alcohol, exercise, anxiety and panic

[lordhenry]

i panic i know i do. my panic attacks seem to cause some pretty major brain fog and light sensitivity. i haven't had much of an appetite really and i have an unrelated digestive problem, or maybe it is related who knows, that prevents me from drinking a lot of beer. i've never been able to drink that much beer because i can't burp and it makes me kind of woozy and stuff.

i had my first real panic attack at the beginning of christmas break and i'm back at school now but go home for weekends. the other day i kind of began to think that my symptoms had started to subside and informed by a promise i made to myself i thought i would go for a run. i had the notion that as soon as i started to feel better i would get more exercise (i also quit smoking), it made sense seeing as my panic attacks are medical related and manifest in cyclical worry about my health. pulled on the sweats and out the door i went, it felt pretty good i pushed myself but no more than i usually do, i'd been running fairly frequently the month prior. i found, however that running caused my physical symptoms to resurface more prominently; brain fog and light sensitivity increased and i didn't notice any anxious thought processes.

The following night with a similar strategy (albeit this one with slightly more nefarious intentions) i decided to wander out to a bar that friends of mine were playing at. i enjoyed the music and i find their music to be comforting in its familiarity. i had two beer and didn't notice any anxious thought processes. i've never really been able to drink beer but that night the discomfort seemed pretty intense and the brain fog and light sensitivity came screaming back and i had to leave.

maybe it was over stimulation in both cases, i don't have social anxieties, perhaps this is due to some kind of chemical imbalance but it's been frustrating. drinking wine used to be my biggest vice, sometimes a few bottles a week.

anyway i'd really like to hear your own experiences with alcohol, exercise, triggers and how they impact your own anxiety/panic and any other themes related to the physical realm of anxiety.

[polkalozz]

I used to drink quite alot because im a university student, when my anxiety started I completely stopped drinking and smoking because of fear of making what I thought was wrong with me worse, But now i'm in recovery and i'm kinda grateful everything happend because i've always wanted to quit smoking. I can't really drink at the moment because everytime I try i get a hot flush and a flood of panic. I'm trying to build it up though.

Also starting working out again, makes you feel SO MUCH BETTER.

[Bam77]

I drank for 15 years to self medicate my anxiety and agoraphobia. Ive been sober almost 3 months and my anxiety is pretty damn bad. I was also a pretty avid weight lifter during my drinking days. That's also gone. I find lighter exercise works better for me (walking, lighter weights etc) Alcohol can definitely trigger anxiety. I got to the point that I had to smoke a little weed while drinking because the beer was starting to make my anxiety worse. Our bodies/minds will tell us whats wrong if we're willing to listen.