Hard time coming full circle

[Charmbracelet81]

Many of you know I suffer GAD, OCD and agoraphobia. Some of you also know I drink to mask my anxiety @ night time when I have "gotten through yet another day." Well, I have been so successful with CBT and it truley is working for me and it's amazing. I just can't seem to stop the drinking, to really come full circle with my recovery of anxiety. I want to really badly and I know I don't NEED to drink. There are days where I don't want to, but I do anyway, kinda like a "safety net" for the anxiety. I am wondering if anyone else dealt with the anxiety and a substance hand in hand now/have recovered from both. I see how they go together, I just want to really be fully engaged in recovery of anxiety and am wondering if maybe I am afraid to fully "let go" of this control...maybe afraid to be happy, finally. :|

[mishka]

Hi

I can understand where you are coming from on this. Over the years I have had several dettoxs' and now realise that the drink and anxiety go's hand in hand, I now understand I was using the drink at a crutch. Over the the last year I have cut my drinking right down to only a few drinks at night time, this still hasa BIG effect on me and I know this is adding to my anxiety.

I have been offered therapy but I have to stop drinking before they will help me with my stress/anxiety - which is going to be a MASSIVE step for me as all I look forward to is a drink at night to block everything out.

You don't need to be drinking all day long to be pysically addicted to alcohol, so I would be careful and speak to your GP before stopping altogether.

Good Luck

[Charmbracelet81]

Good idea! Thanks, therapist says, start small by like having my 1st drink minutes or even an hour after my usual drinking time, drink less, stuff like that. It seems to work, so far, but still use it to "be free" of the anxiety temporarily.