Ive run into a problem..

[BrookeLynnnn]

So I've been drinking a lot lately. Like every night. & today I realized why..

It's the only time my anxious thoughts are non existent. No anxious feeling & no thoughts.

It's unfortunate alcohol does this..

Idk what advice I'm looking to get. I know it's bad. I just had to get this out..

[JohnC]

Oh just a couple of days ago you were scared to have a drink, Did we create a monster? LOL. Are you drinking just a beer or two or are you getting totally sh** faced? One thing you don't want to do is get into bigger troubles which will add to your anxiety. You are a big girl and an intelligent one too, think about it and use common sense. Gotta go before my boss catches me.

[BrookeLynnnn]

Oh just a couple of days ago you were scared to have a drink, Did we create a monster? LOL. Are you drinking just a beer or two or are you getting totally sh** faced? One thing you don't want to do is get into bigger troubles which will add to your anxiety. You are a big girl and an intelligent one too, think about it and use common sense. Gotta go before my boss catches me.

Lol I know!!! Idk what has gotten into me..

Well every other night besides last night, I would only drink 2-3 beers & only get a buzz. But last night, I got DRUNK. Lol

My mom keeps saying if I drink, it'll stop my pills from working.. That scares me.

[HockeyRules]

What your mom said isn't true..... At least I don't think so. I drank on Paxil and it still worked.

[Exactice]

Hey Brooke, Its a phase that you need to work through.

First things first, Are the meds that you are on an antidepressant and for anxiety? Remember Alcohol is a depressant so if you are taking an AD and drinking its working against each other. All the hard work you have put into working through the initial side effects are for nothing if you start drinking recklessly.

Secondly, this is probably one of the cool things I realized about drinking that actually helped my anxiety and to cut back dramatically on my drinking. You said your anxiety is almost non existent or it seems to go away when you drink. Well think of it this way. Drinking is a distraction and a way for you to take your mind of the anxiety right? This means that the anxiety is something that you consciously build up in your mind. Soooooo If you do something regardless if its drinking, your anxiety should dissipate.

What I mean is remember I told you I Golf, when I do something else that "distracts" me, my anxiety seems to just disappear. Even those times that I am just sitting around, what I would do is either "play" a game in my mind, or I have been addicted to "Clash of Clans" on my phone. so if Im getting a little anxious I pull out the game and mess around with it for a little while.

Drinking is a temporary fix and it takes you out of the current state of mind. But you have to remember there are many more negatives to drinking. So weigh the cost vs rewards,

Pro - Helps with anxiety
Cons - health Risks, Temporary, Drunken Blackouts (for a women thats very dangerous), Band-Aid fix, Addiction, bad mix can cause other problems etc

Sometimes its not worth the risk vs reward!

Like I said, this just proves that its an altered state of mind, so if you can practice ways to alter your thoughts you can do it naturally and on demand =)

[JohnC]

What Exactice just said.
It's true, when my mind is not concentrating on something is when I really notice my anxiety the worst. I have to try to be doing something all the time! That is why I am trying to learn this meditation stuff. I feel like I can never relax.
Very well put Exactice.

[BrookeLynnnn]

Hey Brooke, Its a phase that you need to work through. First things first, Are the meds that you are on an antidepressant and for anxiety? Remember Alcohol is a depressant so if you are taking an AD and drinking its working against each other. All the hard work you have put into working through the initial side effects are for nothing if you start drinking recklessly. Secondly, this is probably one of the cool things I realized about drinking that actually helped my anxiety and to cut back dramatically on my drinking. You said your anxiety is almost non existent or it seems to go away when you drink. Well think of it this way. Drinking is a distraction and a way for you to take your mind of the anxiety right? This means that the anxiety is something that you consciously build up in your mind. Soooooo If you do something regardless if its drinking, your anxiety should dissipate. What I mean is remember I told you I Golf, when I do something else that "distracts" me, my anxiety seems to just disappear. Even those times that I am just sitting around, what I would do is either "play" a game in my mind, or I have been addicted to "Clash of Clans" on my phone. so if Im getting a little anxious I pull out the game and mess around with it for a little while. Drinking is a temporary fix and it takes you out of the current state of mind. But you have to remember there are many more negatives to drinking. So weigh the cost vs rewards, Pro - Helps with anxiety Cons - health Risks, Temporary, Drunken Blackouts (for a women thats very dangerous), Band-Aid fix, Addiction, bad mix can cause other problems etc Sometimes its not worth the risk vs reward! Like I said, this just proves that its an altered state of mind, so if you can practice ways to alter your thoughts you can do it naturally and on demand =)

Wow. Thanks so much!!!!

But yes, my meds are AD for anxiety..

You're post was extremely helpful!! I appreciate that.

[BrookeLynnnn]

What Exactice just said. It's true, when my mind is not concentrating on something is when I really notice my anxiety the worst. I have to try to be doing something all the time! That is why I am trying to learn this meditation stuff. I feel like I can never relax. Very well put Exactice.

I should try meditation.. I did it a couple times but it never stuck. I also wanna do yoga.. I think I'll try that out.

[GeneAllen]

Exactice put in down exactly as it can be. I will say specifically liver damage is significantly higher mixing. Antidepressants are indeed less effective as alcohol is introduced. Alcohol is a serotonin killer. Most serotonin is produced in the gut. I experienced a few years with alcohol, Jack Daniels was a friend. That bastard lied to me! LOL
I seriously wondered how I awoke some days, but I wasn't concerned at the time. I found over that time it took more and more to get me a buzz, and then started to only go places or with people who wanted to party. I was living in Nashville, and worked downtown on broadway, so there was lots of tour bus nights and parking garage layovers. I won't go into it too deeply, but I can say it was a hell of a ride. I had to try it to find out I didn't prefer it, after a while it gets old. Stay well, stay healthy, and....
Peace

[Irish Sammie]

Hey Brooke, I'm sorry you're going through this. I too have noticed that when you're a bit "buzzed" you can relax more and you think it's doing wonders for you! But, the next day I seem to have more negative thoughts or the "beer blues" as many call it. Save a weeks worth of drink money and go out with your boyfriend for a nice meal! or something the two of you can do together, as opposed to what you can use it for that'll only make things worse for you.

"out of sight, out of mind". I usually apply this when dieting. If you don't have it around you long enough, you'll stop thinking about it :)