Does Drinking Alcohol Increase Anxiety?
I have what they call generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Certain situations make me anxious to a point to where I start to shake, can’t eat and just feel overall anxious like I’m about to go out on stage in front of a big crowd. I can honestly say that for many years before I took up drinking, I did have anxiety but nothing like I do now. If you suffer from anxiety, you may have noticed this as well. While drinking a 6 pack or more might be a lot of fun the night before, the next day is ruined. I find myself barely functional and very anti-social and full of anxiety. Drinking dehydrates you and thins out your blood which will increase your heart rate. An increased heart rate generally makes you feel anxious and can cause anxiety. I’ve also read that alcohol destroys a good amount of vitamins that your body needs and it’s been known that taking vitamins can help reduce your anxiety. Alcohol also lowers your blood sugar and causes the adrenal glands to produce noradrenalin and the increase of noradrenalin and lowered blood sugar can produce and / or intensify anxiety.
I enjoy hanging out at night and drinking with my buddies. Most of the time, if I’m feeling good, it’s hard for me not to drink because I’m not feeling crappy from drinking the night before and forget how terrible I will feel the next day. I can honestly say from my experience, having GAD and drinking alcohol is not a fun mix the day after a night of drinking. I have spent an entire day throwing up and feeling sick because I had drank too much the night before too quickly and woke up the next day with terrible anxiety and a terrible hang over.
I constantly remind myself when I go to the store to buy beer that I’m going to probably feel sick and anxious the next day and things that don’t usually bother me will give me anxiety. This is something that I’m reminding myself over and over and although I might feel relaxed and goofy during a night of drinking, all the fun is sucked up from the next day into one night. Hardly worth it if you ask me.
Now if you’re like me and enjoy drinking beer and hanging out, then learn your limit. Drink slowly throughout the evening / night. Don’t chug your beer to get drunk faster. Drink slowly. I know it can be hard to stop once you’ve hit the point of “I don’t care if I feel crappy tomorrow!” but you’ll have to quit hours before you go to bed so you can sober up. Bring water with you. After your last beer or alcoholic beverage, crack open a bottle of water and drink away. Drink as much water as you can before you go to bed and at least 3 tall glasses of water the next day. Water helps and food helps (if you can eat it). I’m still planning to cut way down on my alcohol intake to reduce my anxiety. I hate anxiety and drinking makes it worse.
you are absolutely right
Wow, I’m having this experience now; and I had drank too much and suffered severly this weekend because of it and now I have terrible anxities. A friend of mine mentioned that it was probably from my hangover and you pretty much confirmed it.
Thank you.
My name is Anthony and I have been on paxil for 5 years. I also have horrible anxiety levels after a night of drinking. Sadly when i wake up in the morning and my heart is racing and my mind starts to scramble and my body feels like it going to lose control, I find it best that unfortunately alcohol is the only thing that numbs my anxiety and before I know it I am semi drunk again. I hate this routine. Is there anything that has been proven to work better than pxil with less side effects. It glad to hear I am not alone in this…
the best way to relieve anxiety is to not drink at all and get off the meds. this is what i did. just remember thats its all in your head and when you have any kind of drug… caffine, alcohol, large amounts of sugar, tobacco, etc. then you cant control it.
hi my name is same 24 year old i had a baby 5 years ago now and i suffred really bad postnatal depresstion which led to panic attacks i was given tablets and soon after they got worse and worse i soon started havin a few glasses wine a nite which led to having a bottle a nite and a little bit more ,then i calmed down now im a bindge drinker and i dont no when to stop and go home the next day i get terrible hangover and very anxious swaeting feeling ov fear and panick i cant go out and takes me full day to recover ,i hate feeling liek ths but i dfrink to cut the anxious feeling out ov my head and my nervois are really really bad im on propanal for anxity does any body out there been liek me and nows how to gety through the day without going for a beer to reduce feeling like this xx
just gotta say i felt the same way as most people do here…”that alcohol helps me shed the anxiety for a moment”. The simple fact of the matter is its still going on its just your buzzed or not paying attention to it. I did this for a while stayed drunk to avoid anxiety. Then the inevitable happened, anxiety found a way to creep in regardless. Next thing i know im having palpitations shortness of breath the whole bid. Now my anxiety has reached its extreme I can barley leave the house without experiencing dread. And now ,since my last binge, I cant even go a day without a panic attack. What does help is what is good for your body, Iv been eating healthy and exercising and Im slowly getting better…..If you want true help and relief you pretty much gotta take it upon yourself to be an all around healthier person!
listen up…..alchohal is awsome. When u drink u have a blast, and can relax with friends and u feel like u can do whatever u want. I have generalized anxiety disorder, and i know from mutiple expericaes that when u drink heavily, or at least for me, you pay the price for a few days. I am continually gettin less and less anxiety and controling, and understanding my so called disorder. If you want to become a normal person again. If u want to have everlasting relief, then u need to change who u are. People who get these anxiety problems get them for a reason. Its sometimes impossible to find out why we get them but thats not the point. If u wanna change the way u feel u have to have a comeplete turnaround in ur attitude on life. U need to eat right all the time. U need to understand ur body and excercise helps. Drinking here and there lightly doesnt seem to effect me unless i drink mutiple days in a row. When i mean lightly i mean less then 5 beers. I was a heavy drinker in colege i was in a frat and drank and partied for days at a time. women music alcohal and drugs were my life. This disorder hit me like a wave of death and stopped me in my tracks for months. Im very laid back and educated, and u need to educate urself to find relief because simple ignorance will end up turning into years of suffering. U need to stand up and take control of ur life and odds are u will fail repeatadly and try to give up but you must keep tryin. Im very good at it my life is pretty much normal now but it took me about a year, and last but not least, on the road to recovery alcohal and drugs are ur worst enemy. If u had a great week and took great strides a single night of drinking can bring u back to square one. i know what im talkin about and i hope the correct people take this adivce to heart
i am stuck in this crazy cycle also,alcohal is the only thing that helps me,if i had some xanax i could stop drinking but the doctors wont give it to me.,i drink every day and been to the er 2 times in a month from alcahol related anxiety.i woke up today with shakes and very bad anxiety from drinking to much last night.so im drinking again,and again,and again,man i realy need some help.this sucks realy bad and i feel like it might kill me if i dont get help.im 29 year old male and this has been going on for about 2 months str8.i drink about 80 oz of malt beer every day if not more.just wanted to share my story.thanks guys.my first post sorry if its sloppy.
hi ive been a bing drinker since i turned 18, im now 30, ive also sufferd from ainxity for the past 7 years. if ive been out on the piss or bin on a binge for a week then i cant go out the house or talk to anyone for about two days its allfull i end up waking up with servie shakes and sweats. i just hate the way the ainxity makes me feel. I drink to get rid of it but soon as i stop drinking then its back ..feel like ive been stuck on a roundabout in reading for the past 7 years lol, anyway for me its day 4 with out alcahol and i feel ok, my ainxity seams very carm apart from mornigs when it their but not to bad, also ive noticed that im not sweating as much as i normly do. Im not really craving a drink or anything. its when i get board and find myself walking up and down my parents house, then i start thinking for having a drink, but I cant just be happy with say four cans of larger, it would end up being a bottle of vodka and four cans of larger, i dont know why I started drinking even till this day, could be a number of things, when I was 18 i was questioning my sexuality, wicth im happy with now, also i always felt that pepole did not like me and that i felt alone in life ,witch is silly cus im not have cool family and frineds, i ust feel like somthings missing from my life guess I want someone special in my life like a boyfriend, so thats why im trying to stop drinking so i can fill the missing parts, hope this is making sence if your reading this cus right now i feel like ive been talking a load of crap, i am doing this on my own and havent told anyone , cold turkey is working so far…
Same thing here.What a vicious cycle. Never drank before I was hung up with a broken ankle for a month. The Dr’s gave me crap for pain management (like Ibuprofin) and I was in so much pain after a couple of weeks I started drinking (I was 23 at the time).
I am now 32 and drink every day. I have days of terrible anxiety. I take anywhere from 1 1/2 to 3 MG of Zanax (sorry the spam filter won’t let me spell it right) a day, and I take Attenelol . For people with this type of problem I think Attenelol is great! It keeps your adrenelane from kicking into “Fight or Flight” mode, which is why you have true panic attacks.
I don’t drink in the morning. I don’t drink and drive. I don’t miss work because I drink too much, I don’t have family members or my fiance telling me I have a drinking problem, but I know I drink too much and I know it makes some days miserable. You can only chew on so many Xanax during the day when you cross the realm of being overly anxious to falling asleep.
Anxiety rules my life. I usually feel pretty good first thing in the morning. I usually avoid tobacco as long as I can after I wake up because that seems to be a trigger.
Slowly through the day my anxiety builds and usually within 3 hours after waking up I’ll take 1 – 1 1/2 MG Zanax. Sometimes that will suit me for the rest of the days. but some days I just want someone to knock me out to escape my anxiety.
It’s not like I’m have any non-brain-induced physical symptoms, but I feel like I am going to fall over dead. My heart races, I can’t sit still, I feel clostrophobic, I get vertigo, and I get warm and my legs (especially) sweat. I pace and walk outside. I have fleeting moments of “Oh-my-god-my-heart-just-stopped!”, but I almost immediately get over it.
I have always been a little anxious person and a little ADD since I was a little kid.
I know it must be the alcohol, because I drink every night to calm myself down from being so anxious all day. I drink until I am too tired and exhausted to drink any more.
I am 32 now and I know I cannot live the rest of my life like this. I’ve managed to keep a decent job and maintain my relationships with my family and friends. But I feel desperate to free myself of this crutch.
I know they say that alcoholics are in denial, but I don’t think I am a true alcoholic, I know that I am using this as a crutch for my anxiety. I would still like to think I could fix this problem and still enjoy an occasional glass of wine or beer with dinner… Like I did before I broke my ankle.
exactly the same as me i find i cant stop drinking now as im scarred the anexity will come back.
hi,i just stumbled across this site,looking,searching for the cure?for anxiety,panic attacks after drinking lots of alcohol…..ofcourse i know it doesnt exist!!but hey ,i keep looking…i dont no why i keep doing this to myself,i have suffered with panic attacks 4 ten years or more,i spose i still like to get trashed from time to time..i used to take alot of drugs,and as a result started having the panic attacks,which at first thought i was going to die,or have a heart attack,and still to this day the feelings are the same.no matter how many times i have experienced these horrid feelings,shaking,sweating,choking dizzyness i could go on and on,they never get any easier i just have to reach for the diazipam and wait till they kick in and relax me…its good to no that im not the only one suffering with these symptoms,just wish i could get over them,and stop them ruling my life…im only 30 yet sumtimes feel like im 60…they suck..but u just gotta keep going…
You’re right they do suck. I had one of my worst attacks yesterday while my fiance and i were at wal-mart. There is a program called panic away by Joe Barry, it has helped me termendously. It taught me that when I’m having a panic attack, I can stop it by letting the feelings you’re experiencing flow through you instead of trying to suppress them. He tells you to demand more of the panic, more of the anxiety, and fully trust that you are in no danger. A panic attack will not harm you. Nobody has died from a panic attack. by demanding more you actually end the fear that is causing the attack. The websiter is actually called panic-portal.com. It has definately made my life better
Very interesting. I suffer from OCD and panic attacks. I actually find that drinking around 5-6 beers really helps me cope with the anxiety. I drink slowly and take the time to relax. Something I find rather hard to do during the day. I make sure I stop drinking at least an hour before bed and drink a glass of water before going to bed. In the morning I feel fine and usually am pleased I didn’t drink that “one more”. I really am able to open up around people and my fear of public places is almost gone after a few beers. I just remind myself I am in control and I deserve a frosty beer. I also am on Luvox, desirel and .25mg of xanax. I also noticed 0 side effects from the meds and beer mixing. As long as I stay under 6-7 beers. When drinking in high volume I have actually began to worry and the hops were not enjoyed as much. Stay in control and understand your limit. Yours may only be 1 mine is 6-10 drinks but I’m also Irish. Best o luck –
You deserve a drink, enjoy your life. just stay in control. Worry = death. Now go through a pizza in crack a beer sit back and say MY TIME, I will enjoy my time. Stay calm and realize that a drink is OK. Doctors will scare the shirt from your back. If you let them.
Hey guys. My story is similar i was Mr party drank all the time had never heard of anxiety issues. Then one morning woke up and felt “drugged” dizzy sweaty shaky mind racing and over all just confused and un focused. The drinking seemed to make things worse so for about a year i tried to wait it out went to every type of physical Dr there was. Then i went to a shrink and he told me i had panic attacks and generalized anxiety. Put me on paxil and i immediatly felt better not fixed but better here ya go like 5 years later still not fixed but better. Havnt really drank much at all but now im startin to crave going out and having a nite life again including drinking and good times. Should i just stay away from that?
I don’t even have anxiety anymore now that I quit drinking for the most part. I drink a couple of beers on the weekend but never any more than 4 usually. I know that sounds pointless or boring but I’ve learned to enjoy it and I don’t feel horrible the next day. Find a girlfriend that doesn’t drink too…that helps a lot lol! I used to drink a 6 pack every night and party hard on the weekends, and every day I felt it. I was always tired, anxious and felt crappy. I was hungover just about every Saturday for years. I’ve settled down a lot since then and I feel like myself again…hardly tired, awake and alert and best of all, I feel like I can think again. Since I still enjoy drinking, I hang out with my buddies sometimes but only drink a few beers. I still like to get smashed if there is a party going on but that’s not all that often and sometimes all it takes it reminding myself how horrible I’ll feel the next day to get me to avoid over drinking. Use your best judgment and regulate how much and how often you drink. It’s been working great for me.
well im 31 and have been sufferiing from anxiety for years. about five yeaars ago i started working nights and started drinking after work my anxety became unbareable. i would get home at 3am sleep untill i had to catch the train to go back to work. i was always freaking out so i drank to make it go away, it took some time to realize that is was the alcohol triggering it. i was going to the doctor and a few trips to the er and no one said it was anxiety. i even met with cardiologist and he wasn’t sure what to tell me. the problem was i wasn’t being honest about my alcohol consumption. well when one morning i woke up and was freaking out so bad i went to the freezer to do a shot and realized this was way out of control. so i went to the doctor and told him the truth i developed trust for him over time. he put me on lexapro for general anxiety disorder. i started 5mg once a day and i worked my way up to 20mg. it completly changed my life i felt awesome after about a month.
i have very bad anexity and drink everyday to cure it im no going to aa meetings to get more help, i panic so bad with anexity and i need as much help to cope.
if anyone can help me or support me in anyway add my msn address or email me thank u.
mkdomican@hotmail.com
I’m 21 years old and recently (about 2 months ago) began suffering from panic attacks due to high amounts of stress and what not that had been building. Since those began I have changed my diet and lifestyle a lot which has helped. I very rarely drink, but last night I drank only 2 beers and felt fine, but after my buzz had worn off, I noticed that my heart rate was really increased, I didn’t sleep the entire night, I needed to take xanax this morning to help ease what is going on. I am not feeling mentally stressed, but definately feel the side effects of what even a small amount of alcohol has done to my body. I felt anxious this morning, increased heart rate, and in a daze. I have been doing so well recovering from my anxieties and panic attacks only to have this happen. Very disapointing, but I’m glad that I know now.
I’ve had generalized anxiety disorder since I was 3 years old. I spent my childhood and teenage years on cocktails of prescription drugs. Antidepressants, antipsychotics, stimulants, amphetamines, mood stabolizers, benzos. When I got off of them the anxiety returned and was intense. Drinking doesn’t make my anxiety worse or better, it makes me silly. My anxiety started when I was 3 years old, a child, way before I started drinking. Alcohol has not affected my anxiety either way. Some other drugs have, but my anxiety was so intense as a child that nothing could make my anxiety more intense than it was.
this site has been really helpful. It is reasuring to know your not alone. I suffer from anxiety attacks but since Iv stopped drinking they have stopped too. I do still drink a little say 5 pints or so and its enough to have a buzz but feel ok the next day. Its finding the right balance anyway whats the point of drinking too excess the more u spend the worse u feel in the morning its a no brainer. The worst thing you can do is cut yourself off from friends because ur worried about drinking too much it sounds obvious but its all about moderation!
I am 29, been drinking usually just weekends up until the last year or so when work slowed down and i went thru a period of drinking everyday. Also had anxiety problems before…usually drinking one night doesnt cause to much but if i drink 2-3 days or more in a row the anxiety kicks in earlier in the day and is worse. Ativan and librium doctors have given me to use on an as-needed basis and it kills the side effects for the most part but it also makes you think you can drink more often and it doesnt work as well and you need higher dosage as you keep doing it.
Someone mentioned Attenelol as a fix for the flight or fight symptom, the main reason i started to drink more was because of that – when i wanted to go out i would take like a shot or 2, then it turned into 6 beers, then 10 beers and even more to the point where i never could leave comfortably.
Now i have stopped for a little over 2 weeks and looking for a solution so i feel good and can drink once in a while and not lose my mind or get caught in these binge drinking episodes…..
One thing i have learned – take vitamin B’s…especially B1 after drinking – it helps a lot…..dont take when your drinking, your body doesnt absorb it when your drinking thus why you get deficient and get the shakes. Whole grain breads with flax seed also have a lot of B1 – really helps!
i have been drinking for about 7 years straight and developed anxiety in the last few years.
with my drinking, it got to the point where ide just drink to make my anxiety go away.
i quit drinking last year for 8 months due to my anxiety and felt GREAT!
somehow i let myself get back on the wagon and slowly started drinking again. especially over the xmas holidays just gone..i was drinking pretty much everyday, so ive quit cigarettes and alcohol again cold turkey (its been just shy of 2 weeks so far) and the last few days ive noticed i feel like crap. my anxiety has come back, im feeling depressed, getting headaches and my moods are up and down like crazy. i was wondering what was wrong with me because im on a strict diet, have been going to the gym & have been loading myself with vitamins and good food. after reading other posts, this seems to be normal? i usually take the natural approach when trying to cure things so is there anything i could do naturally that may help?
I also face the same problem. I would feel anixety 2-3 days after I drink. I hate it, but then after couple of weeks w/o drink, I end up drinking.
I have made one observation. If I don’t have workload at office, I can afford to drink and I don’t feel the anixety. If i have a lot of work todo, I feel anixety. So I steal the occasion for drinking, when I know I am not going to be loaded with work next week.
Few tips which are mentioned in the chain above:
1. Drink slowly, Drink less (know what is the limit beyond which your anxiety level increases too much. Over a period of time, you would know what is the limit you need to respect).
2. Keep atleast an hour after you finish drinking and go to bed
3. Drink lot of water, on the same day as well as on the next when you drink
hi,i suffer from anxiety and ocd since i have been through alot of stress in my life.drinking does not go well with anxiety the next 3 to 4 days i feel terrible like im gonna lose my mind.i have even been down to the hospital thinking i was going crazy!its good to know im not alone as you can feel isolated like nobody really understands how you feel.
Hi ! I suffer pretty much the same sort of thing !
mainly the day after drinking is a complete nightmare ! I think it all stems from when i was younger i used to be a troubled child from 14 upwards i used to drink loads smoke cannibis take various recreational drugs and have absolute no problems the next day !
However the constant abuse would lead me to some sticky situations i have been in numorous car crashes banned for drink driving aressted on many occasions and even stabbed whilst fighting ! Now dont get me wrong i was never a bad person i was always kind considerate helpful and hard working but it was mainly the alcohol that made me do stupid things !
Im 28 now own my own home good job married and have a beautiful daughter ! but about 3 years ago a close friend comitted suicide when i was there !!! Since then i have suffered terribly with anxiety the day after drinking !
I never realised other ppl suffered the same…. Im now in a better place but i still suffer and would just like to go out now and then and not suffer these attacks, when i get them i feel horrible as if im gonna suffer a heart attack i have uncontrollable twiches which i call heeby jeebies and there is nothing i can do to stop them ! I play regular sports and watch what i eat but does not seem to help !
Once i had an attack in a supermarket and ended up in A & E and had tests and was told i was healthier than the doctor !
One thing is would nt you think that the medical proffesion would have come up with a solution to this problem ? especially after researching and seing that so many ppl suffer the same !
Well im starting to just think that it is my bag in life and i have to learn to live with it ! I suppose im lucky in so many other ways so ill just have to get on with it !
Well its been great to know im not alone and hope that everyone else who suffers can learn to deal with it !
hi i have also suffered from this especially after a hard weekend on the drink.the next day is horrendous i dont want to leave the house or if i do n go to the supermarket i end up leaving without anything due to feeling dizzy werd as if im not in ,my body,this is awful ,on a night time i cant sleep and my mouth gets dry as my anxiety hightens,for a while i cut my intake and took up swimmin running cycling and was feeling fab but now after 3 family hols the alcohol level has risen aswell as the anxiety i hatev t5his feeling and makes me cry like today as i hve been so tired and lerthagic after sunday nites episode
to anthony—-try to stop drinking so much , def GET OFF PAXIL!!! its a dangerous drug! try to eat healthier things, like organic salads and sushi.
u can get sushi from groceries if u cant afford to eat out. def GET TO THE PARK
AND POWER WALK! this should instantly make u feel better. eventually u can
start sprinting then jogging. exercise is the way to go. people need to stop being slaves to all these shi77y drugs these so called doctors prescribe. they
really never work, as in ur case u still have bad anxiety. dump the drugs and
get healthy–it will be the smartest, best thing u’ll ever do 4 urself!!!!
This forum is extremely helpful. I am 25 years and have lost every job I have ever had due to this problem. I have had 3-4 unbeleive jobs that I was lucky to have. I was not aware of this was going on, or even what anxiety was until about a year ago. I have been a heavy drinker since about 20. I have been taking st.johns wort and it is helpful, it helps while quitting alchol. Also Kava Kava helped me. 2-3 days after drinking, I dont wanna be around anyone, or I just keep drinking. This is a vicious cycle. I am going to try Atenenol. I am cutting down – elimanting drinking altogether but its summer. There needs to be more awareness of this problem.
hi. i suffer from anxiety i get chest pains , heart races starts pounding hard, get worried about dying or heart attack sometimes i feel like its not anxiety but i was wondering if i drink 2 night in a row but not too much just enough to feel buzzed would be a good idea. please if u have any advice help
I Know what works and what doesn’t work. I never had any anxiety issues whatsoever until the last few years. For me personally and I’m sure this is for many of you.. Alcohol is a temporary solution that only has immediate benefits. The effects are great but are only temporary. You will feel like you’re in control again and that you can handle it, until you drink heavily again and then you start right back from zero and this cycle will repeat itself indefinitely, it you can’t control it then it will never stop I promise you.
What you need to do is take the precious time you have being free from anxiety and really learn from it if you truly want to get better and avoid situations that trigger it. Basically stop binge drinking because you WILL get anxiety if you don’t, stop being a bad drunk because you WILL get anxiety, If you are a “Good drunk” then the odds of getting anxiety are still there but far less.
Stop putting yourself in positions because you believe you are better and can handle it and are met with the same harsh reality the next day that restarts this seemingly crippling cycle. You can and will get better as long as you take the necessary steps and don’t be foolish.
I’ve been there done it, and I’m getting much better. You CAN fix this, it’s hard but it can be done if you really try!
I hope I’ve helped someone.
Good article and tips. I am a shy person who didn’t suffer from huge anxiety and hardly it took over me greatly… until I consistently drank alcohol every weekend, sometimes two days in a row. I have a problem being self-conscious sometimes but alcohol heightened my anxiety to the point I fear leaving the house and when I do, I start shaking and walking funny. When it start showing physical symptoms, I had enough and now taking measures to beat it- exercising, taking supplements, meditation, and this past weekend, I haven’t drink any alcohol at all! This anxiety is embarrassing and I can’t wait when it goes away for good. It is not fun feeling this way and I don’t wish it on anybody.
First of all i’d like to say thanks for all the posts on here. I dont have anxiety problems that I know of, but now i’m thinking it might be something to look into. I have been having these (not a normal hangovers) for 3 months or so. been to the doctor like 4 times includung an E.R visit. each time ive given them honest answers on my alcohol intake, tell them whats going on, they draw blood and tell me they cant find anything, give me some zofran to settle me a bit and send me on my way. I’ve sworn i’m going to stop drinking a few times and ive slowed down but it seems that after i pass the 6 beer mark I wake up the next day and I cant sit still, cant sleep, Headache, stomache hurts, chills. Shakes, and i just overall feel like something is wrong and I don’t know what. it’s sorta tough to explain. Especially when i tell them that its not just when I drink, but sometimes i just wake up and dont feel 100%. I think they automatically rule my problems out as a hangover. I dont eat the healthiest and have recently quit tobacco use. From what I hear on this page is that getting some help with the possible anxiety is a good start along with eating better. and NOT DRINKING. it’ll be tough but you gotta think that its just not worth felling like this. Again i’d like to thank everyone for this post. I may have anxiety problems that I just never knew about.
Wow I am so glad that I came across this site. Its great to know that I am not alone! I am 29 years old and I have been a binge drinker since I was 14. I don’t drink every day, but I do drink every weekend, and sometimes sneak in a fee week days too. That may not sound so bad, but every time I drink, I can never have just a few, I just keep going until I blackout. I used to suffer from bad panic attacks about 8 years ago. I was young, unemployed, and doing nothing but drinking heavily 24-7. When the panic attacks hit, they made me so sick I couldn’t drink. I stopped drinking for about a year a felt so much better! Then I started again, and lately I’ve been drinking of control and my anxiety has been worse than ever!! I know within myself that this anxiety has everything to do with my drinking problem. All of the times my panic attacks have been really bad, to the point where I feel “out of body” feeling like “am I really here” and thinking weird stuff, it has been after I went through 3-4 days of heavy crazy drinking. I am trying now to completely stop and it’s hard because I love drinking and socializing. But I think I can speak for a few of us when I say it’s worth giving up drinking because anxiety is the absolute worst feeling ever and I wouldn’t wish it upon my worst enemy! Sorry for blabbing away, thanks for reading and understanding!
hi i am an 18 year old male who suffers identically to this.. i find that taking vita-force NUTRI-B vitamins after drinking stabilises your heart rate and makes u feel more comfortable as well as drinking water.
hi everyone!
so nice to find this site. I have a major problem as well… I am suffering from extreme anxiety and some ocd. i have been self medicating with alcohol and percocets and of course xanaxies and sleeping pills. 6 months ago i lost just about anything that i owned, cause i have gotten to the point when i can’t get up in the morning and i have no motivation to do anything. i used to work out but now i dont even have a car to go the gym, but even when i had it i didnt go for a long time. i know that exercise is a very good remedy for anxiety and you just need to get out of you house and move around!!! if you sit home and think about how bad you feel, the first thing you are going to do is to reach for that bottle and it will ruin you life and make everything worse!!!! yoga and meditation is also very benefical, but you just have to do it!! nobody will do it for you. don’t take any anti depressant, cause i think it wilk make it worse in the long run. love ya all.
Hi, I am 23 years old and within the last week have suffered 3 major anxiety attacks. It is new to me. I dont have a lot of information on it. They have prescribed me zamez to help. I am myself a casual drnker. A drink or two a night. I would like to know if drinking can cause anxiety attacks to occur. It is the scariest feeling I have ever felt. Like I’m dying. So any opinion s would really help.
I’m dealing with theis problem right now, trying to sober up as we speak lol. I started drinking tonight because I may possibly have just lost my best friendd for no reason what so ever other then the fact that he is to easily swayed by others to change and become a different person…anyway, I have this problem where when I drink I chug to get drunk fast like you said that’s a bad idea but I like feeling drunk…only now that I’m coming back down I have this horrible feeling like I shouldn’t go to sleep or I won’t wake up, I dont know if that’s anxiety or the alcohol or both, I do have anxiety atttacks a lot so maybe it’s the anxiety I dontt knwo….in any cayse I’m completely terrified to go to sleep rightt now and its driiving me insane because I’m tired…Any advice?
Ive been Drinking since 2002, my senior year in High School. Binges normally about once every friday- saturday. It wasnt until I was 21 and didnt have to wait in the parkinglot of the liquor store to obtain a bottle that I began noticing the frequency increase. Ive never been a chug-alug frat drinker…tho I drank more and more…never more than a pint and a couple beers in one setting tho… I have gotten 2 DUIs in the last 3 years and ordered to attend AAmeetings by the Judge. AA is a joke… I know Im not an “ALCOHOLIC” I’m just a dude that partied alil too hard and drove a few times..who hasn’t? I;ll be turning 27 in a few months and devided to leave the booze alone unless its a special occasion…CHRISTMAS NEW YEAR or BIRTHDAY PARY of some sort… Ive switched my relaxation vice of choice to Marijuana…ITs alot safer and healthier than Alcohol…..How many people have died from Alcohol?? Thousands! How many have died from Marijuana???? 0!!!!!! I’ll take the LATTER.
Thanks me too… I only drink on the weekends and I’m fine during the week but come Monday I’m going crazy… I wounded why!
hey im 25 years old ive had anxity for over 3 years now.. i noticed when i drink and get that buzz feeling my anixitys dont really bother me.. my additude wen im drunk is Fuck anxity.. for give my laungue.. but u know what after that night of fun and drunkeness i get the worses anxity the next morning : (
This is one of the best forms regarding alcohol and anxiety, gee 31 now, god i last posted 2009 on here..I’m still drinking but not as much, and i Have found that cutting down on drinking really cuts down the anxiety, I try to keep it for the weekends but have a few beers during week as well. I still find that if i do go over the top one night then i have bad anxiety the next day and cant go out , generally stay in my room …I did start smoking cannabis which help with the alcohol…say like I was having 4 beers one night..well i found that smoking a joint and having a cup of tea help a lot lol…the joint made me feel really relaxed and i did not want another alcoholic drink…so that helped me with controlling my drinking…unless I was going out at night with friends then i still get trashed but it helps to control it during the week …So..after achieving some sort of balance with the alcohol and anxiety..I started to notice my self getting paranoia and panic attacks from smoking the cannabis lol…so yeah ha-vent really come very far..oh by the way i do find that taking a better-blocker drug called propranolol really helps with the anxiety..but it seems theirs only so many times your dc will give you this. I was taking 20mg.. the first time i propranolol I felt the effects like withing half an hour I just felt really at ease and normal like i used to feel.. but I don’t think their for long term use something like up 6 months.. so when you run out you are stuffed.. whist on propranolol you feel relaxed not spaced or tripping feeling just normal like..i found that when I stopped taking them that the anxiety just came back . I think that maybe if you go out with Ur mates and don’t drink alcohol and stick to soft drinks then after a few times of going out and doing this it would get easier not bother one so much hmmmm..by the way anyone got any propranolol.
I’m 58 years old now and I have never felt normal since I was seventeen years old since I was druged back in 1969.
I have allways self medicated with alcohol for over forty years. Had good wives and jobs and left all of of that stuff behind me, it is like I have been runnning, from, who knows, ——- ANXIETY WAS IT.
Anyway alcohol would get me through the evening just fine, it was the next day after drinking beer or wine, i’ve tried both over all these years.
I would feel good in the evenings and the next day everyday the anxiety would be on me ten-fold. I am now on medication after a life of total Hell and I have give up the alcohol.
If you have panic, phobias, etc. first of all, drop the alcohol, that’s what would make my problems a thousand times worse the next day. I’m not a pill popper, I don’t do asperin unless it is absolutly necessay and I had too much ego to go tell anyone, including my past three wives nor a Doctor. I’ve found I have GAD from researching.
I’m not smarter now day, but a lot wisher and have had a heck of a life because of ANXIETY ALONE.
Get you Doctor to give you some kind of Benz ( take in small moderation though) and first cut the alcohol and I gurantee that you will be a new person after awhile.
I still like the taste of beer and wine real well, but after all these years of researching the net, I would rather have a good day all day, rather than just a good few hours in the evening. NOTE: I’m no where an Alcoholic just a guy that drinks a few drinks a night.
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It will screw your whole life up like it did mine, if you don’t do something. Lucky I have a few good years left to enjoy a descent life without the booze, as much as I hate it. I’m an older guy with alot of experience in life in general. I learned this the hard way.
Good luck,
Hi, Been reading up on this forum, I am 39 years old been a binge drinker on and off since I was in my early 20′s. I took my first panic attack in November 2006 and then started taking them on and offf until around 2008. In this time I started drinking on a daily nightly basis, then the attacks would start anytime of day the next day. It wasn’t until 2009 that i realised if i had a drink it would calm my anxiety and I started using this excuse. I too noticed if i only have say 4 cans of beer the night before my anxiety the next day is ok. This anxiety/panic attacks has frightened me in driving these days I am always sensible and know when I am fit to drive, last week I had several attacks on a short 60 mile journey having to pull over a journey which should of taken an hour took 3 hours, it was horrible, first thing on my arrival at my destination I had a beer which led to several and I felt fine. I have been back and fore to the doctors and to A&E with severe stomach problems which contribute to the panic attacks I find the day after the night before my stomach goes into severe knotting spasms which in turn leads to my panic attacks. I too think this can be related to years of heavy indulgence and smoking tobacco, I find if i take an attack in the car I smoke more and more and if helps me overcome it. I am from next week going on detox as I want my normal life back and will try once I am feeling a lot better within myself to limiting myself to drinking only on a weekend. My ex partner drank every night and I never had any anxiety prior to this so I can only assume drinking every night is attributed. My ex took a heart attack last year aged 43 and is a heavy cider drinker so I do believe their is a strong connection.
I am reading a lot of the threads on this post, I too have experienced a lot of these symptoms as I get into my 30′s. A lot of people seem to be commenting that alcohol helps temporarily. This is just my $ .02 but it sounds like most of you are going through alcohol withdrawal.
The older you get and particularly if you binge drink, the worse alcohol withdrawal is going to be. There isn’t a good way to reset the clock, the neurological changes are progressive, the withdrawal symptoms will just get worse and worse as time goes on until they become debilitating. Even if you take 6 months off, when you drink again you will pick up where you left of.
If you are starting to feel this way the best thing you can do for yourself is go talk to a doctor, let them know you have reached a point in your life where you are experiencing moderate alcohol withdrawal (it only goes downhill from here if you continue), get help and treatment before it’s too late and this progresses to seizures and worse.
Remember that alcohol is one of the few drugs where withdrawal can kill you and the symptoms get continually worse until over time the more you drink. Without help of lifestyle changes it can end here:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001771/
Hope this helps some of you… Be good to yourselves!