Anxiety attack/ depersonalisation after drinking alcohol?

[Ambition]

I suffer anxiety and agoraphobia.
Normally I am ok with drinking alcohol, beer wine etc. I drink in the evening when I'm most relaxed and I'm fine. When I was on holiday a small beer gave me some confidence before going out to shops etc.

However today I had a small glass of sherry and a small glass of wine at lunch time. I was nervous to start with. After the wine I felt unreal and depersonalised. I went up to my room and felt as if I would faint and totally depersonalised and spaced out.

I was ok after a short while, but I do not understand because alcohol normally relaxes me, also I only had a small amount, 1 small wine and 1 sherry, and in any case alcohol is a depressant rather than a stimulant in that it slows heart rate etc.

Could it be because psychologically I'm not used to drinking so early in the day 12pm?

Does anyone else suffer attacks after drinking alcohol?

[Ponder]

http://addictions.about.com/od/substancedependence/a/healthmyth.htm

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2011/mar/07/safe-level-alcohol-consumption

I agree with - The sales pitch of "small amounts of alcohol are good for you" is now considered more Myth than Science fact.

Any amount of depressant is short lived and comes with a rebound. Age can buffer the negative effects; but the effect still takes place.

My body can no longer tolerate alcohol. Had one light beer yesterday at 2.9%. Felt like crap - became somewhat frustrated and despite feeling laid back. Affected my sleep negatively as well. When I drink any amount of alcohol , I feel like my body is under attack.

[PanicCured]

Yeah alcohol totally wrecked me when I had bad anxiety/agoraphobia. There were times where I would be ok and go out and drink and think all was good, and then I'd wake up with horrible anxiety! Other times one beer would do it. The best is completely take out all alcohol and all caffeine, go full speed on healing anxiety, than get healed, overcome the anxiety, and you can drink again. Now that my anxiety is gone alcohol and caffeine do not cause me anxiety.

I believe alcohol does something to the nervous system and has an affect on adrenaline. This is just my personal opinion and do not know if this is fact. Initially a drink will relax you, but it will then trigger the anxiety. Worse is after it metabolizes causes horrible anxiety. I thought maybe the byproduct in the metabolizing phase caused it, but I don;t know. All I know is part of healing anxiety is to get real healthy mind and body, and let's face it, alcohol isn't really healthy.

[danielhermanson]

When dealing with stressful days or nervous situations, you may be tempted to have a glass of wine or a beer to calm your nerves. But alcohol is not a medication. And drinking alcohol, especially heavily and for the long term could actually increase your anxiety.

Additionally, drinking alcohol can have serious consequences for people being medically treated for anxiety. While having a drink might seem like a good idea to ease anxiety, you may be doing more harm than good.

There is some truth to the belief that alcohol can reduce stress. Alcohol is both a sedative and a depressant that affects the central nervous system.

At first, drinking can reduce fears and take your mind off your troubles. It can even help you feel less shy. You might experience a boost in mood, but the overall result is relaxation. In fact, the effects of alcohol can be similar to those of anti-anxiety medications.

Occasionally unwinding with alcohol isn't necessarily dangerous if your doctor approves. The problem is that once you start drinking, you can build a tolerance to the de-stressing effects of alcohol. This can make anxiety and stress even more difficult to cope with.

Now, the conclusion is that alcohol isn't a source of anxiety treatment. Seek help from a mental health professional and not from a bottle of alcohol if you have an anxiety disorder.

Take care!