Health - Alcohol and Anxiety

[thedartgod]

Ive been drinking for about 3 years now( everynight) with strong lager ie 9%

On the saturday just gone i had 5 cans, I woke up once again not knowing what i done the night before (even though i was only sat in front of the PC)

Its now Monday and im still very anxious. Ive had this before and found it hard to stop drinking again just to blackout my anxiety.

Could somebody please give me some advice as making me feel terrible, I just cant control my nerves at all.

Regards

Jason

[robshaka]

Try and cut down your drinking to two or three times a week. Take up some form of exercise.

[Nature Boy]

Sounds like a classic example of alcohol anxiety. You need to get serious about cutting down your intake, no excuses. You must drink something because you have a physical dependancy on it but you have to form a disciplined programme to either reduce your drinking to a safe level or cut it out completely. It's up to you. With a lot of willpower, it's something you can do on your own but if you're struggling, get help. A dependable friend or family member, maybe an organisation if you're willing to sit through it. Just be careful which one to pick. SWIM couldn't imagine anything he would hate more than attending AA meetings. Good luck.

[shoobie]

Swim used to have undiagnosed anxiety. and swim would get drunk to relieve the symptoms, be more social, feel relaxed in groups, etc. Swim wound up with an alcohol problem too. bee three weeks sober, and the doc put me on anxiety meds, and swim really no longer feels the need to drink. other than the fact that it kinda makes him stand out. but when in a bar swim orders a sprite with cranberry, ora tonic with lime and it looks like swim is drinking anyway, and after a while, no one cares, cause they are shitfaced anyway.Swiy should put the bottle down, be honest with your doctor, and maybe you are in the exact same shoes Swim was in. At least this way, you get off the booze either way, and that's gotta be healthy, right

[Nature Boy]

What differs in this case however is that alcohol is causing thedartgod's anxiety. He never indicated that he had anxiety before.

[jlou]

I had an ex who was similar, he would like to drink cans in the evening and come the weekend he would drink loads and after 5 cans, where you've admitted you didn't know what you did the night before, he would be pissed but deny it... he had anxiety which was caused by drinking-I believe, but he used alcohol to combat it, therefore a vicious circle...

I think you're in a better place, you seem to realise you know you use alcohol to stop the anxiety. I think you should get medical help before it gets out of hand, try to cut down, get some anxiety pills.

[Mint boi]

My ferret was in a similar situation to dartgod a while ago. Take Nature Boys advice. You'll feel all the better for it. My ferret didn't cut down, over the space of a few hours one night drank a ridiculous amount of alcohol, was so bad the next morning that he was basically having panic attacks on and off for more than a day. Since then he cant physically drink more than half a pint of beer without feeling sick, it ruined one of my ferrets favorite drinks for him!!!

[Lunar Loops]

Good advice here. If you have already reached the stage where you have tried to stop under your own steam, but just seem to be getting nowhere then it may well be the time to seek help. This may be from a good friend or family member, or you may seek more structured help via your doctor or some other organisation. I too, like SWINB, would be wary of AA, but it does work for some.

If you still feel that you can do this by yourself, then you really need to fill your spare time with activities that you enjoy (and of course keep you occupied). The less time you have to sit around and think, the less chance you have of succumbing to temptation. Sounds cliched, but it really is true.

[Skyla1234]

I suffer from anxiety after drinking. Seeing as none of this is illegal I think I can speak as myself. I've found that the best way to combat anxiety is by drinking which, as has been said before, is a vicious circle as the more you drink the more anxious the next day you are. I don't know whether thedartgod is actually alcohol dependant or not (luckly I'm not physically dependant so I know that I *can* stop if needed) but I have found that the only thing that has remotely helped is cognative behavourial therapy combined with hypnotherapy. I've been suffering from alcohol related anxiety for 6 years now and finally decided after years of battling with NHS that the only thing that could help would be private. i saved up as much as I could and £180 later I've had 3 sessions and my therapist thinks I only need one more. This has helped me so much. I still drink and I know I should cut down but thats for another post! The main thing being that for the first time in 6 years I really feel like I've made progress. I just want to say that there are solutions and that anxiety can be beaten. I still get that feeling of panic coming to me but I'm learing how to deal with it and to cope. I don't know if this will be any help to anyone out there or not but I hope it has a bit.

Reputation Comments on this post:

thanks for sharing. m.b

[Mint boi]

I think that skyla's post is a testament to how central alcohol is to developed world culture, that she would get therapy to be able to cope with using it as opposed to just not drinking. I'm not trying to belittle anyone here or be abrasive, just commenting on it...

[cosmodad]

Just joined this site. Am an alcoholic who no longer drinks. Remember well the vicious cycle of anxiety and drinking. Sounds like the poster has anxiety caused by drinking ie. becomes anxious when the strong lager starts to wear off. Drinking lager of this strength every night for several years almost certainly means an alcohol problem/alcoholism. Anyone with any real experience of this knows that "will power" has almost no relevance and will never be enough to stop drinking. Anxiety tablets will just mask the problem slightly but the alcohol will flush out most of their effect. Seek real help if you're serious.

[scumpunk91]

try Xanax XR. it saved me from alcoholism and frequent panic attacks. 1 mg in the morning and 1 mg before bed for axiety-related insomnia.

im 16 and i've been on Adderall every school day since i was 11. it fucks with your dopamine receptor. i believe the long-term amphetamine use, along with having a negative self-concept of myself.

[Jatelka]

^^^ Oh goodie! I love it when people fib in their profile and then give themselves away as underage in their posts!

And substituting one highly addictive GABA agonist for another doesn't really seem to be the answer.

[hippie_lain]

swim once had a simular problem. He lived in a party house and thought only XTC and alcohol could help him fit in social and get rid of the anxiety. swim would drink up to 30 shots a night(220 pounds) and would usually black out and fight someone or talk trash even though swim is a nice guy at heart and is out of character for him. Swim didnt realize that the alcohol itself made it worse in tell he quit. he tells me that after 6 months sober the anxiety and depression went away. id go with ativan rather than xanax, as it doesnt really get you high if your looking to have something to cut the edge of. good luck bro

I think the best thing to do is quit slowly so and at least slow down consideribly. DT are no joke but its at least your not drinking liquer so it shouldnt be to bad hopefull. keep us posted the dart god, im sure you can find alot of people willing to give advice here =)

[ransacklw]

Cant say swim has ever experience alcohol anxiety. But swim has everyday anxiety like around a bunch of people in a small area. What seems to have worked for swim is Xanax. also try cutting down the alcohol intake slowly, not to fast to avoid shocking the system but slow and steady-

Best of luck*