does alcohol make anxiety worse?

[tinkerbell]

hi,
after not having drunk alcohol for about 2 years, i had quite a bit to drink last weekend and ever since my anxiety has been a lot worse. I have felt terrible and basically panicky about everything. Has anoine else had similar experience? :(

[snakeeyes148]

I have always stayed away from alcohol and like things so can't speak of myself but yes, alcohol or anything addictive will make anybody more anxious, studies shows that.

[northstar]

hi tinkerbell!

yes alcohol is known to make anxiety worse for three main reasons:

1) it dehydrates you putting your body under pressure

2) it strips the body of important B vitamins that you need to keep calm and for a healthy nervous system

3) it acts like liquid sugar in the body and can cause your blood sugars to soar and then come crashing down - the resulting blood sugar low can result in anxiety and panic symptoms

it's pretty easy to right things again by making topping up on some B vitamins (ask in your loacl pharmacy or health food shop), drinking your required amount of water a day and eating to keep your blood sugars balanced :) if you'd like to know a bit more have a look at this post, you'll want to look at the part about hypoglycemia: http://www.anxietyforum.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4087

i hope this helps you feel a bit better! it's ok to drink, just take it easy and rememeber that it can make you feel bad so that if you have anxiety after it you know it's just the alcohol reacting in your body :)

[tinkerbell]

Thankyou Northstar, Thats very reassurring. As my anxiety has felt worse the last week I have naturally been worrying more and making my symptoms worse! Vicious circle isn't it! I enjoyed tehe wine at the time as it helped me relax and it was nice to go out with friends and feel as though I am normal for a change. I've convinced myself that I am not normal you see, as I cannot even go to the supermarket without feeling scared.

I think I'll stick to just one glass in the future instead of one bottle.

Tinkerbell. :goodjob:

[northstar]

it is indeed a vicious circle! but now you know so hopefully it will help to ease that a bit :)

alcohol gives me heart palpitations and back when i didn't know it was the alcohol i just thought i was getting random heart palpitations and got all panicky! not anymore though, i usually stick to a glass or two and if i feel bad i know exactly why so it takes all of the fear out of it.

[Barcadia101]

Yes, alcoholic drinks do exaggerate the condition when you are not feeling right.
I think you should keep a check on your drinking habits.

[Pieturli]

I think it depends a lot on the person drinking. Personally, I feel less anxious when drunk, but drinking also makes my sleep restless and so on. usually it doesnt get bad for me after drinking but if I do a lot of drinking in a short period of time I definately feel the ramefacations. I dont drink to escape anxiety though:)

[coops025]

Without a doubt Alcohol will make it worse. I used to love having a few drinks every weekend but had no choice and stopped completely, it just made me feel soooo bad.

Now that i have overcome the brunt of Anxiety i find that i can have a couple with no reaction, however i tried a koppaburg last week which was full of suger and it made my heart race. With this i realise that some Alcohols can be worse that others, so be aware of what you drink if you choose to have a drink.

To be honest if you want to help yourself then bite your lip and stop.