Alcoholic :: Anxiety Worsened Without Alcohol
Oct 3, 2013
I'm 34 years old and have been drinking socially since I was about 17. For about the last 6 years I have been drinking more heavily. An average week night 3 pints, but often 4 maybe 5. On a very good night just 2. At the weekends I would have 4-6 pints Friday, Saturday, Sunday, but its sometimes hits 9, that's without going on a night out. So, on average, about 30 pints. I also suffer with anxiety, and recently its been really bad. The anxiety is horrible, I feel panicked, overwhelmed and nervous about things that I should be happy about, I get strong feelings of guilt from things I've done in the past that, whilst it was wrong to do these things, it doesn't really matter to anyone. I feel like I cant lie in case I feel guilty after so I end up owning up to stupid things, such as spending a tenna in the betting shop. Its worse after drinking, so I drink more to help ease it, then feel like rubbish the next day so I drink again, then I'm in a vicious circle. I do enjoy a drink but most of the time I drink its unnecessary and to make myself feel better and calm down the anxiety. Its now got to the point where I've had enough of feeling like this so I have decided to cut down, and hopefully stop drinking altogether. I went 12 days a few weeks ago and was starting to feel better halfway through, but felt a bit flat and fed up. I went 5 days last week and the same thing happened. This week I have gone 3 days and so far I feel terrible, worse than ever, its not easing off like it usually does. The last two nights I've not slept, I keep twitching and jumping in the night. My hands feel like I have constant pins and needles and I feel dizzy. As well as the usual anxiety feelings. I'm going on holiday Saturday and I'm worried about being stuck on the plane for 2 hours, and I get anxious about being with my girlfriend who I love very much, for a few days, its ridiculous! She knows how I feel and is supportive, so is my mum, so I do have people to speak to. The doctor gave beta blockers yesterday but I don't like taking pills and worried it will make me feel worse. I know I'm not the only one who is like this and I know the booze is probably the reason why I'm like this, but how long is it going to last and what if its not the booze? Does anyone have any advice?
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I am a mature adult female, I drink heavily. I'm a functioning alcoholic. I do not drink before work or when I have an appointment. But after I'm done for the day I often drink to the point where I cannot remember the next day. I have developed a tremor, that's an easy way of saying it, I shake during the day. Even after I've had nothing to drink for 4 or 5 days it persists. This is something that I noticed with my mother, who was also a functioning alcoholic later on in her life. I noticed it later on in her life. I'd like to know, is this a given for alcoholics or should I be looking for a deeper meaning?
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I have lived with my partner for the past 4 years and when I met him he liked a drink, but at the time, it seemed just sociably. As the relationship progressed, so did his drinking, if we were out socially he would end up so drunk and quite embarrassing on a number of occasions. The drinking stepped up a notch when we bought our own place and for the past 3 years it has become a problem within the home more times than I care to mention, going from barely being able to speak, not wanting to do anything unless there was alcohol involved in the activity, making promises and reneging on them, wetting the bed, starting arguments when there was nothing to argue about, the culmination of this behaviour has been that 2 weeks ago he moved into the spare bedroom where he drank a bottle of vodka every night on his own, only to pop downstairs to start an arguement with my sons or me. I told him I wanted out, house to go on the market and go our separate ways. With that he made an appointment to see his doctor, who in turn said if he continues drinking what he drinks, he will be lucky to live beyond another 4 years... he is only 40 years old. He has confessed to me since the visit to the doctors that he's always drunk more than he should and has struggled with alcohol for the past 20 odd years. He has moved to his parents to start his detox and has to go back to the doctors in two weeks to let him know progress there has been, also he's been to a meeting with Inclusion, previously Homer, it was just an initial chat, they have given him some material to look through. He will go through an assessment following on from the next doctors appointment, and will then be assigned a key worker who he can chat to and will support him. I suppose what I want to know is how I'm supposed to behave towards him, whilst I still have feelings for him, I'm not sure I want to sign up to be with him forever as I just can't believe he will never touch a drop again. He's emailing me saying he still loves me and wants to get married when he's sober, but what's the reality of that? Do I tell him the truth that I can't stay with him or do I give him time to start the road to recovery without any stress from me?
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I am a 48 year old man and on average i drink about 10 bottles of wine a week. i feel fine look fine & am very healthy, but in gov stats i'm an alcoholic.
Why is this, i work abroad a lot (Spain) where wine consumption is the norm.
I exercise 5hrs a week my weight in 11 to 11 1/2 stone. If i drink white or rose wine i make them spritzers 3rd sparkling water, 3rd wine & a 3rd ice, if i drink red then i drink a glass of still water with each glass. I also drink good beer maybe 20 to 30 bottles instead of wine for 3 days a week & drink the same amount of water with each bottle, i never have a hangover, feel sluggish. i don't eat junk food drink tea or coffee or popfizz drinks i only eat freash foods no packets or takeaways i make my own. So tell me is my lifestyle wrong?
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I have had persistent acne on my chin for over a year now, but has worsened in last 6 months since my periods stopped, and all my other menopausal symptoms have flared up - all the typical ones.
It's driving me crazy and I am desperate for a cure! My diet is very good, and the rest of my skin is clear. I have tried every over the counter product, 2 courses of prescription antibiotics, and lots of different natural supplements.
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On Jan 6 of this year my ophthalmologist advised me I had a macular pucker in my right eye. During that visit and prior to her diagnosis I received an eye chart test in which I noticed for the first time that straight lines were slightly wavy in the right eye.
My doctor’s diagnosis was that the same right eye had a cataract and I should see an eye surgeon to discuss possible surgery.
A month later I had the cataract surgery and was on a regimen of eye drops (pred Forte & Ilevro)
(one week prior and three weeks after the surgery).
On 3/21 (my last post op visit) I mentioned that the cataract surgery has improved the vision in the right eye but I have noticed the waviness of straight lines due to the macular pucker in the same eye seems a little more pronounced. I was given a test to see if the pucker had worsened and was told it had but only slightly (foveal thickness was 429 from 437 on Feb 6
I was also told to continue with the pred forte but increase to 3 times a day and the ilevro twice a day.
The doctor said it was possible the cataract surgery may have affected the pucker a little and that I should see a retinal specialist in several weeks to learn if the pucker size had changed further.
Am looking for a second opinion on this course of action and to see if anyone has had a similar experience with cataract surgery affecting a macular pucker
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i suffer from anxiety and use alcohol to mask it but now its 20 times worse coupled with an awful hangover.ive barely slept and cant stop going over things from last night.i know it will be over in the next few days but that doesnt make it any easier.every time i get like this i say ill quit drinking but by next weekend i will do it all over again!my girlfriend is pregnant and i should be happy but this anxiety is making my life hell.i suffered a brain injury a few years back so when im drunk i act the idiot i dont know how to get out of this cycle
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What I think is crazy is I only had one drink since like forever and now I cry over anything that is little, my brain feels kinda fuzzy and I refuse to go out to places with a lot of people. I drank alcohol about a week ago and it just started yesterday and it's getting a little bit better
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I've not had a drink since last Christmas. But today I had a cocktail and I don't know if it's just my anxiety, but cocktails have hardly anything in, and now my head feels funny and I just feel weird. Is it the alcohol or is it just me having a panic attack?
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Just wondering whether I can drink alcohol on sertraline? Iv been 50mg daily for about 2 weeks now. Not intending on getting drunk but just want to see how the effects are on other people first.
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I'm 19 years old.
My doctor prescribed me Xanax 0.25 mg, only for stressful situations, but I feel that 0.25mg it's having no effect at all.
This Sunday I'm going to camp with my friends and I feel very anxious when I'm waiting on lines and my legs shake because of that. So I want to try 0.5mg of Xanax to help my anxiety. But we use to drink beer all day, but not in an way to get severely drunk. Like 8 or 9 beers. So, If I take Xanax 0.5 mg in the morning, and during the day drink beer, will it be a bad interaction?
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I don't like the feeling of being high/drunk so I only even take a quarter of my prescribed medication and even then only when my panic attacks are extremely severe, which means I will only take it 3-4 times a year max. Usually much less. However when I take it I NEED it or I would be in the hospital, and have many times. So here is my question- we had a friend in town and had a few beers today. I had about 5/6 beers but it was spanned out from 4pm-midnight so I was never really drunk since that's less than a beer an hour. Stopped drinking around midnight. I woke up at maybe 345 with the worst panic attack in years. Like, I woke my husband and tried to go to the hospital because my heart rate was around 200 and I couldn't breathe/ sweaty, all the typical panic attack symptoms... This lasted a very long time. He was finally able to calm me enough to get my heart rate down to about 120 but that's still high, I can't shake this anxious feeling. I know they always say not to mix alcohol and Xanax but in a situation like this, how long after drinking can I take a bit of it?
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I'm 34yrs old, smoker and due to my problems a pretty heavy drinker typically 6+ tins every nite without fail, ironically I take them to help me but know it's doing the opposite. It's been 6/7 yrs now but the last 2 have been hell.it started with pins n needles in my face then pains in my arms and legs was convinced I was having a stroke even tho I obviously wasn't as this could happen ten times a day but I was always convinced each time. Then symptoms progressed to pains and tightness in chest, aching bones n muscles, headaches etc etc. I have self diagnosed everything from stroke heart attack and cancer sounds stupid when my doc can't find anything physically wrong wit me. Yet still 24hrs a day I'm convinced I'm dying. I'm on melds its sertraline which has definitely reduced the number of attacks I have from 10 a day to a few a week, but it's always in the back of my mine. I have a 19 month old son and 15 week old twin boys and my life, should be perfect but it ain't. Anxiety is ruining it I have severe mood swings I feel tired all the time n have no energy for anything anymore, does anyone else feel like this out there.
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Suffered on and off with serious depressive episodes (mostly on). Up until new year I was drinking too much which I seem to have a handle on now. Was also taking paracetamol and anti inflammatories every day for the dreadful muscle aches and pains. My only relief is keeping warm in bed but then the sleeplessness is worse at night.
Does anyone else experience this? My doctor doesn't have any ideas and I really cannot take painkillers etc every day...
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The problem is after drinking alcohol the next couple of days I suffer from really bad anxiety, to the point where I feel so down and physically sick. Sometimes I feel so ashamed and I go into depressed mode. Also the last couple of years I've been having blackouts after really heavy sessions. I keep promising myself I will never do it again but it plays a big part of my social life and I feel pressured at times. I don't always blackout but when I do, I've been told I become aggressive and start to pick arguments or fights with people. When I hear the stories I feel disgusted with myself because I'm not that kind of person, I would literally do anything for anyone within reason. I'm not alcohol dependant although 10 years ago when I was 18 I drank everyday for approximately 1 year as I wasn't in a great place. It's just that once or twice a week I have a really heavy blow out and I feel so ill for days afterwards, the anxiety is unbearable. I've also noticed that once I start drinking I find it difficult to stop once I've reached a certain limit. But I can actually take it or leave it some weeks, but then I need a blow out. I've spoke to a few close friends and one of them suggested AA but I'm not really sure if this is the right idea ? I do suffer from anxiety and panic attacks but the alcohol just makes it worse. Especially with the blackouts, I don't seem to have any pre warning with the blackouts. I can be feeling merry one minute and then I wake up in the morning with hours missing from the night. I know its easy to say just dont drink but I'm finding a big struggle to completely avoid it.
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I take about 10mg in all on most days, but I still weaken to just a VERY small glass of wine in the evening, anybody else do this I know I shouldn't really but kind of look forward to it.
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Some days I read this page and I think...wow...all these people are drinking and they are functioning! I can drink and function anymore. I become a statue on the couch with the beer not very far from me and at least 2 packs of cigs.
I used to be able to function when I was drinking when I was younger...but what I believe happened to ME...was I discovered the "morning" drink about 15 years ago.
About 15 years ago...after a family cookout...I felt soooo sick from drinking all day the day before....I was probably on line and learned about the "hair of the dog". And I drove back to my brother in laws house...and raided the beer that was left outside in the cooler.
I started drinking that day..and because I was younger...I felt so much better after the first drink...I kept going and I thought....I had the cure for a hangover!
I was working back then so only drank at night during the week and didn't have those horrible hangovers in the mornings...but on weekends...I started drinking in the a.m. if I had drank too much on a Friday night to cure the blurry vision, the awful taste in mouth, that dragging feeling.
This pattern led me to drinking continuously all weekend from morning to night...and that is when my alcoholism took a serious turn for the worst.
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I have been smoking cannabis since i was 14 and am now nearly 19. even though i have not smoked for as many years as others here i can relate to a lot of the points they are making. Cannabis is a great drug when you first start smoking it but in later years i have found myself on edge whenever i haven't had a spliff. However i find after 3 days of going without a spliff it gets much easier.
Since starting university this year i have met a lot of people that do not smoke cannabis and never would, this has opened my mind in a huge way as before i came here i was in a group of friends where everyone smoked it. These days i do feel that cannabis detaches me from the world and it doesn't help in social situations at all. finding a girlfriend is becoming increasing difficult as i spend few hours of my life not stoned. The problem is i do need some escapism from this reality and i can't find it at the bottom of a bottle. For some people drinking is great but i would choose weed any day over alcohol. Friends of mine that have given up cannabis have become full blown alcoholics, i don't think i could face going down that route. Cannabis use does concern me a lot and i think i am on the way to giving it up altogether. Besides the effects are so insignificant these days compared to what it use to be when i was 14. Its always hard though when you know your friend downstairs has just picked up a fresh eighth. I am making a committed effort to give it up altogether as my chemistry course is too difficult for me to go on smoking daily. Lets just hope my tobacco consumption doesn't double as a result.
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My boyfriend and I have been dating for a few months now, and we are both 18. When we first started dating i knew he had a drinking problem before because he went to rehab. When we first started dating everything was great he didn't drink for the first two months of our relationship. When he did start drinking we drank casually, i thought everything is okay because he would only drink with me. But then he started drinking with old friends that he would drink heavily with. I thought everything would be okay but then he started freaking out on his parents and his anger was out of control. I told him that i don't think i could deal with any of this right now and he said he would stop drinking. which only lasted about a week. he was never mean to me, but he did threaten me saying if i was to break up with him he would kill himself. he just recently went to rehab and said he isn't coming back but he still wants to be together. i love him and care about him alot but not being able to see him kills me and i don't know how to deal with it. when i told him one night that i cant do it, the whole not seeing him thing he got very emotional. This is my first real serious relationship and i just need some advice on what to do. I don't have anyone to talk to because no one understands how i feel.
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So a couple nights ago I drank and can't remember part of the night. The funny thing is usually when I get drunk a trip n fall and that type of stuff and remember it fine. I wasn't drunk enough to be doing that but the whole night is hazy. And I guess I tried to have a conversation with a buddy's mom and I don't remember it. The bad thing is there are thoughts and feelings I have that I hope I didn't tell her about and I'm afraid I did. I'm to chicken to ask. I kept on telling them I wasn't drunk. I also remember thinking this is my last beer and I'm done but I'm pretty sure I drank more after that. All the people that I was drinking with say I was very drunk. And I just can't remember. I know my drink wasn't spiked or anything. But I'm also told my husband wanted me to go to bed and I didn't want to don't remember that either. I did start drinking on an empty stomach. But then I ate after about 2 beers.
My question how to prevent future memory loss cause sometimes it happens sometimes it does. And why. And does anyone think I would have said embarrassing things to the buddy's mom
Ps I'm not an alchohalic And I'm of legal drinking age and a responsible adult 90 percent of the time
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I had high ALT, high cholesterol, Triglycerides and Non-alcoholic fatty liver for last 1 year (as i know). I was trying to control these for last 6 Months.
I had my liver function blood test results back today as follows:
Serum Albumin: 43 g/L
Serum Alkaline Phosphatase : 77 iu/L
Serum ALT level 34 iu/L (it went upto 110 last year same time and slowly decreasing since then, in December 2014 it was 65 iu/L i am glad that it is back to this level )
Serum Bilirubin level 9 umol/L
Serum Lipids
Serum Cholesterol 5.3 mmol/L (In December 2014 it was 5.8)
Serum Triglycerides 1.95 mmol/L (In December 2014 it was 3.96)
HDL Cholesterol level 1 mmol/L
LDL cholesterol levels 3.4 mmol/L
Total cholesterol:HDL ratio = 5.3
It is clear that i have improved my ALT and Triglycerides with diet control and sports/exercise. However, still my cholestrol is high and recent Ultrasound scan suggested NAFLD, i.e fatty liver.
I would appreciate expert's suggestions regarding my cholesterol and reducing NAFLD. I am worried as i did not have these issues just about 1 year ago. I am playing sports 2-3 times a week, controlling my diet (no cheese/butter etc), what else i can do to lower my cholesterol and Fatty Liver.
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