mrgmscott

I am new here and don't know if anybody is going to read this or not but here goes. I have been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (about 2 years ago) and my doctor has given me medication to beat the disorder but I am now starting to feel that it has been induced by alcohol. I have been drinking every evening for the last couple of years minus a couple weeks here and there. I am tired of the constant lightheadednes, worry, panic and I believe that the only reason that I am feeling this way right now is because of my alcohol abuse. I guess I am here looking for some success stories of people with horrible anxiety issues that self medicated with booz as I have been doing, which has to be the reason I feel the way I do, always worried, heavy chest and now a slight B12 deficiency that I have been working on. I need to quit drinking to feel better I am sure. But if there is anybody here that has tried to self medicate their anxiety disorder with alcohol and has successfully quit drinking and now feel normal again, I would love to hear from you. If I have to quit drinking to fel normal again then that is what I have devoted myself to doing, as well as becoming overall healthy again. I workout and eat pretty good and have seen no results, I am 260 right now and have a goal of being 220 by July 23rd. I have to quite drinking to do this I know. But right now am more worried about the anxiety associatied with booz. Any feedback would be so much appreciated, I am ready to be normal again!!!

Dee74

Welcome to SR mrgmscott

I think you'll find a lot of people here who'll tell you that their anxiety got better once they quit drinking...just keep in mind it may get worse for a little while in the short term...

were you honest about your drinking with your Dr?
I recommend you talk to them before you discontinue any meds.

D

sugarbear1

alcohol and medication don't mix. alcohol is a depressant. kinda of defeating the purpose of the medication. did you drink before you were put on medication?

I agree with being honest with your doctor.

stick around here, you aren't alone!

Jitterbugg

Hi mrgm,
I never had anxiety before my drinking became a problem. I began drinking more and more because I thought it was the only way to turn off that inner voice that kept me up at night with worry. I now realize that I had anxiety/depression BECAUSE I was drinking. As soon as I quit the booze, the anxiety and depression disappeared. I also lost 30 pounds without any sort of real weight-loss plan. It was just the elimination of all those calories from beer.

Anyway, I am certain that any anxiety issues you have will improve drastically if you stop drinking.

Anna

Yes, I self-medicated anxiety with alcohol. I worried constantly, my mind would race, I couldn't sleep, and on and on. I began drinking in desperation to sleep and I think I was hooked on alcohol within a few weeks. But, I spent almost 3 years convincing myself that I could handle it.

I have stopped drinking many years ago and I still have anxiety. I have read many great books on the topic and I manage. I have learned breathing techniques, I meditate and I try to not bring stress onto myself. I would much rather deal with the anxiety issues, though sometimes it can be exhausting, than to deal with alcoholism.

There are many good books on how to manage anxiety in your daily life.

mrgmscott

I was actually honest with my doctor, I promised him that I would quite and when he saw me in a month I would be 20 pounds lighter and off the alcohol. I told him to the extent of my drinking, just kind of broke down in front of him. He is great and is very supportive, I just know that I need to be rid of the booz and I honestly believe that my life will be so much more complete, I just hate this anxiety so bad, keeps me from doing so much! Like I said, just looking for a normal life again, this is great, thank you all so much for your responses.

sugarbear1

Are you going to use a program of recovery?

mrgmscott

If need be I will, I am goin to try and do it myself to start. I have a very busy schedule being a single income man for a family of 4, my goal is to become sober, so if what I have committed to doing does not work and I am worse off than I think I am, I will seek help! Like I said before, I want to feel normal again, also am very committed to fitness right
Now! Gonna get ripped, can't do that with all the crap calories from booze!

artsoul

Welcome!

Like the others here, I noticed a big change in my anxiety level right away after getting sober. Normal life stuff seemed to be easier to handle (which is great for us single parents!)

Glad you're here with us and good luck on your new fitness plan!

mrgmscott

You guys are great here! Thank you for all of the positive affirmation, this is what I was looking for! People with similar issues and how they are handled! Again....Thank you so much for being honest and helpful!

RevivingOphelia

Major anxiety for years and self-medicated (ha!) with alcohol.

It really got out of hand and now trying to take back control.

Good luck to you.

freshstart57

MrGMScott, I am positive that I fit the description to a T. Booze was the cause of my depression and anxiety. After I stopped drinking, it didn't take long at all for things to start looking a lot better for me. One of the things that happened immediately when I quit, was the huge relief in knowing that I no longer had to do the things that addicts do. That alone added some self pride that had been missing from my life for a long time. I recommend it!

DayTrader

I;m no doc....nor am I your doc. I can speak from my experience though.

Meds helped mask the symptoms of my depression but I had this sense....this knowledge, that they were (for me) really just a rose colored glass. They helped the symptoms but the source wasn't going away.

Again, in my case, drinking didn't help....but stopping didn't stop the depression like many hope it would. For me, it seemed to get worse.

Working the spiritual program in AA worked on the source. It treated/relieved my alcoholISM - the source. I didn't know it at the time because my drinking wasn't "that bad," that I was just as (or more) "alcoholic" than the guys who drank far more than me. I thought alcoholism was a disease of amounts - in many cases, amounts have nothing to do with it (nor does frequency).

Maybe what worked for me would work for you? .....I've seen it work in a lot of other folks as well.

walktheline1

MRgmscott, I've been suffering miserable to manageable anxiety after drinking for the past few years. I was drinking 200-500ml of 80 proof every night just to get to sleep and feel normal. I tapered down for a few days and have now been completely sober for a week. The first few days were not fun as my anxiety sky rocketed! I had a friend stay with me who has been through anxiety episodes before; she really helped to calm me down and keep me from reaching for the bottle. After a three or four days things started falling back into place. Today I felt genuinely happy all day and did not have any serious anxiety. It felt amazing!

This is a great forum. Whenever my anxiety got bad those first few days I'd come on here and read. So far it has kept me from reaching for a bottle. When you're going through those first few days of hell, just remember how much better you'll feel and how much better you're life will be without the booze. Also, fruit, water, exercise made me feel a lot better one day 1-4. Best of luck and consider seeing a specialist if it gets too bad.

frances2011

Love this from above: "One of the things that happened immediately when I quit, was the huge relief in knowing that I no longer had to do the things that addicts do."

What a relief!

I had terrible anxiety that I self-medicated with booze. Because I'm an alcoholic, It worked until booze started driving the bus. My Booze Monster needed to be fed so it created a vicious cycle of anxiety/booze/hangover/anxiety.....

It was bad and getting worse.

Fourteen months ago I quit booze. Started running. Life got better but I still felt lousy inside. Saw my doctor. Got a plan to treat my depression/anxiety. Posted here every day. Ran 5 half marathons. Now I exercise every day and my life is getting better and better.

I posted here A LOT in my early days so get through cravings. Also, I made workout plans during my drinking hours (afternoon/evening) so I would be guaranteed to fall into bed tired and sober.

Alcohol is crazy stoopid bad for us athletes. Empty, dehydrating calories.

Welcome to SR and keep posting!

MsJax

Hi mrgm. Welcome! I too have struggled with anxiety for many years. Probably due to lots of uncertainty in my life when I was young. Anyhow, I have almost 14 months sober now & still have been suffering with it. Not debillitatingly so, but it is definitely there. (anxiety). I started seeing a counselor about 3 weeks ago who specializes in addiction for starters, plus anxiety, etc. It does seem like it is starting to help. Sometimes it is ok to see a pro!

Once I quit drinking I did lose the wake-up-heart-pounding-scared-dread anxiety I used to have as a drunk thankfully. Plus lost lots of weight, which you want to do to!

Best wishes to you. Your goals sound really good and it's good you saw a doctor also.

onlythetruth

I too was diagnosed with GAD before I quit drinking.

When I first quit drinking, the symptoms abated to a degree, but never entirely went away. I worked with an excellent therapist and psychiatrist and dealt with all my underlying issues, plus I learned a variety of calming techniques and exercised, and all of this helped to a degree, but the GAD symptoms (including panic attacks) still occurred. I eventually accepted that medication had to be part of the picture for me...and now, I can truly say that I feel very normal. I still have ups and downs, but I'm definitely comfortable.

Remember of course that this is my story, not yours. One thing I learned is that I had to know myself and my own body, which took a while since years of drinking had taken their toll. The important thing is to do what works FOR YOU.

cheeto

I also have had GAD,anxiety issues for many years and alcohol was a bandaid for me but the next day the anxiety would be worse.I am only on Day 15 of sobriety but my anxiety is better than it was when drinking for sure.

mrgmscott

Thank you all for the great advice and experiences that you have all had with GAD and alcohol. I will definitely check in daily and I will let you all know how my battle goes. I know I can do this, because I know that I want to!

freshstart57

That is one of the best things I have read here in a long while, MrScott. I imagined that I was going to be the only person in the whole history of the whole world who had ever given up booze, and I was going to do it simply because I could. And I did. Best to you.