Hi Everyone. I'm curious to hear some different experiences regarding alcohol induced anxiety. I just want to quickly share my story and see if anyone has experienced anything similar. I'm gonna be 33 soon and I used to binge drink from around my late 20s until about close to a year ago. I first started experiencing anxiety in August 2011. Like many people I didn't understand what was happening and why it was happening (can't say I do now completely). I tried my best to minimize stress and I made an effort to quit the binge drinking. For the most part I was successful, but I did have a few lapses along the way. It wasn't so much the physiological need to consume alcohol, but rather the emotional need. I say emotional in the sense that the pop of the wine cork or the gush of the beer tap always signaled a good time, and who doesn't like having a good time? I did drink at home, sometimes often and sometimes infrequently, but most of the drinking was in social situations. As I noticed the anxiety getting much worse with alcohol I really started cutting down even more. For a little while now I have been able to control the drinking to about 2 to 3 drinks at most, and perhaps once or twice a week; this is always beer or wine, as I don't touch hard liquor. However, I'm starting to notice that even with about two or three drinks (hardly enough to get me drunk, just a light buzz), my anxiety flares up much more than normal the next day or two. I've decided at this point to cut out alcohol entirely. I was also recently diagnosed with Sleep Apnea, which is finally being corrected with a CPAP machine, but was the culprit for a lot of the anxiety, and according to my sleep doctor, is the reason why it all began in the first place. I also have my first appt. with a Psychiatrist at the end of the month. I mention these extra things so that you can all have a better picture of my situation for comparison.
With all of this said, has anyone experienced worsening anxiety with so little alcohol? It's amazing how your body really lets you know when enough is enough lol. I look forward to any responses.