Alcohol and Anxiety

[apainter]

Hello,
I've had anxiety for about 3-4 months now, my first panic attack happened when I was high, it was horrible and I haven't smoked since. I had 3 more after that with in 2 weeks but once I figured out they were panic attacks I stopped having them and my anxiety has been slowly getting better. I also stopped drinking and haven't had more than about 2 drinks worth in 3 months. But I just started college and while I don't really mind being sober all the time, it's getting a little old being baby sitter and I do miss drunken shenanigans. I would also like to point out that I have always been a very responsible drinker, kept up my grades in high school, never did anything I regretted, never threw up or blacked out, etc. But I've heard so much about people having panic attacks after drinking, I'm finally recovering I'm terrified by the idea that I could be in that horrible place I was 3 months ago (I couldn't eat or leave the house it was so bad). Even if I take a sip of something I get nervous (not anxious, I just get this horrible feeling that something bad will happen) and I get so scared that I'll have a panic attack the next day that I stop drinking.

I just feel like I'm missing out on all the fun, not that I don't have fun sober, but definitely not as much as I used to (sober or drunk). Its just like my neutral level of happiness has lowered so I'm just never as happy as I used to be. I want to be able to go have a night out with my friends and not be terrified of the next day, its like I'm missing out on part of college and it just upsets me. I don't like that my anxiety has me in a box and restricts what I can do. Sorry, I'm venting, but I just want to know what peoples thoughts are on drinking with anxiety. My anxiety is a lot better now, its more depression at this point, but I do still get anxious and just feel like crap sometimes. I just don't know what to do, I'm so afraid of having another panic attack, especially in the dorms, I don't want to do that to my room mate or myself. Help :(

[nervousbutterflies]

Apainter: u are so lucky you are actually away at college. I would not be able to do that without panicking all the time. I go to a community college and I am also scared of drinking. I used to love going to partys and drinking and all the good times. I miss them soo much and I also feel like I'm missing out. The last time I drank was prob a year ago and I had the worst panic attack that I couldn't even sleep. The whole next day I was soo sick with worry and had major anxiety that I couldn't control. I would love to be able to drink again but even if I was brave enough too, I can't because my stupid medication :(

[Charmbracelet81]

I willa ctually say I am proud of you. I use alcohol in the evenings to escape from my anxiety and I wish I didn't, I wish I wouldn't feel as though I "needed" to. So, good job! ;)

[hesson81]

alright, I'm gonna give you some comfort and bad advise all at the same time, so here it goes.

Yea, I feel the same way, I don't get panic attacks from drinking but I definitely can't drink and indulge in the shenanigans like I used to. I miss it. I'm different than you. I'm a little older, and I also wonder how much of my problem is just age. Dealing with anxiety, people tend to be so hard on themselves. In fact, a lot of normal biological things will happen to us/me, and I'm able to harness negative emotion from it, ie, feeling so bad for a few days after a night of drunken shenanigans. Really though I'm almost 30 and there's a lot of people that start feeling it in their late 20's. They just say, "I'm almost 30 this is what happens". where as I will think, "i just can't do it anymore, it's my freakin anxiety, and I'm not like everyone else." Not realizing my mind wants to see what ever it takes to make me feel bad. The truth, at my age, there are more people feeling the way I do when they drink than not, they just don't harness the negative emotion, which continues the cycle of anxiety/depression.

For you though, I'm not thinking that your in your late 20's. Here comes the bad advise. I know what it's like to yearn to do what everyone else is doing. "Why must it be so effortless for them to indulge in drunken shenanigans and I can't?" Well, I say watch what you do while using alcohol, but as the stress in your life subsides go ahead and take part. Just gonna have to accept the fact that you might have a panic attack or 2 after drinking. See, I wonder if there were external stressors that were causing your panic attacks. The use of drugs and alcohol can induce all the problems. Then you drink and have a panic attack the next day and now you think it's the alcohol doing it, when in reality it is. Chances are if you didn't drink you wouldn't have a panic attack, but also if you didn't have the stressors you wouldn't have the panic attack either. So try it out after a while... Stay away from the marijuana, I know they are the same class of drug, but try and limit yourself from the cannabis.

It's all bad advise, because drinking and anxiety don't mix well. Though I also don't want to see you limit yourself from some fun, because your afraid of having a panic attack. Wait a little while, and give it a try. Stay with in yourself, and take a balanced approach to it all. Remember don't harness negative emotions by comparing yourself to other people, because truthfully the people that can drink like fishes day in and day out... well they have other problems.

Good luck.