Anxiety and drinking alcohol

[Adrian2014]

Hi all,

I have been having a hard time recently with anxiety and it has started to affect my daily life. I first suffered anxiety when I was around 24, I am now 30. It was after a fairly big life event, I was diagnosed with cancer although it was caught very early and I made a full recovery I had never really suffered from anxiety until after this, so I wonder if it was a trigger. I ended up taking CBT and it seemed to help and I got over it by changing jobs and doing something like stressful.

 Anyway, I then emigrated to Australia from the UK and have been fine, until recently. I have never really been able to handle hangovers and often engage in 'hair of the dog' to quell my anxiety. The last two weeks though it's got pretty bad, I didn't go to work for 3 days as I couldn't leave the house to go to work. I'd end up drinking from 9am which makes me feel better temporarily. I went to the GP who prescribed me some medication, i took it for the first day but i felt horrible on it. I resolved to myself that I would try to get better naturally by eating well and exercising etc. So last week was really good, however I then ended up getting really drunk on friday, felt awful on saturday so drank all day. Then sunday was the same. It's now Tuesday and I haven't been to work as i'm stuck in a bad cycle. The thought of going to work in the morning feels me with dread. I obviously can't keep on like this as I will lose my job if I keep taking days off.

 I know the alcohol is the root of the problems, I need to really moderate it and then I will be ok. Hopefully I can wean myself off today and get a good night sleep. Has anyone else been caught up in this self medicating with alcohol situation? I honestly don't think I am an alcoholic as I don't crave a drink when my anxiety is absent. It's just when it strikes, normally due to alcohol withdrawal I end up drinking again to make me feel better. I have hardly been eating the last few days and I have knots in my stomach. I woke up with terrible anxiety at like 4am and had to stop myself from reaching for some alcohol.  I just don't now what's causing it. Anyway this is a good site!

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[ky]

Hi Adrian, I know what you go through. I am middle woman and alcohol has been part of my life for so damn long. I know it's the problem. it isolates me. I wont stop till I am full. loud music ( by myself) singing at the top of lungs "because I can" It is a lonely existence by I don't seem worry but I know me and the drink cant be together anymore. I am trying to help myself discover what really has kept me locked up in my mind  for so long.

Don't stop trying to find yourself Adrian, Nice to meet you

KY

[Adrian2014]

Guys a little update. I have felt so much better since I started taking 40mg of betablockers. I have now realised that my anxiety has been so bad that I have have fast heartbeat, palpitations,heart missing beats multiple times a day, things which I knew just were not normal, but symptoms of my anxiety which in turn made my anxiety worse. SInce I have been on the betablocker it has had a profound calming effect, it surprises me that these are not first line treatments for anxeity. Virtually no sideeffects compared to other first line treatments which are far more expensive. I know this will not work for everyone, but for me they have put me back in control. I have stopped taking the benzo's since this morning as i found this morning i felt pretty gulm on them are really they just jumb you down. Now, when I ever i was normally in a situation where i would panic an feel anxious, like on a train, or in meetings, i feel like my body wants to go into panic mode, but it just doesnt happen, the drug just stops it all happening and i remain calm. I have realised my drinking was to appease the physiological symptoms i was getting from my anxeity. I have always had such a rapid heartbeat which was all about my panic disorder. Now i feel slow and steady and calm. I am hopeful now my head will stay clear too. Let's wait and see. 🙂

[Adrian2014]

Hi KY.

Nice to meet you. See for me I don't believe drink is the problem. For me my problem is stress and it is caused by me doing a stressful job I do not enjoy. This in turn makes me anxious/drink which leads me to drink more/feel more anxious. Will I always like a drink? Yes. I do believe though that I am relatively normal in that. My dr just told me he never wants me to drink. I told him that's impossible as all my friends drink. He said well don't socialise with those friends. Seriously? I would literally be a loner with no friends. Now that would seriously make me depressed. There isn't a single person I know who doesn't drink. I told him its impossible. Drinking is something I do. Do I need to stop binging heavily because it makes my anxiety worse? Yes but I have already. I drink a hell of a lot less than many of my friends so its all good. There is a happy medium somewhere. I hope you find your trigger about why you drink also? I have realised mine is doing a job I hate.

[Adrian2014]

Hey guys

I stupidly didn't take the benzo last night as I thought I was better and I think I am feeling withdrawals. I felt so spaced out sweaty and anxious. I have had to drink to make me feel better. I wish the DR had told me when prescribing me this  if I stopped that it would be an issue. This makes a hangover from drink seem like a walk in the park. I've only been on them 3 weeks but today I just feel horrid. I would have taken the med again this morning but it must have dropped out of ny wallet in the way to work so ive been without all day. I guess I will have to take it again tonight and speak to my dr about tapering off. What horrible meds these are...

[Nats]

Hey guys,

I am new to the anxiety club, had my first 'attack' back in March before I left the UK for my travels to Australia.

 I am happy, easy going and enjoying every minute of living in Sydney for the next year and a half. I now know that there is clearly something going on in my sub conscious because I have these attacks. I cut out caffeine as the doctor said they may be caffeine caused. I have stopped all caffeine drinks but recently found that I am still having feelings of panic and anxiety without any caffeine so I really am suffering from anxiety! My friends are aware of it and find it totally shocking that I have anxiety because I am 'the most mentally stable person i know'...this is true and I am 'mentally stable' but for whatever reason, I now have tightening of the chest, knots and churning in my stomach and the middle of my chest, it's almost like I have two kinds of attacks..one is the stomach and chest feeling and the orther is chest feeling tight and me trying to breathe normal and make sure I can catch my breathe. I have concluded that the attacks must have been triggered back in the UK because I was leaving home and family and friends, but I had not ever been bothered by that, I was always excited, but it's the only conclusion I can come to and when I speak to my mum or close friends I find the anxiety goes away. The doctor suggested using something as a talisman that I can use to make it go away or alternatively stick my fingers down my throat ( which a friend suggested aswell) I haven't resorted to that yet, and the main problem I have is that my 'attacks' are quite random. I think I have them a bit more now though because I am aware that I feel 'normal' and then I wonder if I will have a good day or will i have an attack...I am healthy, walk a lot and have a great social life..so it just p;roves that anxiety and other mental health problems really can come seemingly out of nowhere. I do find that a wine helps take the feeling away, but I am very concious that I dont become dependant on this, as I know it does ease things.

I hope you are all ok this week and thanks for reading this (if anyone does)

[Adrian2014]

Well guys it's been about 5 months now since I started this thread and I have got worse. After a few good weeks over Xmas and January being pretty good for me I started to get a downturn over Feb. I went away for a holiday and ended up drinking from dawn till dusk. I wake up and just get incredible anxiety and only a drink calms me down. I find it incredibly difficult to go to work and am basically a functional alcoholic at this stage. This week has been particularly bad and the anxiety seems to have morphed into a really bad depression. I just feel really down, obviously the drink is probably a big cause of this. I wake up in the morning and just feel horrible, like something horrible in the pit of my stomach. I am hardly eating a thing, no appetite I just drink. I can't keep on like this as my health will surely suffer bigtime with all the drinking. I went to my usual Dr who referred me to a psychiatrist however he was booked up until June 😞 He referred me to another one and he replied saying he only sees children. SO I need to go back to the Dr and get yet another referral. With no prospect of getting help within a few months though I feel pretty helpless. My mind is filled with negative thoughts throughout the day. It's so strange. I think I need to just wake up tomorrow and just exercise, release some endorphins and live healthily but I say that when I am drunk but when sober I am full of anxiety and don't do it. For some reason work seems to be the issue with me. I get to work and just freak out. If I didn't have to go to work I'd be fine which leads me to think the cause of all this is work related.

[Neil_1]

Hi Adrian

Long-time reader – first time poster (on your particular thread).   🙂

Could I suggest a different approach?    Everything largely seems to be revolving around your job – the stress, the anxiety and then the drinking.   You mentioned once a while back that you need to be careful or you may find that you don’t have a job at all.   I’m guessing that even though this job is very taxing on you, you must be doing ok at it, cause you’ve still got it.  I’m not meaning to have a go with that, just making a comment.

My approach now though is:   it’s the job.  Verdict:  get yourself a new job.   Obviously so very easy for me to write, but, it seems that this pattern is not going to end until the job changes;  then if you do get another job and the pattern continues, well, let’s cross that bridge further down the track.

Is it possible for you to apply for other jobs, in perhaps similar kinds of lines of work – but hopefully not as stressful as your current one?  Is the job market where you are an ‘ok one’??

So for me, I’d be doing everything to try and secure something else;  and of course, this can be done so much easier when you’re still working, which you are, which is fantastic;  which means you’re just on the move from one job to another;  new challenges, new area, a freshen up for you.  Bs like that … it’s good.  🙂

Anyway, that’s just my 5 cents worth.

Hang in there dude, as has been said before, there’s a lot of support on here for you.

Cheers (with water?)

Neil

[LeeSee]

Hey Adrian I'm a first time commenter, and joined so I could ask after you. How are you travelling?

I have similar issues with anxiety and alcohol but have had good results with medication for the anxiety. Luckily, I have a job I adore (am self employed) and I really hope you have left the job you hate, no money is worth doing something you loathe. Can you imagine yourself doing something else? Maybe start dreaming about what you love to do - this is how I created an amazing job for myself 12 years ago.

Just a suggestion, If you feel booze may be the real issue (only you can answer that) you might like to try smart recovery, which is a BRILLIANT alternative to 12 step shizzle. 

Thinking of you, hope you are ok xxx

[LeeSee]

oops, forgot a link

smartrecovery.org

 sniff around and you will see they have meetings in Australia, but the online resources are fantastic too, check it out.

[Hspar2]

Hi Adrian

I have just joined the site and saw your thread, I can totally relate.

Just wanted to check in on how your were?