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View Full Version : I've been throught the drunken fear many time but I still can't manage the anxiety



miswend
12-28-2013, 08:30 AM
I certainly have a history of embarrassing myself while very drunk. The incidents have ranged from telling a colleague she has no sense of humor, waking up with a bite mark on my breast, getting arrested and just generally acting very drunk and out of it.

A few weeks ago was my work Christmas party. I told myself that I would not get too drunk and try to go home before I made the switch- what I call the point from which I go from fun drunk to out of control drunk- it happens very quickly and is hard to predict because, well, I'm drunk. I just want to say first though, that these episodes have happened over the past 16 or so years (I'm 34 now) and these days, something bad/embarrassing happens once or twice a year and they aren't nearly as bad as the episodes in my early 20's.

Anyway, the first 3/4th of the Christmas party was fine. I said one thing stupid to someone, which I'm only slightly embarrassed about. I'm an academic and have a touch of imposter syndrome. The last 1/4th of the night was at the pub and I told a senior member of staff how bad I did on a course in my degree and now I feel so horrified and ashamed. The last thing in the pub I remember was buying a bottle of wine for the table of 6 or so people. I don't think I had any but I'm afraid I did and got too drunk because this senior member of staff and I took a cab together in the direction of our houses (I should add he went home and I went home- but I have had anxiety over imagining that I may had done something with him).

Writing this, it sounds hardly significant. It sounds just as though I had a bit too much to drink and I acted drunk but didn't do anything inordinately bad. However, for the past three weeks I've been obsessing over and imagining all the terrible things I could have done and said in the periods that I don't remember (I think the total time I don't remember is around 2 hours at the most).

I've been one vacation since then except for one day and am dreading going back in Jan. I said hello to the senior member of staff and he said hello back and I am obsessing over the way in which he said hello- like I did something embarrassing. I also saw one woman who was there in the hall way briefly and she said hello with this knowing sort of mischievous smile that I interpreted as her acknowledging my embarrassing behavior. I think I may need to go to a therapist because these unwanted thoughts are just plaguing me day in and day out. I've even been dreaming anxiety dreams about it. I can't really afford to see a therapist though.

How should I act when I go back to work? I'd appreciate any advice. Thank you.

Cullingford
12-28-2013, 09:36 AM
Hi there i can so relate to this i have done some really stupid stuff under the influence of drink in the past, I,m afraid when you go back to work you are just going to have to tough it out if you did something silly. But i dont expect what you did is half as bad as the anxiety is telling you it is, I gave up the drink as I found it made my anxiety worse.
Maybe you should consider this for the future if its causing you problems.