Panic attack
11.30.14
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: California
Posts: 401
Monster panic attacks need drastic measures - get a bowl of ice and do a face plant. Pour cubes on your chest. No ice? Jump into a cold shower for a minute. This will shock your system back to reality. PAs, unlike anxiety, are like an out of body experience.
Grounding your feet into the earth and focusing on your feet and the earth helps. Pretend you can see the world through your feet. Silly as it sounds, it can help.
Grounding your feet into the earth and focusing on your feet and the earth helps. Pretend you can see the world through your feet. Silly as it sounds, it can help.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 369
Bad panic attacks are crazy. Like a bad acid trip. Worst feeling in the world. I used to wake up with full blown alcohol withdrawl and have panic attack. That sucks. Had to slam drinks to feel human again. One of my main motivations for getting sober. Never being in that headspace again.
11.30.14
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: California
Posts: 401
I get monster PAs every now and then, but I use xanax as a last resort. I try and let the PA run it's course (after the ice face plant). I tell myself the PA won't kill me. BTW - The ice helps to bring the heart rate down.
Glad to hear you're better. You're going to be fine
Glad to hear you're better. You're going to be fine
11.30.14
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: California
Posts: 401
Originally Posted by Dave36 
Bad panic attacks are crazy. Like a bad acid trip. Worst feeling in the world. I used to wake up with full blown alcohol withdrawl and have panic attack. That sucks. Had to slam drinks to feel human again. One of my main motivations for getting sober. Never being in that headspace again.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: sydney
Posts: 9
Hi Dave
Sorry to hear about the attack hope all is okay now
I too have just woken up in panic... It's 2am. Took me a while to snap out of sleep and catch my breath. Thought the belly breaths would help me return to sleep however it was too overwhelming. Have a 9 o'clock sales meeting as well which adds to the difficulty getting back to sleep. Had to have my emergency xanax
Hoping these are just alcohol withdrawals , I've just tapered from a two month 20+drink a day binge. Had about 20 drinks on Saturday and 10 on Sunday, none tonight (Monday night).
Really thought id beaten this anxiety thing ...!!
Oh well we live to fight another day
Cheers,
Sorry to hear about the attack hope all is okay now
I too have just woken up in panic... It's 2am. Took me a while to snap out of sleep and catch my breath. Thought the belly breaths would help me return to sleep however it was too overwhelming. Have a 9 o'clock sales meeting as well which adds to the difficulty getting back to sleep. Had to have my emergency xanax
Hoping these are just alcohol withdrawals , I've just tapered from a two month 20+drink a day binge. Had about 20 drinks on Saturday and 10 on Sunday, none tonight (Monday night).
Really thought id beaten this anxiety thing ...!!
Oh well we live to fight another day
Cheers,
Member
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: NY
Posts: 12
Good job on 26 days!
Try this exercise next time you seem to have a panic attack.
Whatever you're looking at , listening too, repeat it back to yourself for a little.
So that you can overcome that negative voice trying to make you believe something
that isnt true.
And just remember, an anxiety attack is just an illusion, so if you can (might be hard or easy for you) force yourself to understand that its NOT real, you'll be fine.
Try this exercise next time you seem to have a panic attack.
Whatever you're looking at , listening too, repeat it back to yourself for a little.
So that you can overcome that negative voice trying to make you believe something
that isnt true.
And just remember, an anxiety attack is just an illusion, so if you can (might be hard or easy for you) force yourself to understand that its NOT real, you'll be fine.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 369
Well that's a little over simplified. That's like saying did you ever just try not having anxiety. Has more to do with alcohol withdrawal and a chemical imbalance. Kinda hard to reason my way out of that. I know you meant well tho.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 16
Originally Posted by Dave36
Have 23 days in. Been doing ok. Having a monster anxiety attack right now. I usually drink when this happens. Just have to suck it up and deal with it I guess
as a sober contributor
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: California
Posts: 1,312
I too used to have anxiety and panic attacks but they have completely disappeared since I stopped drinking and smoking pot 2+ years ago.
When I would have an attack the only thing that would help was movement. I would get up and start walking and soon my erratic heart beat would go back to normal. Give it a try and if you cant get outside due to weather just walk around the house several times.
With time you will find that these attacks will begin to lessen in severity and will happen less often. If you drink or use, they will get worse.
Good Luck!
When I would have an attack the only thing that would help was movement. I would get up and start walking and soon my erratic heart beat would go back to normal. Give it a try and if you cant get outside due to weather just walk around the house several times.
With time you will find that these attacks will begin to lessen in severity and will happen less often. If you drink or use, they will get worse.
Good Luck!
Member
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: New Mexico
Posts: 46
I kinda didn't take well to breathing exercises, and all types of exercise, it makes me dwell on my symptoms more. What can be helpful is just to not fight the anxiety, let it happen. Let it get as bad as it wants. Claire Weeks has written about how to get through anxiety without resisting it, and just letting it happen to you.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 41
my panic attack caused anxiety to linger very strong for a good 6 months, the first few weeks I couldn't even drive. it was bad
anyways, try not to take any pills, you have to try and beat it "naturally" as in the long run its the best way to go about it. By taking pills like Xanax your body will depend on them and when you don't have any it will cause anxiety to go worse.
Try taking natural pills like vitams, buy some theanine from ebay or amazon, theres another called "seredyn" which is a combination of herbs, they do not have immediate effects so it could take weeks before your body balances itself out.
Be strong and KNOW that you can go back to normal but it will take time.
Exercising is the best thing, because it subjects you to almost similar symptoms such as heavy breathing, sweating, palpitations etc. Except your body knows its because of the exercise and hopefully will adapt to those situations beter. In my case, I feel like since I exposed myself to those symptoms via exercise it helped my body adapt to those conditions and situations, so when I sometimes feel like I might have anxiety it helps me control it better.
Ive done things I never would've thought possibly, ive since taken a plane trip which I had never flown before, the anxiety lingers but its better controlled.
Love life and life it! remember we all die anyways, when its your time its your time. Sometimes, when I feel anxiety also and im at a store or a situation, I tell myself things like, "f*** it, if its my time its my time, take me away, im not gonna stop myself, im not gonna quit, come for me fu*****" and I sorta breath deeply once or twice and then just let my body relax & loosen up myself and guess what, it doesn't happen!
it took me years of daily drinking to build up my stupid anxiety and I barely have 1 year sober I figure it will take me a few more to hopefully bring myself to where I feel "normal" again.
what may work for 1 person doesn't work for the other, its all about you and how you deal with it, different thoughts affect people in different way. Know that panic attack is a trick! I had purchasd a book from amazon called "panic attack workbook: a guided program for beating the panic attack trick" and it helped me understand things better. You will realize its just your body tricked into thinking theres danger when there isn't. I would recommend that book if you haven't looked at it. a lot of the things on there will makie sense to you.
Good luck & be strong! there is nothing wrong with you. When I had it bad I sometimes felt like I would rather be physically disabled and be able to be out and about rather than being physically fine and sometimes couldn't even step foot outside the house.
and whatever you do try not to drink! if you do it may help for the moment, but the next day it will likely bring back the anxiety twice as bad and fwhatever progress you've made will be for nothing. Your body now rejects alcohol which is a good thing.
anyways, try not to take any pills, you have to try and beat it "naturally" as in the long run its the best way to go about it. By taking pills like Xanax your body will depend on them and when you don't have any it will cause anxiety to go worse.
Try taking natural pills like vitams, buy some theanine from ebay or amazon, theres another called "seredyn" which is a combination of herbs, they do not have immediate effects so it could take weeks before your body balances itself out.
Be strong and KNOW that you can go back to normal but it will take time.
Exercising is the best thing, because it subjects you to almost similar symptoms such as heavy breathing, sweating, palpitations etc. Except your body knows its because of the exercise and hopefully will adapt to those situations beter. In my case, I feel like since I exposed myself to those symptoms via exercise it helped my body adapt to those conditions and situations, so when I sometimes feel like I might have anxiety it helps me control it better.
Ive done things I never would've thought possibly, ive since taken a plane trip which I had never flown before, the anxiety lingers but its better controlled.
Love life and life it! remember we all die anyways, when its your time its your time. Sometimes, when I feel anxiety also and im at a store or a situation, I tell myself things like, "f*** it, if its my time its my time, take me away, im not gonna stop myself, im not gonna quit, come for me fu*****" and I sorta breath deeply once or twice and then just let my body relax & loosen up myself and guess what, it doesn't happen!
it took me years of daily drinking to build up my stupid anxiety and I barely have 1 year sober I figure it will take me a few more to hopefully bring myself to where I feel "normal" again.
what may work for 1 person doesn't work for the other, its all about you and how you deal with it, different thoughts affect people in different way. Know that panic attack is a trick! I had purchasd a book from amazon called "panic attack workbook: a guided program for beating the panic attack trick" and it helped me understand things better. You will realize its just your body tricked into thinking theres danger when there isn't. I would recommend that book if you haven't looked at it. a lot of the things on there will makie sense to you.
Good luck & be strong! there is nothing wrong with you. When I had it bad I sometimes felt like I would rather be physically disabled and be able to be out and about rather than being physically fine and sometimes couldn't even step foot outside the house.
and whatever you do try not to drink! if you do it may help for the moment, but the next day it will likely bring back the anxiety twice as bad and fwhatever progress you've made will be for nothing. Your body now rejects alcohol which is a good thing.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 41
Originally Posted by Dave36
Well that's a little over simplified. That's like saying did you ever just try not having anxiety. Has more to do with alcohol withdrawal and a chemical imbalance. Kinda hard to reason my way out of that. I know you meant well tho.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: DFW area, Texas
Posts: 521
I've had bad panic attacks since quitting alcohol (I had them earlier in life, but they went to a whole new level when I quit boozin'). They can be truly debilitating and we all know what you're going through.
How's your sleep been? For about 2.5 months after stopping, I was getting what they call fatigue sleep...not restful at all. Finally got a sleep aid that helped a lot. Breathing helps with my PAs these days, as does going for a walk. For me the intensity has dropped a bit, but they are not totally gone.
Hang in there!
How's your sleep been? For about 2.5 months after stopping, I was getting what they call fatigue sleep...not restful at all. Finally got a sleep aid that helped a lot. Breathing helps with my PAs these days, as does going for a walk. For me the intensity has dropped a bit, but they are not totally gone.
Hang in there!
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