time with my kids!. I still suffer from anxiety,depression social phobia since radically cutting down on alcohol, I am learning to deal with it through regular trips to a psychologist, i’m also taking Sertraline daily which help take the edge off. I feel like I was pushed into quitting alcohol through ill health but looking back its the best thing that could have happened to me, I would advise anyone with similar problems to me to try quitting the drink, having said that its a lot easier to quit when you have nearly died because of it.’m not saying quitting solves all your problems, it really doesn’t, but its a huge weight of your shouldars and leaves you to enjoy life more instead of living for your next session then regretting it for a week. Be strong people, fight back at anxiety… Kick it in the balls.
My name is Matt and I have suffered with anxiety for almost my whole life. I am 31 years old and have been a heavy drinker since I was 18. I’ve quit for months at a time and the anxiety does not go away. I have been put on every medication imaginable and nothing seems to work. The only thing that seems to work is alcohol. I know this is absolutely wrong but the tension I feel w/out it is paralyzing. It is so bad, at times, that I can’t even drive. I wake up almost every morning with acid reflux and I know this can’t be good for my stomach or throat. Whenever I am gone from my house, I worry about my house burning down or any number of other things. It is not even ten a.m. and I sit here with a beer cracked because I don’t know what else to do. This is costing me friendship and any resemblance of a social life. I also smoke a lot and all of these things combined are cutting years off my life, but I can’t cope without them. I need help and I don’t know where to turn. I’ve discussed this with family and friends and no one seems to understand.
matt, that sounds absolutely awful…usually binge drnking for many many years at a time can cause your serotonin in your brain to basically deplete and it will feel like constant anxiety and stress. no form of well-being whatsoever. research a natural way to help out with your levels with 5-HTP. its sold at many stores. it may help you never know. my serotonin levels arent good either but i refuse to be on drugs. so i do the 5-HTP supplement route and have changed my diet to a “tryptophan diet” research that also.
This is all very relevant and true, obviously as you said, scientifically based. Nothing in this is a matter of opinion. I myself am an anxiety sufferer, serious anxiety that is, and often find myself after a night of binge drinking, anxious, depressed, and just mentally confused all around. However, what you did not mention, and I don’t know why this is, is sometimes when I have just one beer, or one glass of wine, for hours later I will not be able to sleep, and have all of those symptoms WORSE than I do if I drink heavily. Unfortunately now, since that is the case, I drink till I am drunk, to avoid symptoms. Drinking is a large part of my social life, and I know I should avoid it completely, but now when I drink to get drunk, my next day is at least tolerable. But one glass, in moderation, I will not be able to fall asleep, my heart will be racing, my mind will be racing, and I will be miserable. Why is this? What is happening?
Alex, I have the same problem. My belief is because our bodies/brain have become used to a certain amount of alcohol in order to pacify it. When we ingest minimal amounts and stop, withdrawal symptoms are quick to step in as if to say, “Hey! Where’s the rest?!!?”
So when you give it what it think it needs, the symptoms don’t arrive…As quickly. This is why after getting drunk, many of us sleep like babies and even manage the next day fairly well. Enough is in our system to pacify our brain and body so it feels content for the time being.
By “under-medicating”, the brain goes into overdrive, wondering why such a small amount (1 glass of beer or wine versus several) was ingested. Then anxiety and withdrawal sets in. At least this is what I believe is happening.
The best thing to do is taper off of alcohol slowly and methodically. If you’re not ready to give it up completely, force yourself to manage/watch your drinking. It’s horrendous how quickly alcohol can take over our lives and our health.
I have been tapering off drinking (going on almost two weeks) but now trying to come off Lorazapam which I was prescribed to help with my anxiety and withdrawals. Now I am trying to taper off Lorazapam (Ativan) and it is JUST AS BAD as alcohol! So if anyone is using benzos GET OFF OF THEM AS FAST AS YOU CAN BUT BE SURE YOU TAPER SLOOOOOWLY WITH MEDICAL SUPERVISION.
Sorry for the side note there but it’s all connected with me.
Hi Alex, it’s hard to say why one drink gets you nervous. But in my experience that first drink is always the “adjustment” drink. In other words, the first drink can make me feel a little off, but after that I’m fine. Although I’ve not experienced the insomnia or a racing heart that you have after only having one drink. Could it be that since this is happened to you before that you anticipate it and thus increase your level of anxiety with that first drink? Hard to say. Anxiety affects all of us in slightly different ways. But you certainly handle more drinks better because alcohol suppresses the central nervous system, making it somewhat harder to get nervous after you’ve had a couple. A curse and gift at the same time.
Hi Mike, Sorry I missed your comment. If you want to talk shoot me an email at info@anxietyguru.net.
I agree, just last night I was out for a drink with some friends…Wouldn’t you know it, not one beer in and I feel a sudden burts of panic. You see I have suffered from G.A.D. for sometime now and alcohol increases the symptoms. Seems like good advice to quit. Thanks.
Yeah, this is really tough. im not sure if im an alcoholic, i havent touched anything in a couple weeks, althought my mind thinks about it consistently which drives me crazy. i been binge drinking for like 9 years, and im 26 years old now. not everyday, like 1-2 days a week, sometimes you have 3 days a week….i feel like ive done so much damage to my body already that it makes me very afraid to keep that trend going.but as for the anxiety, it definetely comes the next day because when i go out i can’t just have 1-2 drinks. i have to have 10. then suffer the next 3-4 days till you feel normal again, then by that time, guess what? the weekend rolls around again! and its time to pour some more beers down your throat. its so tough. i been doing everything i can to stay away from it, but 95% of my friends drink, and there’s nothing much else to do around here all the time. and since its cold as hell out all the time, you just want to keep warm, and thats what the bar holds for us. i think if i go to a bar, im onoly going to bring enough money for a couple drinks…then if i end up getting uncomfortable, well, i can just make my way home! lol
Hey Mike, does sound like you have a drinking problem. Ever thought about getting help specifically for it? You might want to look into it. Like you said, this is only causing damage long term. To say that quitting drinking is hard is an understatement, but I think you already know what you gotta do. If you think it’s a problem, it probably is. Don’t wait Mike, get on this. You’ll thank me later. =)
thanks Paul. i actually caved in on Saturday Night. went out and celebrated a buddys b-day. did a pregame with 4 beers, then prob had like 5 at the bar. i didnt drink for 2 weeks before this, and it was a terrible battle to NOT drink, it felt like it was the only thing to do. but when i woke up the next morning, it was the worst hangover i ever had. and i regretted it. it really made me realize fully how stupid it is to do this every weekend or so….its not worth it. im gonna start working out a lot to fill in some time. release them endorphins in the brain on a consistent basis, maybe ill have a better outlook on life with a nice diet.
Dear Paul,
I really liked your post and article. I drink just twice a week and only one shot. I relish it and enjoy it.
Also, I forget my anxiety for next day.
I have posted on here for over a year now. I still have bad anxiety when I drink, I am an alcoholic. I know the best thing to do is not drink and exercise!!!! I don’t always make that choice and I pay for it with high level anxiety, stress, and fatigue. There is no cure, just life management. I’m sorry that anyone in this world feels the alcohol = anxiety BS. When I read the posts we all sound so broken and drained from it. It’s a sad cycle of immediate relief or fun and then regret with no cure. 🙁