Drinking For Medical Not Mental Reasons?

[BlowSomeBubbles]

Who drinks to calm themselves, because of high blood pressure....and even typical small stressers will cause it to skyrocket and in avoidance of a possible heart attack...drinking...calms you down...a doctor and normal pills are not a possibility...but drinking is...make sense?

[Mish]

Drinking For Medical Not Mental Reasons?

BSB, I think maybe The Beast is trying to convince you to take a drink anyway, and is raising your blood pressure to get you to pick up the glass. I'd try to get some Valarian (liquid form from a Naturopath is best) to calm yourself and lots of relaxation if you feel a stressor overtaking you. I'm not a Doctor, but I'd certainly see one and explain your situation (if you can open up to him/her) and see what they can do to make things a little less bumpy. But don't let that beast trick you...sneaky little devil that he is.

[dancelot]

Drinking For Medical Not Mental Reasons?

Many alcoholics started by self medicating for underlying problems/ issues/mental conditions. Using alcohol as a "drug" is abuse. I did this for 30+ years to self medicate my then undiagnosed ADHD. There are more appropriate, less dangerous drugs that can be prescribed (or therapy, or both) if need be. There are non drug alternatives such as learning relaxation techniques that are helpful in many cases. Learning new habits and behaviors plays a big part in both getting and staying sober.

Alcohol also raises blood pressure, rather than lowers it.

Alcohol: Does it affect blood pressure? - MayoClinic.com

I agree with Mish about the sneaky little voice. It lies, lies, lies. The rationalizations we can come up with would be downright ridiculous if this wasn't such a serious issue.

Wishing you the best - keep reading, keep posting, keep asking questions. There's a lot of valuable information here. Take care. :h

[MF]

Drinking For Medical Not Mental Reasons?

Hi there BSB,:welcome:

Yes, it sounds very familiar to me. I used to drink to calm anxiety/ stress/ panic. It seemed to work at the time, but only in the very short term; over time, it got much worse and I became dependent on alcohol (this led to blackouts etc.).

There are alternatives which are worth trying (e.g. relaxation therapies). Alcohol really isn't the solution to your problem.

Good luck, and do keep posting here at MWO.

MF

[fennel]

Drinking For Medical Not Mental Reasons?

Alcohol increases blood pressure. Many people are able to discontinue bp medication when they STOP drinking, so your theory is incorrect. You are probably feeling anxious, and alcohol does temporarily quell those feelings. You'd be better off addressing your anxiety with a doctor.

[moglor]

Drinking For Medical Not Mental Reasons?

I definitely drank to calm myself, but it was a feedback loop. Being hungover and stressed made me need a drink, which then increased my anxiety. My blood pressure was 180/100 after drinking/hangover. Within 3 weeks of abstinence, my blood pressure plummeted to 127/78. It also helps that the baclofen I take (bought online, no doctor) has an anti-anxiety effect.

-Moglor

[BlowSomeBubbles]

Drinking For Medical Not Mental Reasons?

no, i dont think some of you get it. i had extremely high blood pressure before i even started drinking, and since i started drinking, it has gone down, i guess i should have specificied that. my concern is that, when i slow down my drinking, my bp gets higher and higher because im unable to cope with the stress in my life otherwise. i cannot see a doctor either. so im just wondering..

[Mish]

Drinking For Medical Not Mental Reasons?

dancelot;1016453 wrote: Using alcohol as a "drug" is abuse. I did this for 30+ years to self medicate my then undiagnosed ADHD. There are more appropriate, less dangerous drugs that can be prescribed (or therapy, or both) if need be. There are non drug alternatives such as learning relaxation techniques that are helpful in many cases. Learning new habits and behaviors plays a big part in both getting and staying sobe

I agree with Mish about the sneaky little voice. It lies, lies, lies. The rationalizations we can come up with would be downright ridiculous if this wasn't such a serious issue.

dancelot...
Same here...not diagnosed until February this year and since I've been medicated I've made leaps and bounds and finally had enough strength, energy, desire to address my drinking issues. Wow!

The sneaky little voice turns us into liars, too. You should hear some of the whoppers I've told over the years to hide/protect my drinking. Some red faced with shame as I heard the words coming out of my mouth...not very obvious.
As Doctor Phil says "How can you tell when an addict is lying?"
"His lips are moving."

[Mish]

Drinking For Medical Not Mental Reasons?

BlowSomeBubbles;1017208 wrote: no, i dont think some of you get it. i had extremely high blood pressure before i even started drinking, and since i started drinking, it has gone down, i guess i should have specificied that. my concern is that, when i slow down my drinking, my bp gets higher and higher because im unable to cope with the stress in my life otherwise. i cannot see a doctor either. so im just wondering..

This is going to sound harsh, but I'm genuinely frightened for your safety and if I didn't speak up and something bad happened to you I couldn't live with myself. I'm truly frightened about your thinking. It sounds like something the dragon would tell you. I'm thinking maybe a touch of denial. I feel cruel. I'm a compassionate person really.
I appreciate that I don't know you personally, or your circumstances, and I can only go by my own reaction to your post. Forgive me if I am out of line.

Why can't you see a doctor? If you have blood pressure problems and are in constant fear of a heart attack a doctor would be the obvious choice. It's best to have a health professional guide you through addiction recovery, especially if you have other health problems. I understand that there may be records kept if you have alcohol problems. I had the choice between a database or a coffin, and I picked the database. There are worse things than having a record of alcohol abuse. For example: trying to do it on your own (with your concerns, not wise) ;ending up listening to the Al voice (which wants you to keep supplying it) and still drinking; continuing to go through the revolving door which eventually will suck so much life out of you that you will burn out (happened to me). Your problems will get worse, your life will spiral out of control and your blood pressure will go through the roof.
What then? I can only write from my own experience and I believe many others will echo how Al only made things infinitely worse.
:h:h:h:h:h:h

[JackieClaire]

Drinking For Medical Not Mental Reasons?

Mish, my darling never feel frightened of speaking up through genuine concern which is obviously how you're feeling.

Like you I had the choice between the database and the coffin. Like many others here I self medicated using AL for anxiety until I couldn't live without a drink. It became a vicious circle until I was on my knees begging my doctor for help.

A small glass of something you fancy two or three times a week is supposed to be very good for our general health. Unfortunately I didn't have a stop button.

Please BSB have a chat with your doctor or practice nurse.

[mylife]

Drinking For Medical Not Mental Reasons?

Hello, I'm new but I have to say that doesn't sound like very logical reasoning to me. I think I originally developed my addiction to AL by self-medicating. I used it as an end of day de-stresser for dealing with anxiety about work, home issues etc. Pretty soon you become dependent on the "medication" and then which is the problem, the stress or the medication?

In the case of AL, I think definitely the medication became the worse problem for me. Therefore, I would recommend that you use any other medication you can find (preferably a medically prescribed one) to deal with blood pressure or other medical problems, than Alcohol. :l

[gyco]

Drinking For Medical Not Mental Reasons?

life is what it is

BlowSomeBubbles;1017208 wrote: no, i dont think some of you get it. i had extremely high blood pressure before i even started drinking, and since i started drinking, it has gone down, i guess i should have specificied that. my concern is that, when i slow down my drinking, my bp gets higher and higher because im unable to cope with the stress in my life otherwise. i cannot see a doctor either. so im just wondering..

hi B S B,YOUR VERY RITE,THE BLOOD PRESSURE THING COULD BE IN YOUR GENES ? I HAV TO DO CAPITALS SO I CAN SEE,BUT IF I PUT MY GLASSES On,i can see,im not making fun,people have been using alchohol for thousands of years,but lets face it,as someone once said to me,cut the bullshit,the way many of us drank,was not a drink or 2,it was the hole bottle,hahaha,in the morning it was not fun,or maybe in later life,as was my case,it takes the week to get over,and yes hav the 1st few drinks,and it will settle the nerves,it did for me,but there was always the day,i had to make amends,hellish xperience every time,i find myself vey fortunate.i dnt hae a problem stopping,its staying stoped and wanting to,the only thing that will stop you from drinking,is you,or death,neevr forget your a special person,:thanks:gyco

[Guest]

Drinking For Medical Not Mental Reasons?

BSB

So have you been measuring your own BP since you can't see your Doctor?There are times when BP does drop associated with alcohol - not sure if it's the morning after, or during drinking(and can be quite dangerous causing collapse and fainting) BUT overall drinking alcohol, more than a couple of glasses a week, causes an average increase in BP levels often to dangerous levels if consumption becomes heavy.

Self-medicating with AL is generally not of any use to anyone, and causes more problems than it solves. I'm an anxious, brain-on the go, obsessive type person and I could easily say I self-medicate. I might have ADHD or aspergers since I do exhibiti quite a few traits associated with thos conditions, but I know that removing alcohol and living in acceptance of myself, despite what others may say is generally the best way forward.

[Choochie]

Drinking For Medical Not Mental Reasons?

A small glass of something you fancy two or three times a week is supposed to be very good for our general health.

I actually read a New York Times piece that debunked this theory and questioned who actually did the study (vested interests??).......And to further that notion, they think that it's the socializing aspect of drinking, i.e. people who are drinking with others are getting the socializing benefit and it's not really tied to the alcohol.

Just food for thought, but I don't think it's a given that al is good for us in any way.

[momof3]

Drinking For Medical Not Mental Reasons?

Dear Blowing Bubbles,

There is no way and no how that drinking alcohol is going to help with any medical problems, psychological problems, or stress, period.

If a person has alcohol dependence, even stopping for 6 - 8 hours can cause increases in anxiety and blood pressure. It's like mini withdrawal symptoms. For years I thought I had a problem with anxiety but after I was sober for a few months, I stopped taking anxiety meds and with exercise and yoga, my anxiety was gone.

People with all sorts of medical issues "medicate" with alcohol even when they don't realize it--depression, anxiety, ADHD, obsessive/compulsive disorder, etc. It's just not a healthy way to medicate because it masks the symptoms, does not treat the underlying causes, and for some of us (like me), can lead to an addiction to boot.

It sounds like you are in a tough situation and you are not getting any support from those who should be giving it to you. My heart goes out to you. Drinking may seem to be solving the problem short-term but it is really only keeping you from making some tough decisions and choices.

Please keep posting, reading, and reaching out. As evidenced by this thread, people are not going to bullshit you here. They are speaking from experience and with concern and kindness.

M3