My Baclofen Dilemma

[beatle]

My Baclofen Dilemma

Virgil;882064 wrote:
In my case, I can categorically say that OCD came well before I'd even taken my first sip of alcohol. I first became aware of my OCD at the age of 15 but I didn't know it had a name. I was officially diagnosed as having OCD when I was 22 years of age. For me, the OCD is definitely the result of a traumatic childhood.
V.

Yes, in my case, as well... definitely anxiety, GAD and social anxiety and bipolarism, making me a volatile, highly emotional, extremely sensitive, paranoid person -- but only inside myself. I did everything to hide it -- I thought I was a deviant, different from everyone else. All of this was before I discovered alcohol -- which REALLY did help for a long time. And if I have a panic attack, alcohol is the only thing I've ever found that will immediately alleviate the physical reaction (fast heart rate, tight chest, difficulty breathing, blurred vision, etc.)

What I meant is that for some people anxiety is a result of their alcohol abuse. And in my case, after 2 decades of abuse, the alcohol does increase anxiety now, instead of alleviating it.

[Virgil]

My Baclofen Dilemma

beatle;882211 wrote: Yes, in my case, as well... definitely anxiety, GAD and social anxiety and bipolarism, making me a volatile, highly emotional, extremely sensitive, paranoid person -- but only inside myself. I did everything to hide it -- I thought I was a deviant, different from everyone else. All of this was before I discovered alcohol -- which REALLY did help for a long time. And if I have a panic attack, alcohol is the only thing I've ever found that will immediately alleviate the physical reaction (fast heart rate, tight chest, difficulty breathing, blurred vision, etc.)

What I meant is that for some people anxiety is a result of their alcohol abuse. And in my case, after 2 decades of abuse, the alcohol does increase anxiety now, instead of alleviating it.

Hi beatle,

Thanks for the clarification - very helpful.

This thing about alcohol increasing anxiety is making me think. I have noticed that, if I go over a certain range of units one day, then my anxiety is invariably worse than normal the following morning. A bit like the hangover effect. But, if I manage to moderate my drinking one day, then I don't get the rebound anxiety the following morning. And that's the simplistic view I've held for a long time about the relationship between alcohol and anxiety. However, if I look back over the years, my anxiety has steadily increased. So, perhaps this steady increase is the result, in part, due to increased alcohol consumption with each passing year? Food for thought.

When I was trying The Sinclair Method (TSM), I used to religiously keep a record of every drink that I consumed. But, I have not maintained this diligence of recent whilst on baclofen. I am of the view that keeping a drinks record is an effective way of regulating my alcohol intake. So, as of today, I will make an effort to reinstate this record-keeping.

V.