Anxiety and Panic Attacks... how long before they go away?
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Anxiety and Panic Attacks... how long before they go away?
I was drinking at least a bottle of wine nightly for at least two years. First week of May I quit cold turkey for 30 days. I had not intended to completely stop, only to take a break and then have a couple glasses of wine on the weekends.
During my 30 I had terrible panic attacks and anxiety. They got slightly less every day that went by.
At the end of my thirty days I added a glass of wine or two with dinner of Friday or Sat night. Been doing that with no issues for three weeks.
EXCEPT... I still have random out of the blue panic attacks during the week. Some of them are unbearable.
Any advice? Is my weekend drink or two impacting me? (By the way, I am really only having one or two drinks, as some might accuse me of lying).
The reason I quit drinking was because my blood pressure was through the roof. Eliminating my daily drinking was the goal, not to quit completely. I still want to be able to have a glass of wine or beer occasionally with my friends and family. That may go against what some of you believe. Since my 30 day detox and weekend only drinking my blood pressure has returned to completely normal numbers, which was what I was going for. I just didn't expect to have all of this anxiety and panic attacks to go with it.
During my 30 I had terrible panic attacks and anxiety. They got slightly less every day that went by.
At the end of my thirty days I added a glass of wine or two with dinner of Friday or Sat night. Been doing that with no issues for three weeks.
EXCEPT... I still have random out of the blue panic attacks during the week. Some of them are unbearable.
Any advice? Is my weekend drink or two impacting me? (By the way, I am really only having one or two drinks, as some might accuse me of lying).
The reason I quit drinking was because my blood pressure was through the roof. Eliminating my daily drinking was the goal, not to quit completely. I still want to be able to have a glass of wine or beer occasionally with my friends and family. That may go against what some of you believe. Since my 30 day detox and weekend only drinking my blood pressure has returned to completely normal numbers, which was what I was going for. I just didn't expect to have all of this anxiety and panic attacks to go with it.
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Join Date: Jun 2017
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Hi jack, not offering any medical advice here at all, but I was very ill and hospitalised for a few weeks When I was about 17 (nothing to do with drinking) and after a few days of me being home from hospital I started with these hurrendous panic attacks. At the time I just could not understand where they had come from or even what the heck they were, I literally used to wake up 8 times a night bolt upright and running out of the bedroom clambering for the front door thinking I was having a heart attack and desperately trying to find someone to help me. I suddenly became terribly anxious in public situations after always being a fairly confident person and these became a big reason for my acceleration into drinking a lot of alcohol to get me to sleep/self induced coma and cope with going out socially again. After a year of much of the same I came to realise that panic attacks are the bodies of way of just coping with stress for to long and it has to manifest itself in some way and unfortunately with some people it comes out in this way with panic attacks. Looking back at my time when they all started I had a huge amount of stress going on, no house, bad job, bad relationships, family grievances, debt, but unfortunately as human beings we tend to just brush things aside instead of actually dealing with these problems and get on with things never addressing what we are really feeling! I aslo found coffee a big no no for panic attacks, not enough sleep, crappy foods, and yes sorry to say it but alcohol can be a trigger. Take some time out if you can, perhaps try some meditation if that's not too hippy for you �� Ten minutes a day can make a real difference! Next time you have one, realise what is happening and acknowledge it, slow your breathing through your nose not your mouth, find something to focus on and try to think of positive thoughts aremember it will pass if you can learn to control it. Hope they go soon, and they will but you do have to work on them. Ive finally made the decision to quit alcohol 2 months ago at 34 and the first 2 weeks were sheer hell and a lot of panic attacks again after all these years but I have now mastered controlling them and can minimalise thier impact! Good luck with getting rid of them
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Join Date: Mar 2017
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Hi johnny,
Interestingly, I quit alcohol (almost 4 months ago) partly for the same reason: high blood pressure. I was also having panic attacks after drinking. And I've never had panic or anxiety problems before. For me, cutting out drinking AND completely revamping my lifestyle to be way healthier (diet, exercise, etc) returned my BP to normal and completely eliminated my panic attacks. It took a couple months for me with alcohol completely out of the picture. I'm not sure if 1 or 2 drinks every now and then would change that, but I was a binge drinker so I'm not going to try to find out.
Best of luck! I'm sure you are much happier and healthier now than you were drinking a bottle a day.
Interestingly, I quit alcohol (almost 4 months ago) partly for the same reason: high blood pressure. I was also having panic attacks after drinking. And I've never had panic or anxiety problems before. For me, cutting out drinking AND completely revamping my lifestyle to be way healthier (diet, exercise, etc) returned my BP to normal and completely eliminated my panic attacks. It took a couple months for me with alcohol completely out of the picture. I'm not sure if 1 or 2 drinks every now and then would change that, but I was a binge drinker so I'm not going to try to find out.
Best of luck! I'm sure you are much happier and healthier now than you were drinking a bottle a day.
12 Step Recovered Alcoholic
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Sounds like checking with a therapist or doctors would be wise. I have had a couple of panic attacks, fairly mild ones compared to yours after many years of sobriety. The cause with mine was how I was reacting to life, and the decisions I was making t the time. They came back to bite me. So I simply had to change my behaviour no get back on track.
My stuff was to do with alcoholism, and I have an effective plan that treats that.
But panic attacks and anxiety disorders can also have other causes, and are serious conditions in their own right, sometimes requiring specialist treatment. For any treatment to be successful however, you must be completely honest with those trying to help you.
Many an alcoholic has landed themselves with an extra addiction through misleading their doctors.
My stuff was to do with alcoholism, and I have an effective plan that treats that.
But panic attacks and anxiety disorders can also have other causes, and are serious conditions in their own right, sometimes requiring specialist treatment. For any treatment to be successful however, you must be completely honest with those trying to help you.
Many an alcoholic has landed themselves with an extra addiction through misleading their doctors.
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Hi JackJ5906 - welcome 
I believe that alcoholism is a progressive illness, in that it gets worse the longer we drink.
Sometimes the way it gets worse is in increasing anxiety when we're not drinking.
If you're suffering this much, is that glass of wine or two of a weekend really worth it?
D
I believe that alcoholism is a progressive illness, in that it gets worse the longer we drink.
Sometimes the way it gets worse is in increasing anxiety when we're not drinking.
If you're suffering this much, is that glass of wine or two of a weekend really worth it?
D
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Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 3,293
I'm no expert on the subject, but I definitely know what you mean about extreme anxiety and panic attacks. I think it takes a while for the brain to re-wire itself back to what it used to be before alcohol interfered with it's normal functioning. As a person that is normally accustomed to a lot of anxiety and the occasional panic attack, I can tell you without a doubt that drinking makes it much worse. Maybe your occasional drinking is making it tougher for your brain to process information in a normal way and keeps it in hyper alert causing the anxiety and panic attacks. After all, that's what anxiety and panic attacks are all about. Fear of nonexistent threats. If you haven't had these kinds of problems prior to drinking, then quitting drinking should make a big difference for you. Otherwise, a talk with you doctor might be in order. Good Luck. John
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Leaving aside medical conditions, an AA promise is,
"Once we have taken this step, withholding nothing, we are delighted. We can look the world in the eye. We can be alone at perfect peace and ease. Our fears fall from us. We begin to feel the nearness of our Creator"
Most newcomers or even old timers forget this promise.
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Originally Posted by lunahunt 
"Once we have taken this step, withholding nothing, we are delighted. We can look the world in the eye. We can be alone at perfect peace and ease. Our fears fall from us. We begin to feel the nearness of our Creator"
Most newcomers or even old timers forget this promise.Member
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Join Date: Jun 2017
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Originally Posted by Dee74
Hi JackJ5906 - welcome
If you're suffering this much, is that glass of wine or two of a weekend really worth it?
D
If you're suffering this much, is that glass of wine or two of a weekend really worth it?
D
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Join Date: Jun 2017
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Originally Posted by 2muchpain
If you haven't had these kinds of problems prior to drinking, then quitting drinking should make a big difference for you.
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Join Date: Mar 2016
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Jack, it could be kindling. Also, it takes a minute for the brain to heal from substance use. Some people experience no issues when they abstain, and others experience withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, panic etc. I was one of the "lucky" ones who experienced PAWS for an entire year. One thing for sure, the longer you abstain the better you feel. It will get better.
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Originally Posted by lunahunt
Leaving aside medical conditions, an AA promise is,
"Once we have taken this step, withholding nothing, we are delighted. We can look the world in the eye. We can be alone at perfect peace and ease. Our fears fall from us. We begin to feel the nearness of our Creator"
Most newcomers or even old timers forget this promise.The first evidence I got was after step five, when I experienced these promises for myself. I actually read them after the experience and it blew me way that they described exactly how I was feeling. I never would have got that if I had closed my mind to all spiritual concepts.
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Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 5,229
if your still drinking I cant say if or when the panic attacks will stop.
for me i had to quit drinking entirely and it took some time. panic attacks eased up after a month but even now at 6 years sober I still have issues but I know my boundaries better and respect them so I have less problems.
The anxiety was basicly unbearable for me for like 8 or 9 months. then it eased. But even now i have anxiety issues just not as bad as then.
I've read stories of people just having a single 4pm martini and ending up with panic attacks and such. It really seems to not help matters when you drink.
I wish i understood why. I'd like to think that maybe i somehow managed to ddamage my nervious system and thats why i simply cant drink without getting panic. But wtf do i know.
The simple answer is to just not drink and wait it out. YOu can at least rule out drinking as a possible cause if you dont drink or reduce the panic.
for me i had to quit drinking entirely and it took some time. panic attacks eased up after a month but even now at 6 years sober I still have issues but I know my boundaries better and respect them so I have less problems.
The anxiety was basicly unbearable for me for like 8 or 9 months. then it eased. But even now i have anxiety issues just not as bad as then.
I've read stories of people just having a single 4pm martini and ending up with panic attacks and such. It really seems to not help matters when you drink.
I wish i understood why. I'd like to think that maybe i somehow managed to ddamage my nervious system and thats why i simply cant drink without getting panic. But wtf do i know.
The simple answer is to just not drink and wait it out. YOu can at least rule out drinking as a possible cause if you dont drink or reduce the panic.
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Originally Posted by zjw
The simple answer is to just not drink and wait it out. YOu can at least rule out drinking as a possible cause if you dont drink or reduce the panic.
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Join Date: Jun 2012
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at 6 months sober i complained to a doctor about problems i was having. He told me it was probably just PAWS i thought he was full of it and didnt know wtf he was talking about.
fast forward tho having read and posted here for a bit i've realized that geeze PAWS can linger on for a pretty lengthy period of time.
Its crap too when I quit I figured i'd be back to normal in a week or 2. Boy was i mistaken! it took me a long friggen time !
fast forward tho having read and posted here for a bit i've realized that geeze PAWS can linger on for a pretty lengthy period of time.
Its crap too when I quit I figured i'd be back to normal in a week or 2. Boy was i mistaken! it took me a long friggen time !
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Originally Posted by captainkitty
Again...please Google the relationship between alcohol and cortisol (stress hormone) then Google natural remedies to reduce cortisol.
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I guess its kind of complex.
My anxiety was so bad it felt like i wa sbeing electricuted or soemthing i could feel like a zapping sensation down the back of my neck my spine and down my limbs etc.. It was like this for 8 months? this severe. then it started to ease. It really didnt let up either. I felt like i was on the edge of a cliff struggling to not fall for the first 8 months or so / walking the razors edge of sanity.
The panic eased pretty fast within weeks really. Its just that now and then if i'm not careful i'll still have issues. but its no where near like it was. I used to have panic attacks all day long it was crazy.
But there was a lot of other stuff going on. Derealzation, depersonalization type stuff. I was coming out of the fog from all the years of drinking. I had 0 coping skills (which of course made anxiety and such even worse) i was incredibly depressed wich also made mattters worse. I was trying to figure out wtf i was since I had spend the prior 15 years or so drunk all the time etc..
I wish it was more cut and dry I wish i could tell you that once you have that last drink it leaves your system your body adjusts and everythings great. But its not that simple or well wasnt for me.
But it does get better in time. If stuff isnt getting better i'd look for other possible culprits. Its probably pretty certain that alcohol isnt adding value to your life certainly not in a way like eating an apple a day would etc.. IE usually people dont go to the doctor and are told they suffer from an alcohol defieciency and should drink more lol.
Thats the appraoch i had. I removed drinking then i started to remove other possible problems IE smoking bad diet lack of excercise etc.. just so i could rule all that out as possibly making life worse.
One by one as i made better choices things eased up. Perfect? nope but life wasnt perfect before all my bad choices either nor never will be. But incredibly improved.
My anxiety was so bad it felt like i wa sbeing electricuted or soemthing i could feel like a zapping sensation down the back of my neck my spine and down my limbs etc.. It was like this for 8 months? this severe. then it started to ease. It really didnt let up either. I felt like i was on the edge of a cliff struggling to not fall for the first 8 months or so / walking the razors edge of sanity.
The panic eased pretty fast within weeks really. Its just that now and then if i'm not careful i'll still have issues. but its no where near like it was. I used to have panic attacks all day long it was crazy.
But there was a lot of other stuff going on. Derealzation, depersonalization type stuff. I was coming out of the fog from all the years of drinking. I had 0 coping skills (which of course made anxiety and such even worse) i was incredibly depressed wich also made mattters worse. I was trying to figure out wtf i was since I had spend the prior 15 years or so drunk all the time etc..
I wish it was more cut and dry I wish i could tell you that once you have that last drink it leaves your system your body adjusts and everythings great. But its not that simple or well wasnt for me.
But it does get better in time. If stuff isnt getting better i'd look for other possible culprits. Its probably pretty certain that alcohol isnt adding value to your life certainly not in a way like eating an apple a day would etc.. IE usually people dont go to the doctor and are told they suffer from an alcohol defieciency and should drink more lol.
Thats the appraoch i had. I removed drinking then i started to remove other possible problems IE smoking bad diet lack of excercise etc.. just so i could rule all that out as possibly making life worse.
One by one as i made better choices things eased up. Perfect? nope but life wasnt perfect before all my bad choices either nor never will be. But incredibly improved.
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