Anxiety and Alcohol

[Chelle88]

Hi, I have been suffering with anxiety and depression for the past 3 years, I'm on daily medication. Mostly my anxiety is under control (no more panic attacks etc) however I find that if I have more than 2 drinks in a night out I wake up hungover and super anxious! Does anyone else find that drinking makes them ridiculously anxious the next day or even for days after. I went out on Saturday night and it's now Tuesday morning and I'm still so anxious 😩 I only had about 5 drinks but I still feel horrible! Obviously the soloution is to not drink but I'm just wondering if this is a common thing?

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi Chelle88,

Thanks for your post.

Absolutely this can happen! Anxiety and alcohol are a tricky mix - on one hand, it feels like alcohol can help with anxiety and on the other hand it can feel like alcohol can make anxiety worse.

There is so much that happens when we drink; an imbalance of serotonin (our happy chemical), blood sugar, magnesium and vitamin B; we get dehydrated, hyperactive and our heart rate goes up which alters the way our nervous system processes anxiety. Unfortunately there's no easy fix here; just self-care, reducing alcohol intake and learning to better manage anxiety.

You may also find these threads helpful -

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/anxiety/anxiety-and-drinking-alcohol

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/anxiety/anxiety-after-night-out-drinking-

Hope this helps!

[Jessicatherese94]

Hi Chelle, yes it's really common to feel anxious after drinking! I'm not sure about feeling hungover about 2 drinks (maybe that's something you could talk to your doctor about) but I have heard that alcohol/drugs can contribute to anxiety. I'm sure it all depends on the person though! Sorry to hear you're feeling anxious, hope that you feel better over the coming days.

[geoff]

hi Chelle, if you get a hangover after 2 drinks then the alcohol must be affecting you in some other way, which your doctor needs to check out.
Anxiety can occur because of you maybe worried about what you have said amongst your friends and frightened whether or not they will talk to you again.
Whether or not you decide not to drink maybe your best solution, however it would be wise to go and see your doctor, the problem maybe more than you think, but before you do this, write down what actually happens, plus how you generally feel during the day, then give this letter to them.
Have you done the K-10 test, it's to see what level of depression you may have, remembering that anxiety and depression go hand in hand, do the test several times during the day and not straight after another, take this as well to your doctor. Geoff.