never the same again

[internetfamous]

hey everyone, im a 23 year old guy from los angeles, ca
i have had generalized anxiety disorder for about 2 years now. still not really sure what it stems from but i can tell you from looking back on my life so far i have always been a kind of nervous/anxious guy. i just never had the anxiety/panic attacks before. i diganosed myself with anxiety for the past two years before finally going to a doctor about it about a month ago. he presribed me meds but i dont take them anymore.

there are obstacles i have gotten past like driving on the freeway but i cant ever be happy about it or think of it in a satisfying sense because i know the anxiety is otherwise still there for other issues. im slowly recovering by thinking positive every morning as soon as i wake up but sometimes its jsut not enough. i am in college and on my 5th year and super close to graduating. the thing is, now, im developing a social anxiety where sometimes i feel very anxious and nervous in class with everyone around. i try to get into my positive mindset but it is not enough.

i find that when i am drunk, all my anxiety problems are erased and gone from my mind for those moments and it makes me want to get drunk but i know that istn the answer. i know this is stupid but dont bash me please.. i thought maybe when im drunk im more confident and in that "i dont give a f***" attitude. i just dont get nervous at all. umm thats all i can think of now.

[Amy1986]

I totally know where your coming from. I spent a good two years drunk as in my head it was my only escape from all those bad feelings

That was 6 years ago, I still have anxiety and panic attacks but haven't been on meds for a few years as I'm trying to get on with it alone. Of course medication can help cope with the problem but I'm more of a believer of facing the fears and talking about it myself. I quit collage when I was 22, I was a month from completion after three years of study and I walked, I couldn't cope. That is my biggest regret, I hope your ok and I hope you know your not alone.

Talk anytime. :)

Amy

[internetfamous]

thanks amy. have your anxiety and panic attacks lessened? have you gotten better? i feel like im in the same position as you. im a year away from graduating but it just feels like too far from what i can handle at the moment. i really dont want to dissapoint my parents. this is really importatnt to them. i honestly just want to get away. but realistically speaking, i probably wont. not because i dont have the ability to or the money but because im developed a fear of driving on unknown freeways...

[10x10]

Hi internetfamous,

What is interesting about the alcohol discussion is that alcohol is a depressant. So for people who are suffering from depression, alcohol is often a bad choice. However, many people with anxiety seem to have a positive attitude towards alcohol. My speculation of this is that since people with anxiety may often operate on a higher agitated level, the effects of alcohol can be rather soothing? Or at least that's what I have found as well...

But at the end of the day, I guess that is just self medicating, and there are more techniques we can learn to manage our anxiety rather than relying on alcohol. If one of those techniques is medication, then so be it. But if you don't want to take medication, maybe counselling would be a good option, just to learn relaxation techniques?

:)