alcohol = extremely bad anxiety

[Rhymes]

i recently found out that i have huge issues with alcohol because of my anxiety. I drank quite alot at my company xmas party and the next day i was a complete mess that i had to call in sick and ended up taking a week because my mind was in shambles. What i hate the most is that my anxiety gets so bad that i end up throwing up. I felt like i was losing my mind and no matter how much water i drank or food i ate it just didnt seem to go away. Would it be good to drink something like a prune juice or should i just stay away from juices altogether and continue to drink water? I ask this cause i had another rough drinking nite last night and my anxiety levels are through the roof. I also take Paxil daily and i wasnt planning on going out so i did take my pill that afternoon will i be ok or is this contributing to my anxiety? And for the record i have given up alcohol forever and emptied my house of all traces of it. I rather have a stable mind all the time and live life than to have one night of drunkeness and be a complete wreck the next few days to a week. I've read some posts by others on here already and its helped alot. I cant seem to find a link to a cure well not a cure but just something to ease the hangover the next day or some techniques to calm my mind down. Usually some fruit and water helped me in the past but even that doesnt seem to work now. Of course its my mind playing tricks on me and it probably is working but i just dont know it. Sigh....i'm just so frusterated and angry that i let myself get back into this kinda shape after doing so well for 2 months and now i'm back right where i started and trying to rewire my brain.

[danstelter]

It sounds like alcohol is giving you some significant struggles, and swearing it off forever is a great commitment. However, this can also be a sign of alcoholic (which I know is something you may not want to hear) and checking out a 12-step group may be a good idea. It's okay, because there are millions of recovering alcoholics out there, and anxiety often drives people to alcoholism. I'm not saying that you are one, but you may want to look into it.

Second, as far as I know, drinking anything has nothing to do with reducing anxiety. I know that drinking caffeine can increase anxiety, and so can drinking large amounts of alcohol. And also, drinking a large amount of alcohol while on medication is especially bad for anxiety.

If you want a stable mind, you need to start working on all these items and figuring them out. For myself, a multifaceted approach of a healthy diet, exercise, 3 months of counseling, 10mg of lexapro, support from friends, and challening myself to reduce my anxiety in previously scary situations has helped me to reduce my anxiety to the point where it very rarely, if ever, gives me significant issues. Much of this post may have been stuff you do not want to hear, but if you want to get better, it is worthwhile advice.

[Rhymes]

I do appreciate the advice no matter how harsh it may be but this is the kind of things that I do need to hear and start thinking about. I do think though that this is the last straw and when I quit pot 6 years ago I n
ever went back to it and I hope I can do the same with booze. My self-esteem seems to have taken a blow this time and I'm upset that I could do this to myself. I just want a normal life again no matter how bleek it was. To take a deep breath without feeling a tight chest would be something to cherish. Problem I'm having is my support group consists of 2 people and no friends left. I thought that there was certain types of drinks that boost certain chemicals in the body to help balance everything. In ur diet what types of healthy drinks do you drink?

[joey9]

I don't know how relevant this is but I have read about problems with Paxil (and other anxiety medications) causing alcohol misuse. I have no idea if its just anecdotal, if it has much scientific basis, or if its just one person's ramblings, but here is the link:

http://www.drugawareness.org/Archives/M ... cohol.html (http://www.drugawareness.org/Archives/Miscellaneous/MRalcohol.html)

Also, here is a link to an interesting article about the interaction between alcohol and neurotransmitters in the brain. The role of serotonin seems to be hugely important.

http://www.currentseparations.com/issue ... s18-1d.pdf (http://www.currentseparations.com/issues/18-1/cs18-1d.pdf)

[northstar]

hi rhymes, sorry you're feeling so bad! :(

it may help you to know that actually alcohol can create anxiety - it's not likely that you're having problems with alcohol because of your anxiety, but rather that you're having anxiety problems because of the alcohol. cutting it out is a great idea, i'm sure you'll feel better for it :)

basically what happens is this: alcohol acts like liquid sugar in the body, it burns up really quickly. when it's all burned out your blood sugar begins to drop and this is where the problems start. often you may remember feeling really cold a night after drinking, this is low blood sugar at work. it can also cause heart palpitations, anxiety and panic attacks, shaking, sweating, extreme hunger, ringing in the ears amongst many other symptoms. so really if you've been out drinking and are feeling on edge and anxious the next day it's not that unusual.

the best way to overcome it is to eat good wholesome foods that will burn up slowly in your body, so things like brown bread toast and an egg for breakfast :) avoid overly processed and refined foods like white breads, sugars, sodas, caffeine, cakes, biscuits, white pastas, pizza etc. also drink plenty of water as the dehydration from drinking will also make you feel bad.

it will also help to top on on a vitamin B complex - your burn through your supplies of the B vitamins when you're drinking. you need vitamin B to feel calm and relaxed and to help deal with stress, so it's a good idea to supplement if you've been out drinking.

i hope this helps you out some, and that you're feeling better soon :)

if you'd like to read a bit more have a look at this post: http://www.anxietyforum.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4087

[Punk Rock Steve]

Hello Rhymes...Speaking from my own experience, the people around you will know that you're an alcoholic first before you do or at least admit it. I by no means am implying anything here...I'm just basing this reply on what you posted. Yesterday I celebrated being sober for 8 years. One reason I drank was that I inherited this disease from my late father...the other was to get rid of my anxiety. It worked quite well for many years till finally I drank so much that the alcohol didn't work any more, and towards the end it did nothing but give me tons of anxiety and panic 24/7; not to mention numerous car crashs :) Dealing with the anxiety sober has been tough for me. I used to smoke weed too, but stopped that the day I stopped drinking. Anyway....hoped I helped you in some way. Hang in there and have faith...things DO get better :)

[Mosel]

Joey...great links, interesting stuff.

From personal experience I would tend to agree that SSRI's and other mood stabilizing medications can increase the desire to drink. In the last 10 years my anxiety burst in to panic mode and I was prescribed various SSRI's for depression and a benzodiazepine for the panic. Subsequently my alcohol intake rose steadily. From either being stupid, or in denial, it me quite a while to correlate the amount I drank with the intensity of my anxiety. Unfortunately I still drink more than I should but my consumption has dropped to 1/3 or less since I stopped taking the meds.

On a side note, I find that diphenhydramine (benadryl) can help alleviate my anxiety symptoms. There are a number of anti-histamines that can be sedating. And as is always stated, discuss this with one's doctor before self-medicating.