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View Full Version : Can Anxiety be cause by years of binge drinking



hickory28601
02-04-2008, 10:27 AM
For the last three years I have had this foggy headed, pressure feeling in my head with floaters, anxiety and panic attacks, and fatigue. I used to have real bad lapses of slurred speech or pronouncing words in weird ways after staring at a screen for too long. I know my co workers think I'm half retarted probally. It began about a 3 months after I began drinking alcohol. I was a pretty heavy drinker. I used to drink a 24 pack of beer in a single sitting on friday and saturdays for about two years. About a year ago I slowed my drinking down to only a 12 pack on saturdays only. I felt slightly better and my symptom of slurred speech improved dramtically. I still get it in stressfull situations though, but not as bad. One of my friends mentioned to me that my symptoms may be caused by my drinking. So, I quit drinking cold turkey about 6 weeks ago. It has been total hell with extreme anxiety and panic attacks, I feeling sick and nausiated a lot of the time. I was wondering if anyone has had a simular experience caused by alcohol and how long does it take before my alcohol withdrawl symptoms will go away.

AlcoholAbuse
02-04-2008, 03:07 PM
For the last three years I have had this foggy headed, pressure feeling in my head with floaters, anxiety and panic attacks, and fatigue. I used to have real bad lapses of slurred speech or pronouncing words in weird ways after staring at a screen for too long. I know my co workers think I'm half retarted probally. It began about a 3 months after I began drinking alcohol. I was a pretty heavy drinker. I used to drink a 24 pack of beer in a single sitting on friday and saturdays for about two years. About a year ago I slowed my drinking down to only a 12 pack on saturdays only. I felt slightly better and my symptom of slurred speech improved dramtically. I still get it in stressfull situations though, but not as bad. One of my friends mentioned to me that my symptoms may be caused by my drinking. So, I quit drinking cold turkey about 6 weeks ago. It has been total hell with extreme anxiety and panic attacks, I feeling sick and nausiated a lot of the time. I was wondering if anyone has had a simular experience caused by alcohol and how long does it take before my alcohol withdrawl symptoms will go away.

I am quite a heavy drinker and it is usually just to get rid of my symptoms. I have no health insurance so I can't afford my meds anymore nor a doctor to prescribe them to me. I usually drink 18 - 30 beers every day until I completely collapse into a hangover hell which is the worst feeling ever because my anxiety kicks in harder than ever.

As for stopping cold turkey, it may take a while for your body to accept the fact that it is not getting something you have been giving it for years on end. I had no trouble quiting drinking when I was on Lexapro... but now it is just too hard.

Robbed
02-04-2008, 10:05 PM
Although quitting something like smoking and/or drinking 'cold turkey' seems to be looked at as the 'right' and 'virtuous' thing to do, it is seldom a good idea if you are 'hard core' about either. I personally know someone who ALWAYS tries to quit drinking cold turkey and ALWAYS relapses within a few days. Perhaps a better idea is to taper away the alcohol.

andyx1
02-05-2008, 08:21 AM
Without doubt alcohol causes anxiety issues. By drinking u will remove ur anxiety issues, it is when it comes out of your body, your seretonin levels drop radically causing both depression/anxiety. I am currently having counselling on my alcohol problems

RED121572
02-05-2008, 05:14 PM
I love my beam and cokes. If it wasnt for the fact that drinking intensified my panic attacks, I would get hammered everynight. :shock:

To give you an example how my body reacts: Lets say I really hit the bottle on a friday night. It takes my body about four days to feel normal. Inbetween that time, I constantly shake and just about any negative emotion caused a panic attack. (My panic attacks are very physical and I cant hide them. I tremble like crazy)

So, Instead of getting blizzed every friday night, Its usually every second or third friday that I treat myself. Hey, I quit smoking five years ago, I gotta have some bad habits. LOL :mrgreen:

AlcoholAbuse
02-05-2008, 06:17 PM
I love my beam and cokes. If it wasnt for the fact that drinking intensified my panic attacks, I would get hammered everynight. :shock:

To give you an example how my body reacts: Lets say I really hit the bottle on a friday night. It takes my body about four days to feel normal. Inbetween that time, I constantly shake and just about any negative emotion caused a panic attack. (My panic attacks are very physical and I cant hide them. I tremble like crazy)

So, Instead of getting blizzed every friday night, Its usually every second or third friday that I treat myself. Hey, I quit smoking five years ago, I gotta have some bad habits. LOL :mrgreen:

I get the same thing the next morning... that is why I roll out of bed and into a bottle. But that can only go for so long until I completely wreck myself and can't even hold water down.