Anxiety and Alcohol

[Jolenje]

Hi all, I am relatively new to the AF journey, having been attempting it now for several months... I recently lost a brother to suicide and my whole sense of belief, ability to cope with family dramas, mental issues etc have been well and truly turned upside down...I was literally living on AL for the couple of months following the loss...I am in therapy which has been beneficial, and have started back on my anxiety meds, and have really started the hard yards as far as sorting my life out, I hope...I have managed to cut AL right back to nil through the week and drink mostly on weekends...not ideal I know, but it's got to be better than having no AF nights at all combined with all sorts of knock-out pills and potions...
I am finding that the emotional roller coaster is one of the hardest things to cope with...When drinking I find that I am less anxious, almost happy, but then feel horribly guilty at my own weakness the next day... then the whole spiral of anxiety, fear, guilt, hopelessness, and finally depression generally leave me hating myself and my ability to cope...
Has anyone else had experience with this issue, and how do you cope with it?
Any words of wisdom would be most appreciated, Thanks!

[DeeBee]

Anxiety and Alcohol

Hi Jolenje,
I am so sorry for the loss of your brother -- i can only imagine what you've been through these last months.
I think you'll find that there are many of us that suffer from anxiety and self medicate with AL. I have recently started taking Baclofen to help me get my drinking under control and I believe it can also help with anxiety.... go and check out the various Baclofen threads to learn more.

[Jolenje]

Anxiety and Alcohol

:thanks: DeeBee,
I will have to check out the Baclofen...

[Tabbers (a.k.a. KTAB)]

Anxiety and Alcohol

Hi Jolenje, I am very sorry to hear about your brother, I cant imagine how awful that must be. I cant offer any advice on anxiety but Deebees suggestion is a good one, it seems to help a lot of people here.
I just want to offer you my support.
Keep safe
KTAB

[Angelcakes]

Anxiety and Alcohol

Hi Jolenje, I lost my BIL the same way a few years back...it was the start of some pretty heavy drinking for me too. It's easy to tell ourselves we need it at this particular time, I'll sort it out when the dust has settled - that's what I told myself. I'm glad you're tackling it now.
I found my anxiety would rise after a lot of AL...I drank a lot of water, tea & herbal teas (chammomile for sleep, peppermint for soothing)tried to eat well and got some exercise...focusing on the exercise gave me just one hour of reprive - when I wasn't grieving or being strong for someone else, I could be normal again for a bit. The hypno CDs are good for this also - you have to just focus on what the guy's saying so you get some time when your mind can stop.
Therapy will be good for you, talking is important - really important.
My prayers are with you friend, this will strengthen you & although things will never be the same again, it will get easier to cope with in time.

xo

[Jolenje]

Anxiety and Alcohol

Ktab & Angelcakes,
Thanks for your words and support...it makes this whole battle seem less daunting to know I am not alone on my double edged journey...
I know the route I'm trying to take is not always the easiest one , but it will be better for me in the long run...
I just need to remind myself why I am fighting this thing...
Thanks again for helping me remember why I choose to try and stop this bad habit!

[byebyebridgetjones]

Anxiety and Alcohol

Hi Jolenje,
I remember you from several months back.
Several members here suffer from extreme anxiety associated with alcohol abuse.
I'm sure there are actually a few threads dedicated to it around the place (use search).
This place is an astonishing source of information and comfort
I hope you find what you're looking for here.
Bridget.

[mario]

Anxiety and Alcohol

hi jolenje sorry for your loss,
In the reserch thread i put in a post re cravings & anxiety and i am sure there are many more around as lots of us suffered with them.

[Beaches]

Anxiety and Alcohol

Hi Jolenje,

Alcohol and anxiety, I have found for myself, go hand in hand. I get all worked up and then drink to calm myself down and do the same as you...start feeling all anxious the next day.

I have been put on Anxiety Disorder medications and they do help a bit but not if I am drinking because the next morning is horrible. Drink too much, take more med's etc...

What I have found that works is that if I don't drink and take my med's I am great. I am hoping to wean off of them in the future.

Good luck...pm me anytime...I have lots of anxiety related stories, issues, etc...

[Zeta]

Anxiety and Alcohol

Hi Jolenje- I'm very sorry for your loss. I lost my sister 20 years ago in a car accident at a young age and not to make excuses for my AL abuse but I do think it played a very large roll in my overdrinking and binging through the years.

It wasn't until the past year or two that I started experiencing withdrawal and for me it was primarily anxiety and panic. At first I didn't know what was wrong with me, so of course I would drink even more to not feel those feelings. Naturally they would become worse on my AF days...Well, you know, a vicious cycle.

I exercise, drink chammomile teas at night and recently was put on Paxil (and Lorazapam for the extreme bouts) to help curb my symptoms. The jury is still out (I think I am suffering from common side effects from Paxil...Yipee) on the meds but I am starting to feel somewhat normal again (I'm currently on 9 days AF).

For me, the binging (2 or 3 days straight of at least 8 glasses of wine) is what really brings on the anxiety and panic attacks. If I can keep it to one night, I don't seem to have the WD's. So for now, it's:

- Abstinence to help clean my system
- Plenty of exercise (I jog and walk)
- Daily multi-vitamins
- Avoidance of caffiene and other stimulants (sugar)
- Eat as healthy as possible
- Water, Water, Water!

Hope this helps. I cannot believe how debilitating anxiety can be. I don't wish the symptoms on anyone.

[5thaday]

Anxiety and Alcohol

I can relate. I'm naturally prone to anxiety, but have been able to virtually eliminate it through regular exercise. However, when I was drinking, particularly over the past few years, my anxiety was exacerbated big time. The day after a night of drinking, I would feel extremely anxious and suffer panic attacks. My overall levels of anxiety would only subside after a week off booze, which happened about as often as an Ice Age! Alas, now approaching 60 days AF, I am perfectly calm and relaxed all the time, so I definitely attribute my anxiety levels to the booze.

[JackieClaire]

Anxiety and Alcohol

Oh Jolenje,
So sorry for your loss.

Since I've stopped drinking almost 60 days ago my anxiety levels have dropped from 100% to about 5%.

I can manage that with ease.

Love Jackie xxx

[betty boop]

Anxiety and Alcohol

Jolenge, I too am very sorry for your loss ........

I have to agree with Jackie, 30 days AF for me tomorrow and my anxiety has gone from totally unbearable to negligible (sp)

Alcohol was definitely the cause of anxiety and not the cure for me .......

All the best with your journey ..........

Love & Hugs, BB xx

[JackieClaire]

Anxiety and Alcohol

BB are you following me around or am I following you.?

J x

[Boss.man]

Anxiety and Alcohol

Great posts from Betty, Jackie and 5th.

Most people assume the effects of a drink go away when the alcohol goes away. In my reading I've come to understand that alcohol overloads certain chemicals in your brain. Because of the overload, sensors go out of whack, the body stops producing certain chemicals, and this had a huge impact on my emotions. This happens with just a few drinks just one day. My daily drinking, having a drink while my brain was imbalanced, made it much worse. When sober I was either very depressed, or panicked and anxious.

I found to get my brain right, restore the chemical balance, took 7-10 days. It's taken far longer to lose the urges and cravings from my mood-brain to try to recapture the chemical stew. Exercise and eating right and relaxation breathing/meditation helped me most. One symptom of the imbalance for me was the inability to sleep early on, so I feel that quality of sleep is a good indicator of whether my brain chemicals are in balance.

I used to be angry at just about anything. Like my neighbors making noise at night, or someone's cat pooping in my garden. Now I hardly think about my neighbors and the cat is pretty. I can't believe I felt I was solving problems, when in reality my mind was creating them.